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 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!

Baby Manatee Born at Dolphin Discovery Riviera Maya

// September 13th, 2010 // View Comments // Locations, Riviera Maya, Sea Life

Baby Manatee Born September 9, 2010 at Dolphin Discovery

Dolphin Discovery is pleased to announce the newest addition to our Riviera Maya family, a beautiful bouncing baby boy manatee!  On Thursday September 9th at 1:00 pm, Julieta gave birth to a male measuring 1.2 meters long, the third calf born to our lovely matriarch.  Immediately after giving birth, Julieta helped the little one to reach the surface to take his first breath and introduced herself as “mom” with physical, visual and auditory contact with the calf.  He is feeding well and adjusting to his new life in Puerto Aventuras.  Julieta is a great mama, keeping a close eye on her newborn, with her experience as a mother we are sure that this lovely new creature will continue to grow and thrive.

Baby Manatee with Mom Julieta at Dolphin Discovery

The reproductive rate of manatees is generally very low.  Females do not reach sexual maturity until the age of 5, males at the age of 9.  Gestation lasts for one year and calves nurse from their moms for about a year and will be reliant on them for up to two years.  Females give birth to one pup at a time and may wait 2-5 years before reproducing again.  Male manatees do not get involved in raising their young, it is the sole responsibility of the mothers.

This is an exciting event for Dolphin Discovery, another success in our breeding program and it’s extra special as manatees are an endangered species.  This new baby gives us an opportunity to continue to learn and gather information and allows our team to explore alternatives and solutions to the problems facing manatees in the wild.  We would like to offer our congratulations not only to Julieta, but to our dedicated team of veterinarians, biologists and trainers.  Welcome to the world little boy!

Dolphin Discovery “Trainer for Life”

// August 24th, 2010 // View Comments // Locations, Riviera Maya

Looking for the ultimate experience with marine animals in the Mexican Caribbean?  Join us at Dolphin Discovery Puerto Aventuras for the “Trainer for Life” program and enjoy an incredible adventure that you’ll remember for a lifetime!

The “Trainer for Life” program brings you and your family a full day of educational fun and excitement.  Puerto Aventuras in the Riviera Maya is your “classroom”, a lovely ocean-side village just south of Playa del Carmen with protected lagoons, waterways and a taste of the jungle flora and fauna.  You’ll start your morning with a delicious continental breakfast, charging up your batteries and getting to know your trainer/guide/friend who will accompany you throughout the day.  Now grab your hat and life jacket and let the festivities begin!

This is not just a swim with dolphins program, as a V.I.P.  you’ll be invited to “trainers only” areas like the “fish house” to assist in preparing meals for the dolphins, you’ll take part in the daily physical exam of the marine animals and you’ll learn the signs and signals used by trainers.  Your trainer will teach you everything you ever wanted to know about dolphins, sea lions and manatees.  Your day includes the Dolphin Royal Swim, a Baby Dolphin Experience, the Sea Lion Encounter and the Manatee Encounter, a well rounded education in marine animals and a big big WOW of an experience.  Participants in the “Trainer for Life” day receive a graduation photo with a dolphin friend, a t-shirt and a special certificate in recognition of your accomplishments and completion of the program.  This is a day you will never, ever forget.

We invite you and your family to join us for this unique full day program.  It’s open to anyone over 3′11″ tall, though unfortunately pregnant women are not permitted to participate.  We ask you to please use biodegradable sunscreen to protect your skin and the environment, bring a hat and a wetsuit if you have one.  The use of lifejackets is mandatory for all activities in the water.  Breakfast and lunch are included, but bring a little extra cash for any extra cravings you may have and to purchase photos, videos and souvenirs.

We at Dolphin Discovery look forward to your visit and to sharing our love of marine animals with you!

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.

Happy Birthday to Robert the Baby Manatee!

// June 3rd, 2010 // View Comments // Locations, News, Riviera Maya, Sea Life

May 30th, 2009, Dolphin Discovery received a call from Ecosur to come to the assistance of a baby manatee discovered alone in a river in the state of Yucatan.  He was only one or two days old and had been abandoned by his mother, without help there was no way he was going to survive.  A team of veterinarians and marine biologists from Dolphin Discovery hurried to rescue this sweet creature and brought him to the facilities in Puerto Aventuras in a critical state.  He was dubbed “Tuuch”, the Mayan word for “belly button” as his umbilical cord was still attached.

Tuuch was introduced to Julieta in Puerto Aventuras, a mature female manatee who was still nursing her one year old baby.  Despite efforts to get Tuuch to nurse, Julieta could not produce enough milk and the team had to resort to bottle feeding the baby manatee to provide him the nutrients he so desperately needed.  Over the next few months, the veterinary team monitored Tuuch, treating digestive issues and continuing with the bottle feeding.  Despite his failure to grow over the first two months, the team did not give up, they gave him the highest levels of medical care, nutrition, stimulation and love, working with him 24 hours a day.  He learned to socialize with the other manatees who accepted him into their little family and he learned how to play, he loves his toys!  By September, he began eating lettuce and vegetables and a whole new world opened to this beautiful little guy.  In January of 2010, he was able to permanently join the other manatees in their lagoon in Puerto Aventuras and he continued to improve and thrive.  In February he was renamed “Robert” after head veterinarian Dr. Roberto Sanchez.

In November the Dolphin Discovery “Team Tuuch” was honoured by IMATA, receiving awards and recognition for their team work and conservation efforts with their rescued manatee.  All of us at Dolphin Discovery are proud of the team, we are grateful for their expertise and tireless dedication in the rehabilitation of Robert.

One year later and Robert is doing great!  He’s participating in encounters with our guests, eating well and continuing to grow.  This week Dolphin Discovery threw a little party for Robert, bringing him a cake of lettuce and fruit, singing “Happy Birthday” and inviting local school children to join in the festivities.  Local artist Allan Vazquez created a beautiful portrait of Robert and invited the children to add their handprints for posterity.  We wish Robert a very happy birthday and many, many more!

Join us in Puerto Aventuras for our Sea Life Circle Manatee program and you can get a kiss from our dear Robert!  Enjoy some time swimming with him, giving him a hug and share a little lettuce with him.  He will welcome you with open flippers!

Please take a moment to enjoy this video dedicated to Tuuch/Robert, it’s a moving journey of love, dedication and hope….

Interview with a Dolphin Trainer

// May 31st, 2010 // View Comments // About Dolphins, Cancun / Isla Mujeres, News, Riviera Maya

Dolphin Discovery’s trainers are used to hearing “You’ve got the best job in the world!” from guests and this week I had the pleasure of sitting down with one of our trainers to find out if indeed that is the case.  Alex Mata invited me to experience life as a trainer for a morning and was gracious enough to sit down with me and tell me about himself and his life as a marine animal trainer.

Alex Mata is the Corporate Educative Trainer for Dolphin Discovery.  He’s originally from Spain and began his career in Europe before coming to Dolphin Discovery in Mexico six years ago.  He chose Dolphin Discovery for its outstanding corporate training department with over 100 educational courses, an ideal place to develop and grow in his career. He now works alongside expert veterinarians and biologists who push everyone to be better trainers and better people, something that sets Dolphin Discovery apart from other organizations in the world. With his expertise, knowledge and true passion for the animals and the organization, he is now in a position to train the trainers and realize his dream of devoting his life to marine animals.

We asked our fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter to post their questions for Alex, here’s what we discovered.

1.  How do you become a dolphin trainer?  What makes a good dolphin trainer?

First and foremost, being a dolphin trainer is not a job, it is a career and a calling.  It is not necessary to have a degree, though it is beneficial to have studied marine biology, veterinary medicine or psychology.  Trainers must have excellent swimming skills, a love for dolphins, the ability to speak English, a great personality for customer service and most importantly, passion.  It takes about three years to obtain the title of “Trainer”, with hours spent in educational courses, 1 1/2 years as an apprentice and 1 1/2 years as an assistant.  Dolphin Discovery has approximately 100 different educational courses and trainers are required to constantly be expanding their knowledge and improving their skills.  Long days, hard work, sleepless nights, hot sun and pouring rain, the work isn’t always easy but for those who truly love what they do, it’s always a pleasure.

2.  Do you love the dolphins?  What’s the best experience you’ve had at Dolphin Discovery?

Alex smiled when I asked these questions and replied quickly to the first with an “Of course, absolutely!”.  For the second question he pondered for a moment and then replied “Swimming with ten baby dolphins at the same time in Puerto Aventuras”.  He described the ten babies as super playful, swimming circles around him, vocalizing loudly and teasing him into joining in their games.

3.  How do you communicate with the dolphins?  Can you tell if a dolphin is happy/sad/angry?

Since humans have yet to be able to translate the language of dolphins, the trainers communicate with them through body language, hand gestures and whistles.  The dolphins regard the whistle as a “reward”, for them it means “Good job!” and they love to hear it.  Dolphins express their emotions through their own body language and vocalizations, each in their own way.  Once a trainer gets to know a particular dolphin, they can see when they are feeling excited or are getting frustrated, if they are eager to play or if they prefer to be left alone.

4.  What’s the worst part of the job?

Being in Cancun during hurricane season adds extra pressure to the staff to work together, think quickly and stay calm as they move the animals to a safe environment.  The dolphins come first, as a dolphin trainer at Dolphin Discovery you are commited to the animals and in an emergency they are the number one priority.

5.  After feeding fish to the dolphins all day, do you still enjoy eating fish?

“Ummmm, no, I don’t eat fish anymore.”

6.  What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

It seems Alex’s home life is not that much different from his work life.  He lives in Cancun with his girlfriend (also an animal trainer, specializing in birds) and their 2 dogs, a chameleon, an iguana, a cockatoo, a macaw and 3 toucans and spends his days off hanging at home with the animals.

So, is it the best job in the world?  It sure seems that way!  Alex spoke enthusiastically about his “family” at Dolphin Discovery, he eagerly answered even my most basic questions and he patiently walked me through the routines of the day.  It was an honor for me to spend time with someone so knowledgeable and so obviously in love with dolphins (and manatees and sea lions and stingrays and sharks and animals in general!)  I learned so much and am inspired by his passion, thank you so very much Alex, can we do it again soon?

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!