Swimming with the Dolphins, Cozumel, Mexico
Yesterday was an exhilarating thrill of a lifetime as I rode through the water on a dolphin’s belly.
They are brilliant altruistic creatures. I held my arms out and kicked my feet frantically under water as if I were drowning. The dolphin scooped me up and as I gently held onto her fins, she took me to safety. Dolphins also help other mammals in trouble.
To be that close to such a huge and friendly mammal was a spectacular feeling! Like every mammal, dolphins are warm blooded. Unlike fish, who breathe through gills, dolphins breathe air through their blow hole just as whales and porpoises do. That hole gets covered by a muscular flap when they go under the water. However, they can stay underwater for 8-10 minutes at a time. Try holding your breath for that long!
Dolphins have hard yet rubbery feeling smooth skin and no hair. They have cute flippers that seem to clap. They also have a dorsal fin and about 100 teeth! The rings on their teeth show their age and they can live to be 50 years old!
They are incredibly friendly, social and they crave attention. When petting or hugging a dolphin, one must NEVER touch the blow hole. That would be like holding someone’s nose when their mouth was closed!
They will jump upon command (via hand gestures) and can jump 20 feet out of the water!
I jumped on a boogie board with my legs straight behind me and my feet flexed toward my shins. Two dolphins came behind me and each gave me a push with their noses on my feet. The formal name of their nose is a rostrum.
They are graceful, playful and chatty. They like to make bubbles. They make noise through the blow hole. We were told that they even recognize themselves in a mirror!
It was such a touching, exciting, unbelievable experience, I can’t stop talking about it. The dolphin trainer said it didn’t even feel like a job because working with the dolphins was such a rewarding experience! Dolphins are truly loveable!
My grandsons just did the same thing when we were in cancun in December. It is an awesome experience.
That is something I truly would like to do someday
You are a REAL brave one.. Glad it was such a wonderful experience for you.
How very exciting & thanks for all the great knowledge on this precious mammal 😘