While on holiday in Egypt in 2013, when I heard that you could swim with dolphins in Sharm el Sheikh I leapt at the chance. This was a long-held dream of mine and I was over the moon. It was a spur of the moment decision that I now regret. I’ve since researched the facts and spoken to experts. Here’s what you should know before you decide whether or not to go swimming with dolphins.
With thanks to Mark Lee for the fabulous dolphin image featured above.
Why I regret swimming with dolphins
Before we had left England I had looked at what excursions were available and for other ideas of things to do in Egypt but I had not come across swimming with dolphins as an option. I had heard of dolphin enclosures that are connected to the sea where people can swim with the dolphins. In this case, the dolphins are free to come and go as they please. I was under the impression that this was the type of encounter I would experience.
Having paid up (a lot!) it occurred to me that I should make sure. When I checked, I found out that they would be captive dolphins. I was told not to worry as they had been born in captivity, as if that made it alright!
I was now in two minds. Should I go as planned, then write about the experience and, more importantly, see what I could find out about the ethics of swimming with dolphins and share my findings. Alternatively, should I simply not go?
What is it like to go swimming with dolphins in captivity?
When I arrived at the pool it felt so very wrong to see the dolphins in captivity and in such a small pool. Again I questioned my morals and whether I should simply walk away. In the end, I decided to go ahead. The dolphins’ ‘owners’ already had my money and would hardly care if I walked out. Plus at the very least I could share the experience with you and leave you to make up your own minds as I’m sure many of you share my dream of swimming with dolphins.
above: Me being ‘kissed’ by two dolphins, not the close encounter I had hoped for.
Irrelevant of the morals, the experience itself was a letdown and nothing much more than a photo-shoot, as each person took it, in turn, to pose with the dolphins in one way then another. Neill had paid £10 just to come along to watch and to video it. While he was allowed to take photographs, videos were not allowed. Also, spectators were not able to walk around the pool to the side where we would be. This was so that the dolphinarium could try to sell us their outrageously priced photographs and video.
I did not enjoy the experience at all and was left feeling sad and guilty.
The facts about swimming with dolphins
Since coming back from Egypt, I’ve contacted a number of organisations and here is my interpretation of the information given to me, principally by Laura from the International Marine Mammal Project, Earth Island Institute.
Why is it cruel to keep dolphins in captivity?
Dolphins are known to be highly intelligent, self-aware animals with strong family bonds, just like you or I.
Dolphins in the wild do not jump through hoops, eat dead fish, wave, kiss or drag people through the water as they hold onto their fins. Captive dolphins are kept hungry as part of their training and to ensure they perform. Without routine starvation, the dolphins would not perform.
Wild dolphins constantly travel, covering thousands of miles every year experiencing a wide diversity of natural habitat and the freedom to deep dive. Can you imagine what it must be like to be confined to a small, unnatural pool, where you are forced to go endlessly round in circles?
Is it safe to swim with dolphins?
The pools where these types of encounters are held are generally not very big. The dolphins are excreting into the water you are swimming in and diseases can be transmitted between humans and dolphins so it’s not a healthy situation for either of us.
Did you know? Orcas or as they are often called, killer whales, aren’t whales at all. Orcas are actually dolphins. The largest dolphins there are.
It is equally inhumane to keep orcas in captivity and over the years a number of trainers have been killed, the most recent in 2010 in Sea World Orlando when their most experienced trainer, Dawn Brancheau, was killed following a “Dine with Shamu” show as reported by the BBC. The 2013 film Black Fish is a very moving and eye-opening account of events leading up to Dawn’s death. For more information please visit Keep Whales Wild.
Capturing dolphins from the wild
Most dolphins held in captivity were captured from the wild.
Dolphins live in highly complex, close-knit social units, known as pods. The capturing of dolphins isn’t just extremely stressful for the individual taken, it deeply affects the whole pod. Can you imagine what it must be like to have a member of your family kidnapped?
Worse still in the process of capturing a dolphin the entire pod maybe killed. In Taiji, Japan, when a few dolphins in a pod are selected for captivity the whole pod is driven a shore and the majority are inhumanely killed. Thousands are killed in this way each year.
If tourists, like myself (guilty as charged) stopped going to these facilities, then this inhumane treatment of dolphins would stop.
Main source: Laura Bridgeman, Program Associate, International Marine Mammal Project, Earth Island Institute, 2150 Allston Way, Suite 430, Berkeley, CA 94704
SaveJapanDolphins.org
DolphinProject.org
Swimming with dolphins in the wild
Not long after I returned from Egypt, I came across a book ‘Swimming with Dolphins, Tracking Gorillas – How to have the world’s best wildlife encounters‘ and immediately bought a copy.
It’s packed with advice about how to have a great variety of wildlife encounters without harming the animals or their environment. Ian recommends a number of ethical companies that offer dolphin swims in the wild, one of which is Dolphin Swims in Egypt.
“The only sound is the hypnotic chant of our engine as we chug out to sea. Then to the left comes a splash. A dolphin! They’re surfing in our wake now, playing, squeaking. We cut the engine and I slip overboard as quietly as possible, surrounded by whistles and clicks. Suddenly there they are, emerging from the blue, six, no seven, heading straight towards me. A mother and calf encircle, clicking, smiling round and round… Then it’s over and I watch them fade back into the deep.” Amanda Stafford, Dolphin Swims (Egypt, Red Sea)
Surely that is how an encounter should be. But even swimming with dolphins in the wild isn’t always an ethical encounter. Some tour operators will chase the dolphins in order to give the tourists that elusive encounter. A responsible operator will limit the number of boats visiting a pod of dolphins, give the dolphins enough space to take the lead and would never allow you to touch a dolphin. Some people believe that even this is too much and that the only way to responsibly observe dolphins and whales is from dry land.
For more information read Is it wrong to swim with dolphins? By Elizabeth Diffin, BBC News Magazine
Qualifying as a responsible whale and dolphin watching guide
2018 update: Since writing this article in 2013, I have learnt a lot about responsible animal encounters. I’ve been grizzly bear and black bear, as well as whale watching several times in Canada. In the summer of 2018, I qualified as a responsible whale watching guide with the World Cetacean Alliance. The WCA is a fabulous global collective raising awareness amongst the public and whale and dolphin watching businesses around the world, as well as offering training and developing a set of global ethical guidelines. They also have an excellent free app to help you find responsible whale or dolphin watching experiences around the world. Just search for the World Cetacean Alliance in the app store.
Find out more about training to be a responsible dolphin and whale watching guide here.
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I had a similar experience after swimming with wild dolphins in Hawaii and then going to FLorida where I swam with ‘tamed’ dolphins in the sea, with theme parks all around me.. what a stark contrast! Here is an article I wrote following my experiences… http://www.idw.org/Magazine%20files/2011/OCTOBER_2011-IDWMAG.pdf
Thankyou for raising awareness!
Thanks for the link Jen. I’ll check that out.
I have gone swimming with wild dolphins in Bimini…it really is amazing and the dolphins may or may not be there (even if you paid) because they are wild, but I have gone twice and twice have had the serene experience of swimming with them, the dolphins are friendly and curious, the first time we were in the water with them for about 45 min the second time after 2 hours we were done even though the dolphins were not!
How fabulous! I’d love to do that one day but I very much of the mind now that if it is meant to be it will happen and if not no worries. The dolphins being free is all that reallly matters.
Dear Kathryn, last night I saw a documentary on doplhins being able to heal handicapped or autistic children, as well as people with depression. They showed a centre by the Red Sea, but didn’t mention its name. I’ve been searching the web, but I’m not sure about what I’ve found: mostly resorts for tourists, but not something resembling what I saw in the documentary. Could you please recommend serious options? Thank you so much. Very best, Guido
Hi Guido, personally I am very sceptical about places that claim to use dolphins to treat people. It’s a very controversial and emotive subject. When I searched for ‘can dolphins help treat people’ on Google, I found lots of articles both for and against the argument. It may be difficult to know which is a trustworthy, unbiased opinion. I’m so sorry that I can’t help you further. all the very best, Kathryn
I recently had this same dilemma. I sure would love to encounter these amazing animals up close but after doing some research, I’ve come to the conclusion that it is something I should not support. Thanks for aiding me and others in this decision.
Thanks for this post. I’m preparing to go on a cruise vacation now (a honeymoon – 2 years later!) and I’m so excited. I’d love to be able to have an encounter with a dolphin but some of the options seemed shady. After doing more research, I can see that they are.
I was wondering, though, if you know if the dolphins at Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences are held captive or wild, and if the “Institute” is in fact an academic environment that supports the “protection of Roatan’s natural resources” as it claims? It is owned by the owners of Anthony’s Key Resort. I’m probably kidding myself, but I’m hoping this is an actual ethically sound way to encounter a dolphin in an environment dedicated to their protection. What do you think? I’m having a hard time finding anything on the Internet about their dolphin program – positive or negative.
Hi Victoria, I not familiar with Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences but it might be worth emailing them and asking them straight. From the photos it looks as if the dolphins are in the wild but if they offer activites such as ‘be a trainer for the day’ than I can’t see how they can be. I suspect they are in captivity in an enclosure connected to the sea. I really do think that the only encounter should be as natural as possible, in the wild where the dolphins can come to you if they wish (and not enticed with food). A number of places claim to be doing important research when they aren’t. I really couldn’t say whether this is the case here though.
Hi Victoria,
I have been trying to find out the same as you regarding Roatan Anthony’s Key dolphin encounter.
Did you find out if they are wild or not? I’m having the same dilemma and finding contradictory information.
Thanks.
A very delayed reply, but it looks like they are captive and not wild: https://www.msn.com/en-ph/travel/tripideas/swimming-with-the-dolphins-is-it-love-or-exploitation/ar-BBUS1K5?li=AA4WSD
Thank you so much, Christina. People still read this post every day so it is great to have this information included here.
I visited Anthony’s Key today. I found the dolphins to be very happy and well kept. There are only 2 wild caught dolphins which happened more then 20 years ago. For what it is worth my husband is an animal communicator and we are both very sensitive. The dolphin Alita that worked with us was one of the wild caught. She was very happy and did not seem traumatized. They caught her off the coast of the mainland and the trainer said they took the whole pod together. All the other dolphins were since born there in captivity. I agree wild encounters done correctly are probably the best but this encounter seemed very respectful of the dolphins and they were happy and not neglected or starved. Their range in the wild would be bigger (30-100 miles in the caribbean). However in the communication they expressed they enjoyed the easy food, the human interaction and the safety from predators. I don’t believe they would allow to catch the dolphins in the wild in Honduras in modern days, so I don’t feel you support their capture by visiting here. Thank you for the very informative article.
May I ask what qualifications your husband has as an animal communicator? It’s not a specialism I’ve heard of before. How do you tell if a dolphin is happy? Are you experts on dolphin behaviour?
To keep the discussion balanced, here’s another point of view reagrding Anthony Keys. https://www.thedailybeast.com/swimming-with-the-dolphins-is-it-love-or-exploitation
I’m glad that you share your experience and knowledge about the horrifying plight of the dolphins in captivity. Thank you. I’m totally ignorant about it, I must admit, and now bcos of this post, I will share this with my kids so that they know.
That’s great to know – thank you
The movie Black Fish has greatly contributed to raising awareness on this issue. If you haven’t seen it, I strongly encourage you to rent it right away ! 😀
It’s also the story of this one woman, who had no connection to the Hollywood gang, and still suceeded in making a blockbuster movie ! That just shows how each and everyone of us can have an impact !
Watched it last night. I had no idea there had been so many attacks. Shocking footage. Great film. Thanks for telling me about it. Everyone should watch it.
I went to Mexico when I was a student and would have jumped at the chance to swim with dolphins had it not been for the price and would have had no idea about the dangers and conditions in which they are kept. No need to feel ashamed – you learned some really important truths which you’re now sharing with the rest of us to make us aware so you should be proud for improving awareness 🙂
Thanks Shikha. Appreciate your support.
I’ve just added a link to a petition that you might like to sign if you’d like to have a look.
Kat, no need to be ashamed really. I see why swimming with dolphins would be attractive. I agree with your conclusions, think they belong in nature rather than in tanks. Well written, thoughtful post.
Thanks Don and thanks for taking the time to read this post. I really appreciate it.
These poor dolphins must be working all the time, what with the swim experiences and the shows. Thanks for sharing the link here. Heart-breaking.
Funny you do all this in the name of “research” when you knew beforehand it was wrong?!?
Typical journo trying to play the hero!
Hi Chrissy, When I went on holiday to Sharm I didn’t know swimming with dolphins was available there, otherwise I would have looked into it before I went. Choosing to do this excursion was a spur of the moment decision, based solely on my selfish wish to swim with dolphins and I didn’t ask enough questions before I paid. I had no intention at that point to do any research. When I realised they were captive dolphins it was too late to ask for a refund and I don’t see how simply not going would have helped anyone. They already had my money and I’m sure that is all they would have cared about. At the very least, I do hope this article has enabled other people to make a more informed decision before they decide whether to go or not.
further to Kat’s response. I respond as a journalist / writer- Chrissy, sometimes even if a journalist has done the research and heard that something is a certain way, they need to test it out. When you research you are learning the facts behind something, but facts are a selective view and sometimes flawed. It is the job of a writer / journalist to test those facts. Dolphin shows sell themselves as not harming the animals, but clearly they do. Kat’s documented experience adds weight to the arguments against attending / being part of these shows, and will reach more prospective tourists than the scientific reports on captive dolphins. So even if she had known the downsides of Sharm dolphin captivity, her report has stimulated debate and made sure other visitors will consider this issue carefully. I live in Sharm and constantly refer visitors who are thinking of going to the shows to Kat’s post. I swim with free fish and other marine creatures every day here, as everyone can, and I encourage others to make this choice.
Kat’s post may, I hope, be one of steps to the demise of captive dolphins in the Red Sea. That may take years, this is big business, but it will be worth it to see no more captive dolphins.
Thanks Sue. A good few people read this post every day so hopefully it is doing some good.
Judgmental much?
Thank you so much for writing this article. I have always wanted to be close to a dolphin and had planned to do so in Mexico when I visit in Febuary. After reading your article I have decided not to go to the dolphin park. I am outraged to find out they are starved to perform. I wish that I could do more to help these creatures besides just refusing to be a part of their bad treatment .
Hi Cindy,
Thank you so much for reading my article. It is a very sad situation but we can all help by raising awareness about the reality of swimming with captured dolphins.
Please do share this article across your social media networks such as Facebook, if you use them, and tell your friends and even people you meet in Mexcio about why you won’t be swimming with the dolphins there.
I hope you have a really wonderful time in Mexico and that one day you will get to swim with dolphins in the wild.
Kathryn
Thank you for sharing this and enabling your readers to make an informed decision when interacting with these beautiful creatures. Something positive from a negative experience 🙂
Thanks Suzanne. I hope so.
Thanks for this honest report Kathryn
People coming to Egypt hopeful of swimming with dolphins should see Samadai Dolphin House which is run by HEPCA https://www.facebook.com/HEPCA/
I swim sometimes with a turtle in Nuweiba, in the open sea. It comes to swim happily alongside me, and every time I feel so blessed to see it. Dolphins can often be seen from the boats that take people diving and snorkeling near Tiran Island and at Ras Mohammed in Sharm. Sometimes just watching should be enough. Though I still hope to swim with a whale shark some day, which we get near Taba sometimes.
Thanks Susan. Samadai Dolphin House looks fantastic. Would love to visit them sometime.
I’ve been on many boats in many different places but I’ve never seen dolphins in the wild. Hopefully I will one day.
And how lucky you are to have a friendly turtle to swim with. Blessed indeed. Do you have any photos?
I got to swim with wild dolphins in Egypt last September, an amazing experience. Also swam with dugong the next day, and in both swims there were about 10 humans with the animals, all aware of not touching, respecting and just enjoying swimming together. Video at uhttps://youtu.be/Xtr5yq6pM40
This is a subject I’ve had firsthand experience with – both in Roatan, Honduras and In the Yucatan, Mexico. In Roatan they claim the dolphins are wild, and we did actually dive in the open ocean with them, but they were first introduced in enclosures so I’m not sure how fully wild they are – but they did seem happy, healthy and well taken care of.
In Mexico I saw them at the Xel-Ha park. Again, they were held in ocean water and the park seemed to be run pretty well.
I’ve grappled with the same things you mention every time I’ve visited a zoo as well. Regardless of how well cared for the animals are, it isn’t their natural environment and in many cases the animals never appear happy to be there. On the other hand a lot of zoos are protecting endangered animals or saving orphans/hurt animals that wouldn’t have survived alone. It’s always a big mix of emotions.
It certainly is and a bit of a minefield. As far as I’m aware, a lot of zoos are doing an important job of breeding rare animals and re-introducing them into the wild. And of course there is a place of injured and orphaned animals to be looked after, especially if they can be re-introduced to the wild. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Wow I had no idea that they’re kept in a constant state of starvation. How tragic. Thanks for sharing your experience and alternative options.
Thanks and I love your design by the way for Absolut Vodka! Good luck!
Thanks for sharing this experience. Really sad but useful to know as I have not yet had the opportunity to swim with dolphins and now better informed!
Hi Louise, I hope you found it interesting. Thanks for popping by.
I would hasten to add that tourists attempting to go swimming with dolphins in the wild should not be encouraged. Dolphins exposed to to many humans trying to interact with them have been known to occasionally attack people and are capable of inflicting great damage. They are incredible creatures but people have a false sense of security around them and should be aware that they are highly unpredictable and can be vicious.
Hi Karen, I have never heard of a dolphin attacking a human but I’m sure it is possible but it’s a risk I’d be prepared to take. I’ve done far riskier things in my time. Stroking a fully grown lion springs to mind! Now that really was a stupid thing to do. My main concern with all this is how we are affecting the animals by seeking these encounters.
Thanks for commenting. It is always great to get different opinions and people should be made aware of such risks so that they are fully informed before making any decision.
Like you I swam with captive dolphins and was disappointed both with experience and with myself. However, it was a real eye opener. There can be no excuse for keeping them or their cousins the killer whales captive. I have been fortunate to swim with wild dolphins and kayak alongside killer whales and humpbacks. The experiences bear no comparison to each other with the latter being far superior in every way. I now seek out authentic wildlife experiences and while seeing or encountering wild creatures cannot be guaranteed I am happy to take that chance. After all you do not get the chance to track elephants or be stalked by a leopard if they are captive.
By the way, I also recommend the book Swimming with Dolphins, Tracking Gorillas. It is a fantastic resource.
Thanks for your insights and honesty
Thanks Gordon. It was a tricky post to write but I’m so glad that at least I am able to share the experience, and what I have since found out, so that others are better informed.
So sad to hear that your experience was so negative. Years ago, I swam with dolphins in Cuba. I am sure they were not free to leave, and I have some regrets about the ethics behind it all. The organizer was the same…we were not allowed to photograph or video, and their professional photographs of me were out of focus! In the end, I bought the photo as it was the only one I could have. I still loved the chance to play with the dolphin, but would not do it again, especially as you have dug deeper – I didn’t know they were starved to perform, but it makes sense!
Glad that my turtle and sting ray experiences in the Caribbean were with creatures that were free to move about as they wished. There were no barriers to their escape. Although, I guess we are altering them by feeding them rather than leaving them to their own devices. They were completely comfortable around us, rubbing up against us as they swam in for food. Not such a natural behaviour!
As always, I enjoy your insight. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Anita. I would love to experience swimming with turtles or indeed dolphins in the wild, although , as with snorkelling by coral reefs in the Red Sea that I previously wrote about, I am concerned about the huge numbers of boats and people doing this.