Dolphin Swimming

Celebrating 10 Years of Manatee Rescue Programs at Dolphin Discovery

// November 16th, 2011 // View Comments // Cancun / Isla Mujeres, Cozumel, News, Riviera Maya, Sea Life

Manatee Family Dolphin Discovery Riviera Maya

Dolphin Discovery is celebrating another incredible milestone in our continuing efforts to protect and conserve endangered  marine animals. It was ten years ago that our team of biologists first participated in the rescue of manatees in Mexico. In 2001, Dolphin Discovery was invited to the state of Tabasco where a group of manatees were living in very poor conditions in a polluted lake. The animals were suffering horribly, extremely malnourished and in desperate need of assistance. Manatees are an endangered species and it was with a sense of urgency that the Dolphin Discovery team joined authorities from the federal government in the rescue operation. The delicate mission was successful, the biologists rescued “Romeo and Juliet”, and brought them back to the Dolphin Discovery facilities in Puerto Aventuras, Riviera Maya for rehabilitation and medical care.

“The Story of Tuuch” a moving video of the rescue of a baby manatee
(”Tuuch” has since been renamed Roberto & is enjoying a fine life in the Riviera Maya)

Since then, Romeo and Juliet have not only survived, but have thrived in their new home. The couple has created a beautiful family through the Dolphin Discovery breeding program, becoming parents to three offspring (as well as fostering the rescued baby “Roberto” and taking him in as their own). The manatee family at Dolphin Discovery has grown over the years through other rescue operations, a testament to the skill and care of our team of biologists and scientists, led by Dr. Roberto Sanchez and their dedication to the preservation of this endangered species.

If you are in Cancun this week, join us in Parque las Palapas downtown for a celebration of our ten years of caring for these noble creatures. November 17, 18 and 19th from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm you can meet members of our team and enjoy activities for the whole family.

We invite you to meet our manatee friends in the Riviera Maya, Cozumel and Isla Mujeres in our unique manatee encounter programs, learn about these gentle giants and even give them a little kiss, it is an experience you will never forget.

Dolphin Discovery Cozumel Earns Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence

// August 30th, 2011 // View Comments // Cozumel, Locations, News

Dolphin Discovery Cozumel is pleased to to announce that we have received a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence, which honors top-rated lodging businesses, restaurants and attractions, as reviewed by travelers on the world’s largest travel site. To qualify, businesses must maintain an average rating of four or higher out of a possible five, as reviewed by travelers on TripAdvisor. Additional criteria include volume of reviews and how recently they have been submitted by TripAdvisor travelers.

“The TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence program gives exceptional businesses in a variety of different industries around the world the recognition they deserve,” said Christine Petersen, president of TripAdvisor for Business. “From top-rated restaurants in Boston to top-rated attractions in Barcelona, we want to applaud these businesses for offering TripAdvisor travelers a great customer experience.”

The Dolphin Discovery Cozumel staff are dedicated to providing guests with the experience of a lifetime. From our reservations department to food and beverage and of course our incredible trainers, each member of the team has contributed to this award of excellence from Trip Advisor.  We thank all of you, our guests, the award means so much knowing that it was the positive response of travelers that brought us this recognition.  Congratulations team!

Dolphin Discovery Cozumel facilities are located inside Chankanaab National Park. The swim with dolphins programs participants and their companions are invited to to relax, enjoy good food and cool beverages, snorkel the reefs, giggle at the sea lions show and participate in other activities inChankanaab, or go out and explore the island by themselves before or after their interactive program.

Schedule: Cozumel location is open Monday to Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Contact the Dolphin Discovery reservations department to book your dolphin swim experience!

Dolphin Discovery 2010 Year in Review

// December 17th, 2010 // View Comments // About Dolphins, Cancun / Isla Mujeres, Cozumel, Dolphins for kids, Grand Cayman, Locations, News, Riviera Maya, Sea Life, Tortola, Vallarta, costa maya

It’s that time of year again, the season to join with family and friends and celebrate the holidays, reflect on the year past and look forward to what the new year will bring.  2010 was a busy year for Dolphin Discovery, new ventures, new friends and a whole lot of smiling faces.  Let’s have a look at some of the highlights of 2010…

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Cozumel Welcomes Sea Lions!

Dolphin Discovery Cozumel was thrilled to welcome sea lions into the family this  year, with their feisty characters and silly antics, the sea lion program is a delightful addition to Chankanaab Park.  Pingo and Karla make us laugh every day, and little baby Taco has a huge personality!

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Miss Caribbean World Pageant Tortola

Dolphin Discovery Tortola is a truly beautiful place, but the participants in the Miss Caribbean World Pageant made it gorgeous!  These lovely ladies from all over the Caribbean took time out of their busy schedule to join us for a swim with dolphins in Tortola, we thank them for their visit and offer congratulations once again to winner Marcia Baptiste of Dominica!

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“Por la Libre” Open Water Race

Dolphin Discovery was pleased to be a sponsor of the 10 km open water swim race from Cancun to Isla Mujeres.  More than 500 international athletes hit the water in Cancun and made the ocean crossing to the finish line at Garrafon Park.  Seventeen year old Fernando Betanzos finished first, with an incredible time of 1 hour and 33 minutes!  Televisa Verde made this event extra special by donating 6000 mangrove plants to revitalize the Nichupte Lagoon.

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Manatee Madness in Riviera Maya

Our little family of manatees in Puerto Aventuras had a fantastic 2010.  In June we had a big first birthday celebration for our rescued manatee “Robert”, with a fruit and vegetable birthday cake and a visit from local school children.  In September we welcomed the newest member of the manatee family as Julieta gave birth to a bouncing baby boy,  another success for our reproduction program!

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Merlin the iPad Dolphin

One of the biggest news stories of the year was the release of the iPad and our smart-as-a-whip dolphin Merlin was one of the first to give the tablet a whirl and make his own headlines.  Researchers from “Speak Dolphin” introduced the touch-screen device to Merlin in an effort to bridge communications with our dolphin friends and learn more about these incredible creatures.  The fame has not gone to Merlin’s head, he is as down to earth (down to sea?) as he has always been, a vital part of our Riviera Maya crew.

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“Dive with Dolphins Cozumel”

Dolphin Discovery Cozumel introduced a unique new program this year, “Dive with Dolphins” invites our guests to join dolphins under the sea and discover a whole new way to play.  Chankanaab Park and Cozumel are paradise to scuba divers all over the world, what better way to explore the underwater home of the dolphins?  This was one of my personal highlights of the year, donning the mask and tank and playing with Titan near the ocean floor was a truly phenomenal experience.

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Cruisers Delight, Dolphin Discovery Costa Maya

November 2010 we celebrated the grand opening of our newest dolphinarium in the cruise ship port of Costa Maya near the town of Mahahual.   Located about 400 kms south of Cancun, Costa Maya is a HOT destination for cruise ships!  Dolphin Discovery is excited about our new venture and we look forward to welcoming new friends from the cruising community in 2011 and the years to come.

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This is just a taste of some of the great experiences we’ve had at Dolphin Discovery this year, I could write all day about new births and visiting celebrities and the numerous charity and community events that we were honored to be a part of.  I would like to thank every member of the Dolphin Discovery team for all their hard work and smiles, let’s do it again next year!

To all of you, our guests, we thank you for making 2010 a special year and we wish you a happy and safe holiday season and a new year full of love, life, happiness and success.  Dolphin hugs and kisses to everyone, see you in 2011!

Costa Maya Tours- Swim with Dolphins

// November 23rd, 2010 // View Comments // Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Locations, News, costa maya

Cruise ship travel is one of today’s hottest tickets, with millions of lucky people sailing the high seas every year.  Visiting tropical ports of call, sampling the culture, food and natural delights of paradise and discovering new experiences along the way, cruising opens up a world of adventure in the lap of luxury.

Dolphin Discovery has had the pleasure of welcoming thousands of cruisers to our Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Tortola dolphinariums and we’re thrilled to announce the opening of our newest location in the Mexican Caribbean port of Costa Maya.   Less than ten years ago, the tiny town of Mahahual was a simple fishing village, now it’s a thriving port of call with a world class pier and tourism complex.  The town has kept its charm and its beautiful beaches and views, working diligently towards sustainable tourism to allow people to enjoy the beauty of this remote village for years to come.  Dolphin Discovery is excited to be a part of the Costa Maya community and we look forward to meeting cruisers and travellers from around the world and introducing them to their new dolphin friends.

Dolphin Discovery Costa Maya is located directly to the left of the cruise ship docks, our frolicking dolphins will be your first sight as you disembark.  We invite you to pull up a hammock or lounge chair, enjoy a cold drink and enjoy watching the dolphins play while you await your turn for the experience of a lifetime.  Our friendly staff will guide you through a short orientation before joining the dolphins in the water.  Get ready to fall in love!  In the Dolphin Swim Adventure, you’ll shake hands, sing a song, stroke the dolphin and go for an exciting belly ride!  The Dolphin Encounter is the ideal Costa Maya tour for the whole family, with a hug, handshake, a sing-along with dolphins and a great big kiss, it’s something the kids (and grandma and you) will remember forever.  After your swim with dolphins experience, you can enjoy all that the Costa Maya port has to offer, great restaurants, shopping and some glorious pools under the palm trees.

Big congratulations to our team on the grand opening, thanks for all your hard work in creating Dolphin Discovery Mahahual.  To cruisers and adventurists everywhere, we hope you’ll join us and make Dolphin Discovery your number one choice for your Costa Maya tour!

For more pictures, check out our Dolphin Discovery Costa Maya photos set on Flickr.

Dive with dolphins in Cozumel

// October 5th, 2010 // View Comments // Cozumel, Locations

Cozumel has long been known as one of the best diving destinations in the world and for good reason.   The warm, crystal clear waters of the Caribbean set on the world’s second largest reef make it an ideal place for beginner and veteran divers to experience life under the sea.   Colorful tropical fish, incredible coral formations and a plethora of sea life, you’ll find yourself in another world at the bottom of the ocean!

My first dive experience in Cozumel

Dolphin Discovery Cozumel is now offering a unique opportunity, a swim with dolphins program like no other.  The “Dive with Dolphins” program brings you to the undersea world to experience dolphins in a whole new way.  I visited Cozumel last week and am thrilled to report that the program is truly out of this world!

Our group arrived in Cozumel’s Chankanaab Park bright and early, all of us excited and nervous.  With eight in the group only two had ever been scuba diving before, the rest of us were restless with anticipation.  We were just in time to catch the sea lion show, the silly antics of these funny creatures calmed our nerves and allowed us to relax a bit before our big adventure.  Still laughing after the show, we made our way down the beach to the dive shop and got right to work learning the basics of scuba.  The dive master was extremely knowledgeable and patient, explaining the ins and outs of the equipment and rules of scuba and answering all of our first-timer questions.  The class lasted about an hour and then we were ready to get in our gear.  Masks and flippers, weight belt, tanks and regulators in place, we made it down to the shore and into the sea.  The dive master gave us a little test to see if we were able to clear our masks under water and take our regulator in and out.  Passing the test at 3 meters, we started out for a little swim, descending further down to about 8 meters.  We saw a huge barracuda right off the bat, some schools of tropical fish, conch and some rays, a great start!  For my first time diving, I was ecstatic, I frequently snorkel but this was something completely different!  We flippered towards the Dolphin Discovery piers, got out of the water and went for our final orientation.  We were shown a brief video of what to expect in the dive with dolphins program and how to interact with the dolphins under the water.  And then it was time for the big event, off we went to the docks, donned our gear once again and descended 10 meters down.

Diving with dolphins in Cozumel

Our trainer Daniel introduced us to Titan, the alpha male dolphin in Cozumel.  We knelt on the ocean floor while he greeted us all with a “swim by”, allowing us to stroke his smooth skin and say hello.  He gave us a little show, doing some barrel rolls as he swam along, racing towards the surface and back down again.  I’ve swum with dolphins many times, but this was a completely different way to see them, I couldn’t help but smile and laugh through my regulator.  We heard Titan “singing” under the water in his unique signature whistle, I wished I could communicate with him in return.  The dive master and Daniel guided us through the encounter, showing us the hand signals that would bring Titan to us for a kiss on the lips and one on the cheek.  I was in love!  Titan ended our time together by performing some spectacular leaps out of the water then crashing back down again, a sight I will never forget.  We said good bye to our dolphin friend, leaving him to his own underwater world and made our way back to land.

Getting a kiss from Titan

The “Dive with Dolphins” program is perfect for anyone looking for a unique marine life encounter.  No diving experience is needed, you will be given expert dive instruction and training.  The minimum age for this program is 16 and it is not recommended for anyone with asthma, hypertension, epilepsy, respiratory problems or pregnant women.  We recommend that you sleep well the night before, avoid alcohol before the program and eat a light breakfast.  Get ready to fall in love under the sea, enjoy a real experience of a lifetime with “Dive with Dolphins” at Dolphin Discovery Cozumel!

Sea Lion Facts

// July 19th, 2010 // View Comments // Cancun / Isla Mujeres, Cozumel, Riviera Maya, Sea Life, Vallarta

Everyone loves sea lions, aside from being so handsome, they seem to have a great sense of humour, always making us laugh.  So, what do you know about sea lions?  Let’s have a look at some facts….

–Sea lions are found all over the world, from the Arctic to New Zealand, usually found along rocky coasts where there are rich food sources such as sardines, herring, capelin and squid.

–Sea lions can be distinguished from seals by their visible external ear flaps.

–Sea lions are “pinnipeds’, meaning they have “winged feet”.

–Sea lions are amphibious, they live on both land and water.

–Sea lions are “marine mammals”, meaning they do not lay eggs but do in fact carry and give birth to their young.  Males are “bulls”, females are “cows” and babies are called “pups”.

–Sea lions have a lifespan of 10-15 years in the wild, but in a healthy zoological environment can live 25-35 years.

–Sea lion mamas gestate for 10-12 months.  Their pups are born on land and will nurse from their mother from 4-12 months.

–Sea lions are warm blooded, covered in a layer of fat to protect them from cold temperatures.

–Sea lions breathe air, but can remain under water for up to 40 minutes if hunting for food, accomplished by squeezing their nostrils shut tight.

–Sea lions are very communal, usually living in large colonies of up to 1000, with smaller communities appearing within the group.

–Sea lions aren’t lazy, but they sure do love to hang around on the rocks and bask in the sun.

–Sea lions are intelligent and easy to train, the military has been training them for years for rescue operations in the sea.

–The biggest dangers to sea lions are fishermen, pollution and climate change.  Their predators are killer whales and sharks, though they can swim faster than both they can be taken by surprise.

Dolphin Discovery invites you to get up close and personal with these sweet creatures, our sea lion friends can be found in the following destinations:

Sea Lions Isla Mujeres

Sea Lions Cozumel

Sea Lions Riviera Maya

Sea Lions Puerto Vallarta

Get a hug, a fishy kiss and you will most definitely walk away smiling from your Sea Lion Encounter with Dolphin Discovery!

Please remember to keep our oceans and beaches clean, plastic bags, six-pack rings, garbage of all kinds is very damaging to the sea lions and their environment.  Do what you can to protect our precious marine life, go for a walk on the beach and pick up trash, educate your children, spread the word that if we each do our small part, all earth’s creatures will have a brighter future.

Dolphin Discovery- Mother’s Day Specials

// May 4th, 2010 // View Comments // Cancun / Isla Mujeres, Cozumel, Discounts, Grand Cayman, Locations, Riviera Maya, Tortola, Vallarta

Mexico is a country known for its devotion to the family, and no family member is more revered than “Mama”.  Every year on May 10th the entire country pays homage to matriarchs with the annual “Dia de las Madres” or “Mother’s Day” celebrations.  Young children create cards and gifts and adult children bring flowers and treat their mothers to very special dinners and parties.  The traditional song “Las Mananitas” is sung, often as a serenade outside of mother’s house with mariachis for accompaniment.   “Mama” is the center of attention and the whole family shows her their appreciation on this very special day.  Mothers have been honoured throughout the ages around the world, but the first official “Dia de las Madres” in Mexico wasn’t celebrated until May 10th, 1922 as a result of the petitions by  Rafael Alducin Bedolla, founder of the newspaper “Excelsior”.  We thank him for bringing us such a special day and we thank moms everywhere for all that they do!

Dolphin Discovery would like to show moms just how special they are by offering a 20% discount to mothers on all our swim with dolphins programs in all our locations for the entire month of May!  Guests swimming with their mom get an additional 10% off their own swims too!  Treat your mom to an experience she’ll never forget, book now!  Lots of love to moms everywhere from all our dolphins!

Carnival in Cozumel 2010

// January 20th, 2010 // View Comments // Cozumel, Locations

Put on your glittery feathered masks and get ready to dance the night away, Carnival (more commonly known as “Carnaval”) is returning to Cozumel!  The history of Carnaval is quite ancient, going back to pagan times as a celebration in honor of the Greek wine god Dionysus. Carnaval has evolved over time, fusing the pagan rites with Catholic traditions, celebrating the days leading up to Lent, letting loose before the period of abstinence.   The Carnaval celebration in Cozumel is thought to be one of the oldest in Mexico, having started back in 1876, and the fiestas just get bigger and better each year.  Thousands of travellers flock to this island paradise to kick up their heels, dance and sing and welcome the King and Queen of Carnaval.

This year’s festivities kick off with pre-Carnaval events on the weekend of January 23rd/24th and January 30/31 with presentations of the candidates for King and Queen of Carnaval and music and dancing for everyone with some fantastic live bands including “La Sonora de Margarita Band” and “Banda Cuzamil”.  The vote for King and Queen takes place on Saturday February 6th and the winners will be announced at a big bash on Sunday February 7th in Parque Quintana Roo.

Wednesday February 10th welcomes the official start to Carnaval with the opening ceremonies and the grand coronation of the King and Queen of 2010 .  From February 10-17, it’s non-stop party, with activities programmed every day.  Costume contests for all ages (there’s even a pet costume contest!), dance competitions, food, music and of course parades, the vivid colors of Carnaval will fill the streets of Cozumel.

The grand closing night of Carnaval brings one of Mexico’s most famous and celebrated artists to the stage in Cozumel.  The incredible Alejandra Guzman will be performing a concert that will surely be the highlight of this year’s festivities.  Alejandra Guzman is known as “The Queen of Rock” in Latin America and has been a huge star since the 1980’s, her participation in Carnaval Cozumel makes this the hottest party in Mexico! This is a show that is not to be missed, February 16th in Parque Andres Quintana Roo, open to the public for all to enjoy.

We at Dolphin Discovery Cozumel wish everyone a very festive and safe Carnaval season, we hope to see you at the party!

For details of specific events, please visit Cozumel Insider for their fantastic calendar of Carnaval Cozumel 2010.