Dolphin Research Centre

[Sue]

Just wondering if anyone else here on the Dibb had swum with dolphins at the Dolphin Research Centre in the Florida Keys?
We have and can highly recommend it as a less controlled swim than at Discovery Cove.
Don't get me wrong we love DC but at the DRC - formerly where they filmed the TV series Flipper, you get a lot more time with the dolphin, in the sea (penned off) and a lot more information. It's also totally non-profit making. They rescue a lot of dolphins from less than satisfactory marine parks and cannot release them back into the wild, so they train them and play with them and allow you to interact a lot more than at DC.
I cannot remember exactly where it is, but its about halfway down the Keys, past Islamorada. We swam with a grey, speckled dolphin called Stanley, whose tale had been sad but was now fully recovered. his picture adorns my kitchen wall even now!:wave:

[truesdpr]

Yes I have Sue!!! We went 2 years ago as part of my 40th celebrations. My dd was 3 and so we all had the dolphin splash with Kibby and then I had the full blown swim with AJ. We had a really great day and spent all day at the centre chatting to the staff and interacting with the animals. It wasn't too busy and we had a really lovely time. Olivia still has her "Kibby" toy and as we're going to Fort Lauderdale next October we thought we may go back and see Kibby again., although we do keep tabs on him via the website! We're off to DC at Easter now since she will be 6 but his was the only place at the time we could find where she could have some interaction as well as us and it was so well worth it. Don't know if I'd have fancied driving down from Orlando though - some other people had done it and it took them 8 hours! We also liked the fact that it was a research centre and by going we were helping with their funding.

Pam.

[Mel_Knight]

How much does it cost. Does it have a website.

[Totally_Angelic]

Dolphin Research Centre is in Grassy key. My two had a dolphin splash in 2003 and loved it.....they weren't able to have the swim as DS wasn't a strong swimmer at the time...it is brilliant and a lot more "natural" than DC.

website: http://www.dolphins.org

[Sue]

Hey Mel, can't remember exact cost - I think it was in the vicinity of $120, but it was for all day and the swim was much longer and in a way less sanitised than the DC experience. Of course the facilities are less and there's not much else to do, like at DC i.e no other pools, meals, shops etc.
It is great though and as mentioned before, you know your money is doing good things!