Dolphin Swimming

Boatswain’s Turtle Farm Grand Cayman Island

// June 23rd, 2010 // View Comments // Grand Cayman, Locations, Sea Life

Grand Cayman Island is famous for many things, the beautiful stretch of Seven Mile beach, great scuba diving, snorkeling at Stingray City, swimming with dolphins at Dolphin Discovery (of course!), rum cakes and Boatswain’s Turtle Farm.  The history of the Cayman Islands is closely tied to turtles, the turtle appears on the flag, seal and currency of the islands.  The relationship with the Caymans and turtles goes back to the 1600’s when Caribbean ships would stop at the island for provisions and to stock up on the abundance of turtle meat.  The 17th century saw the beginnings of settlements in the Cayman Islands and turtling became a a main source of income and food for the new islanders.  By the 1800’s, the population of turtles was in serious jeopardy and by the 1960’s they were all but extinct.  In 1968 the Cayman Turtle Farm was established to raise turtles commercially and to research and preserve the sea turtles of the wild. While many of the turtles are still raised for food, thousands of sea turtles born at Boatswain’s are released to the sea, replenishing the wild population of these beautiful creatures.

Dolphin Discovery Grand Cayman is pleased to have such a wonderful neighbour in West Bay and we invite you to pay them a visit before or after you swim with dolphins.  The entrance fee to Boatswain’s Turtle Farm is included in all dolphin swim programs, allowing you to enjoy the turtle enclosures, the education center, the breeding pond, the touch tanks and all animal exhibits including the predator tank with sharks! If you wish to snorkel or enjoy the pools, these “wet” activities are available at a small extra charge.  Boutiques and restaurants will satisfy your shopping and dining needs, purchase souvenirs for loved ones back home or simply sip an ice cold rum drink in paradise while nibbbling a Caribbean delicacy. Dolphin Discovery and Boatswain’s Turtle Farm are the ideal combination for a perfect day on Grand Cayman, a unique shore excursion for Caribbean cruisers, book now and make it an unforgettable part of your Caribbean vacation!

A Virtual Visit to Grand Cayman

// April 20th, 2010 // View Comments // Grand Cayman, Locations

The old expression states that a picture is worth a thousand words, so my question is, how much is a video worth?

These days there are very few people who haven’t used Youtube, for music videos, for a laugh, to keep up with the world.  I personally use Youtube as means of taking a virtual vacation, finding videos of places I’ve loved in the past and places I dream of visiting in the future.  Seeing destinations through the lens of a camera may not be quite as good as the real thing, but it sure can give you a good idea of what to expect. If you are heading into the “unknown” of a new experience or destination, watching a video can ease any anxieties and more often than not, build your expectations and excitement for the upcoming adventure!

I could write all day about Dolphin Discovery Grand Cayman Island, but I thought I would let the wonderful world of video take you on a little tour.  Here’s a sample of what you will find on your Grand Cayman adventure,  join me on my virtual vacation!

We’ll start with a tour of the island, including a helicopter fly-by, check out the amazing colours of the water!  This is a great video, you’ll visit the Boatswain’s Turtle Farm and the famous Stingray City too (don’t forget that when you swim with dolphins at Dolphin Discovery Grand Cayman, your visit to the turtle farm is included in the price!)

Grand Cayman is full of excitement and adrenaline, but why not take a few moments to enjoy some peace on the famous Seven Mile Beach?  Here’s a little virtual getaway for you, gently lapping waves, crystal clear waters and soft white sands, takes less than a minute to relax and enjoy this experience through video, but wouldn’t a few hours of this reality be divine?

Finally, no trip to Grand Cayman is complete without a visit to Dolphin Discovery.  You’ll learn a little something about our marine animal friends, get a friendly, fishy kiss and feel the thrill and excitement of swimming with dolphins in paradise.  There is no better way to spend the day in Grand Cayman, here’s a video peek of the experience of a lifetime, picture yourself in the water with our dolphin friends and let the worries of your working day fade away.

Thanks for virtually traveling with me to Grand Cayman, I hope you enjoyed the video journey.  If you will be living the dream and visiting this beautiful island, we invite you to join us at Dolphin Discovery, a unique experience for memories that will last a lifetime!  Whether you are spending a week on a Grand Cayman diving trip or making a Grand Cayman port call from your cruise ship, we’d love to have you, contact Dolphin Discovery reservations today!

Grand Cayman- Tortuga Rum Cakes and Stingray City

// February 4th, 2010 // View Comments // Grand Cayman, Locations

Even if you’ve never been to Grand Cayman, you can probably create an image in your head… beautiful beaches, turquoise waters, palm trees, bikinis and dolphins.  Those in the know will tell you that there are two important treasures that you must add to your Grand Cayman day dreams, Tortuga Rum Cakes and Stingray City.

photo courtesy www.tortugarumcakes.com

The history of Tortuga Rum goes back to 1984 when the husband and wife team of Robert and Carlene Harmaty decided to embark on the adventure of creating a rum for the Cayman Islands.  They chose the name “Tortuga” (”turtle”) as it was the orignal name of the Cayman Islands, created two blended rums (Tortuga Gold and Tortuga Light) and were off and running with their new venture.  The couple kept their “day jobs” but nurtured their company as a labour of love.  In 1987, Carlene started making rum cakes from an old family recipe and discovered that she had a hit on her hands.  The cakes were so popular that they built a commercial bakery in 1990 to keep up with demand.  The trademark ingredient is a generous helping of premium five-year old, oak barrel aged Tortuga Gold Rum but the recipe is still a secret!  From a small family business, Tortuga Rum has turned into an international success, with a broad range of rum and rum-based products being enjoyed all over the world.  Today, the Tortuga Rum Cakes are a symbol of Grand Cayman, the essential souvenir (if you can resist eating them on the way home!).  Dolphin Discovery Grand Cayman is proud to offer the Tortuga Rum Cakes in our Dolphinmania Boutique, be sure to have a little taste, buy a few for you, a few for Aunt Lily, a few for your house-sitter (and a few more for you).

photo courtesy Fevi Yu

After swimming with dolphins and having sated your taste buds, it’s time to head out to the world-famous “Stingray City”.  Located in the shallow waters of Grand Cayman’s North Sound, Stingray City is renowned for the large numbers of stingrays that congregate in the area.  Stingrays love calm, sandy-bottomed areas such as this where they can dig in the sand in search of food.   History suggests that it was the fishermen using the area to clean their catch that attracted such large numbers of rays, looking for the offals that were thrown overboard.  Stingray heaven!  In 1987, Skin Diver magazine discovered  this “secret” spot where divers and snorkelers could feed rays by hand and soon the whole world was abuzz about Stingray City.  These days there are many tour operators offering excursions to Stingray City where you can swim and snorkel with these creatures and feed them by hand.  Tourists are encouraged not to wear footwear, even a simple water shoe can damage the sensitive skin of the rays and please, do not remove the rays from the water, it is essential that they stay submerged in order to breathe.  Many tours will take you to the reef for some snorkeling after your encounter with the rays, a great addition to your day on Grand Cayman.  This is a truly unique place, a Grand Cayman excursion that is not to be missed!

Whether you are cruising the Caribbean looking for a Grand Cayman shore excursion or spending your vacation on the island, be sure to visit Dolphin Discovery Grand Cayman for the experience of a lifetime!  Our friendly staff are not only dolphin experts, they are ambassadors of Grand Cayman and will go out of their way to ensure that our guests have a great island adventure.

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 Discovery school education programme

// April 3rd, 2009 // View Comments // Grand Cayman, Locations

George Town, Grand Cayman, February 3, 2009 – This past week students and faculty from Cayman Prep visited the new Dolphin Discovery and were thrilled to participate in the interactive dolphin facility’s highly acclaimed school education programme.

Dolphin Discovery, located in West Bay across from the world famous turtle farm, Boatswains Beach, opened its doors in December 2008, making it the first such attraction in the islands. While swimming with the dolphins is something never before offered in Cayman, the Mexico based Grupo Dolphin Discovery has 14 years of experience operating seven such parks in Mexico and the Caribbean. Altogether, the facilities house 120 dolphins making it the largest company of its kind in the world.

Carlos Moreno, General Manager of the facility has worked in that capacity with the company for eight years and says, “We’re very passionate about what we do.” Moreno and his staff ensure that the dolphins are cared for to the highest standards on a daily basis. In fact, the level of care is even higher than that required by the US Department of Agriculture. All Dolphin Discovery parks adhere to the much more rigorous standards of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums. According to its website AMMPA, “is an international association representing marine life parks, aquariums, zoos, research facilities and professional organizations that is dedicated to the highest standards of care for marine mammals and their conservation in the wild through public education, scientific study and wildlife presentations.”

This emphasis on education both internally and externally, is an essential part of the group’s philosophy. As clearly stated in all corporate literature, “one of the main purposes of Grupo Dolphin Discovery is to build an ecological conscience in our guests through the interaction with marine mammals.” The respect for the dolphins and their natural habitat has been a priority for the company since its foundation.

For the students, Carlos believes that, “coming in close contact with dolphins affords the students the opportunity to reflect upon the importance of respecting our planet through an environmental education message transmitted through our trainers.”

While education is stressed through all the activities offered, Dolphin Discovery also creates special programmes for local students. The first part of the programme involves a lecture in the school classroom that covers information about the ocean and dolphins. Then the students attend a second lecture at the facility to get specific information about the programme followed by a chance to swim with the dolphins.

Moreno further adds, “We are really here to support activities on the island and to support tourism. We have something different for people to do and to help them learn more about these wonderful creatures.”