Last week we went to Discovery Cove in Orlando and it was INCREDIBLE! We’ve heard people RAVE about Discovery Cove but had never experienced it ourselves. Kenzie, Kyle and I had a fantastic time and the kids absolute highlight of the trip was the opportunity to swim with dolphins. And when I say swim with dolphins, we did indeed actually SWIM with the dolphins. Take a peek at our photos and read all about our encounter and all the details on swimming with dolphins at Discovery Cove below. If you are booking a trip to Discovery Cove, my family highly recommends you add on the swim with dolphins package as it’s a once in a lifetime experience.
Visit DiscoveryCove.com for pricing and official information.
Details on Swimming with Dolphins at Discovery Cove
They have official photographers and videographers on site during your entire encounter too so they can capture all the photos and even video of your group’s 45 minute session with the dolphins. We met 2 dolphins during our encounter. Coral who we were able to kiss, hug and watch her do a few cute tricks for us and then Capricorn, the oldest dolphin at Discovery Cove who we were able to actually swim and “ride” with in the water.
Our group of about 9 people were paired with a trainer, coincidentally named Kenzie like my daughter, who taught us all about the dolphins lives, habitat, routine at Discovery Cove and their biology. It was fascinating and a wonderful learning opportunity for both the kids and us adults!
And as you can see from our photos we were able to kiss, feed, and huge the dolphins which was super fun too.
What it Feels Like to Swim With Dolphins at Discovery Cove
Take a peek at these photos. You can see we did indeed truly SWIM with the dolphins. Now it certainly wasn’t a 20 minute RIDE on the dolphin, but we literally were able to all have our own ride on the dolphin for a quick swim at the end of our encounter. This swim was the absolute highlight for the kids and they have been talking about this moment ever since. I too was really impressed with the experience and feeling of riding with the dolphin so I agree it was awesome!
Just look at the PURE JOY on Kenzie’s face riding her dolphin. This face says it all!
Basically, you grab onto the dolphin’s TOP fin and then gently hold onto their side flipper and the instant we grabbed that side flipper, the Dolphin took off swimming! It felt like we were FLYING through the water. Like truly FLYING and going so fast. However, apparently we were only swimming a few miles per hour and dolphins can go up to 22 mph! WE rode the dolphin for a distance of about 25 meters or so from deep water into shallow water. (If you are not as strong of a swimmer, you have the option to swim on the dolphin only in shallow water so that works for the younger kids age 6 or those who are not as experienced in the water. )
Note: Thanks to Discovery Cove and The Moms for paying travel expenses for myself and one child to visit Discovery Cove in Orlando, FL. As always, all thoughts and opinions are our own.