7. Dolphin Swim Part Two

I arrived at Dolphin Cove, a marine education and dolphin swim facility in Key Largo, Florida a half-hour before my scheduled time, a combination of anal-retentiveness and "oh-my-gosh-I-can't-wait-for-Christmas-and-I'm-about-to-meet-Flipper" excitement. I had signed up for the premier swim, and this is what was promised:

Premier Dolphin Swims begin with a 30-45 minute educational briefing aboard one of our Everglades tour boats. During this time you will be able to observe the unique beauty of our back country while learning about dolphin natural history, intelligence, anatomy, and important information about your upcoming dolphin encounter.Dolphin swims take place in our natural lagoon. Swimmers will take turns entering the water and participating in hands-on behaviors with our dolphins. All interaction is guided by a dolphin trainer, and one on one contact is guaranteed.

Alright! This was what I had wanted, to get up close and personal, even though the 'guided interaction' part seemed a bit restricted, the one-on-one sounded interesting.

I liked that the facility was very clean and well-maintained, as I believe that reflected management's attitude about the care of the dolphins themselves. As I waited impatiently for the boat ride in the covered waiting area, I noticed that there was a binder with photos of all of the dolphins, where each dolphin was named and described by personality and age. Now, I'm not the kind of person who attributes human traits to their animals/pets the way that some people do, but I have to admit that considering the dolphins I was about to meet as having names, jarred my thinking a bit. I guess I didn't think of them as having distinct personalities and preferences, but wasn't that what being sentient was all about? "Stay open-minded, stay open-minded", I told myself.

Finally, we got on the tour boat for our promised briefing. There were about ten of us who listened to a young dolphin trainer tell us about dolphin anatomy. I learned that their 'snout' is called a 'rostrum', and each one is like a fingerprint, with distinctive markings. So is their dorsal fin, with a unique shape and notches particular to each dolphin. Probably the most interesting thing I learned was how young dolphins nurse, since dolphins are mammals, give live birth and nurse their young just like us humans. But, where were the teats on a female dolphin? Surely having a nipple or two would cut down on the streamlining they need to zip through the water unencumbered?

Turns out that instead of teats, they have two slits about two thirds of the way down their body on the underside, and the baby dolphin is born with the ability to curl their tongue like a straw. While nursing, the baby sticks their curled tongue into one of the slits and slurps away. Voila! Baby dolphin dinner on-the-go.

All the dolphins at Dolphin Cove were trained to vocal commands, hand signals, and whistles. Our tour guide took us through the various guided interactions that we would be experiencing, and spent the last ten minutes training us on how to behave in the water. We'd be wearing buoyant life vests which would allow us to suspend upright in the water, which was a key part in some of the dolphin 'tricks'. For example, I was to hang in the water with my hands out to the sides, making a 't', with my thumbs pointed down. The dolphin would swim around behind me, pick a side, and place their dorsal fin in the web of my thumb. My part would be to just hang on as this was the dorsal fin ride I'd been imagining since my first "Flipper" show. I couldn't wait to meet my dolphin!