Dolphin Swimming

Dolphin Discovery Grand Cayman Celebrates Newborn Calf

// November 23rd, 2009 // View Comments // Grand Cayman, News, Riviera Maya

It's a Girl! photo courtesy CaymanNetNews

Dolphin Discovery Grand Cayman is thrilled to announce the recent birth of a bouncing baby girl dolphin.  The new calf, born to mother Allegria, is the first baby dolphin to be born in the Grand Cayman dolphinarium.  The birth took place under the care of veternarian Juan Franco and the Department of Agriculture was present at this exciting event.

Juan Franco reported, “The dolphin calf is healthy and very playful, and visitors really enjoy the site of the newborn frolicking with her mother.”

Dolphin Discovery is proud of our successful breeding program, bringing healthy dolphins into the world under the care of experienced professionals.  The program is recognized around the world for the expertise in caring for the newborn calves and their mothers.  The level of care is state of the art, exceeding the standards of the US Department of Agriculture.  All Dolphin Discovery parks adhere to the much higher standards set by the AMMPA (Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums).  Dolphin Discovery is dedicated to education and respect for marine mammals, continually striving to build an ecological awareness in the guests of the parks and the employees of the company.

Welcome to the world baby girl, may you frolic happily in the paradise of Grand Cayman for many years to come!

Dolphin Fun Facts

// October 12th, 2009 // View Comments // About Dolphins, Dolphins for kids

Did you know…..

Dolphins may live in water, but they don’t drink it?  They get all the water they need from the fish they eat.

Dolphins have teeth but don’t chew their dinner?  They use their teeth to catch their fish then swallow them whole!

You can tell a dolphin’s age by counting rings in their teeth like the rings of a trunk of a tree?

Killer whales are not whales at all, they are actually part of the dolphin family?  They can be up to 30 ft in length and weigh 20 000 lbs!

Dolphins only sleep with half their brain at a time and with one eye open?  They need to be at least half awake in order to breathe.

Dolphins communicate using clicks, grunts and whistles?  Every dolphin has it’s own “signature whistle”.

Baby dolphins are called “calves”, just like baby cows?  Calves stay close to their mothers for 3-6 years.

If you have any dolphin questions, let us know, we’ll be happy to help you out!  Leave a comment below and we will answer.  Hope you can join us to swim with the dolphins very soon.

Swimming with Dolphins- A Kid’s Eye View

// September 29th, 2009 // View Comments // About Dolphins, Cancun / Isla Mujeres, Dolphins for kids

Hi everybody, my name is Sam and I am 5 years old, I am in kindergarten and I love swimming and boats and all the things in the ocean.  The other day my mommy and daddy and me had a really great day, they took me to swim with dolphins!  It was really cool, first we got to ride on a big boat, I looked for pirates but didn’t see any, maybe next time.  When we got off the boat, I saw a whole bunch of dolphins, jumping in the air and waving to me and saying hi, I wanted to jump in the water with them but mommy and daddy told me I had to wait.

Dolphins Saying Hello

I was so excited, I didn’t want to wait, but the nice man with the toy dolphin told me that I had to learn how to train the dolphins.  He told me never, ever, ever touch the eyes or the hole on their back that they breathe through.  You have to be very gentle with dolphins!  We practiced putting our hands out so the dolphins would come and give us a kiss and dance with us.  Then we put on our life jackets that help us float and we went to where the dolphins live.

Be Gentle with Dolphins

We were so lucky, we got to be friends with two mommy dolphins and their little babies!  The mommies were named Shelley and Daniella and the babies were Noe and Dani.  They were so cute, I told my mommy that I wanted to take a dolphin home, but she said that two cats and a dog were enough and that a dolphin wouldn’t like to sleep in my bed.  We got into the water and the dolphins were right there with us!!  They swam right in front of me and I got to touch them, they feel like the floatie toys I use at the beach but nicer.  Their backs are grey but their tummies are kind of pink and they always look like they are smiling.




I was a little scared when it was my turn to kiss the dolphin, but it was so fun and easy and the dolphin kissed me on my cheek and I kissed her on the lips!  I put my hands out in front of me and the dolphin put their flippers in my hands and we danced, it was so cool!  We got to splash the dolphins with water and they splashed me too, they swam really really fast and they jumped high in the sky!  I was sad when it was time to go, I had so much fun with my dolphin friends.  I want to go back again really soon, mommy said if I am a good boy we can go for my birthday.  I think I will bring them a cake made of fish.

My Dolphin Friend

–(Sam is a real kid who really did swim with the dolphins, he’s my kid in fact!  I’m the mean mommy who wouldn’t let him bring the dolphin home.  We went to the Isla Mujeres location and did the program called “Dolphin Encounter“.  This is a great program for young children, a lot of interaction with the animals and time to play in the water with them.  Outside of the actual swim with dolphins program, there is a play area for children and a pool with a shallow area for kids.  Contact Dolphin Discovery to book a tour that is great for the whole family.)

My name is iiiuuiiiioo

// June 23rd, 2009 // View Comments // Dolphins for kids

Bottlenose dolphins identify themselves with a specific whistle. Each dolphin chooses its own whistle, usually by starting the day of its birthday. This name stays the same for at least ten more years.

dolphin’s aunties

// February 27th, 2009 // View Comments // Dolphins for kids

Many pods are formed by mother-calf pairs and pods of mature females and their recent offspring while others occur in mixed-sex and single sex groups. When a mother dolphin is ready to give birth, a second dolphin called an “auntie” will stay nearby to help. As soon as the baby is born, its mother gently nudges the newborn to the surface for its first breath of air. Often the auntie will help with this important chore.