This trip offer guests the remarkable opportunity to snorkel, swim and play with the world famous Atlantic spotted dolphins, the most interactive and friendly population of wild dolphins in any ocean on the planet.
It is here, in the shallow waters that edge the Gulfstream, that for thirty years snorkelers have been interacting with an extended pod of friendly dolphins. Over years and generations this pod has shown an unparalleled curiosity and joy in engaging with people, freely approaching swimmers to happily cavort and frolic for as they choose, whether for minutes or for hours. There are no walls, no feeding, no behavioral conditioning or manipulation of any sort: just wild dolphins in their natural environment interacting of their own free will, exactly the way it is meant to be.
But this cruise offers more than “just” the chance to befriend the spotted dolphins. The area of the dolphin grounds is the boundary between the warm indigo depths of the Gulfstream and the crystalline blue shallows of the Little Bahama Bank. The diverse environment offers reefs large and small, drop-offs, wrecks, sand and seagrass beds populated by fish, birds, turtles, rays, sharks, bottlenose dolphins and the spotted dolphins. While our focus is on the dolphins (and we do get opportunities to swim with the bottlenose, too), we enjoy making the most of whatever comes our way!
Scuba diving is an option for guests taking part in this cruise, but guests do not need to be divers to enjoy everything the trip has to offer. The daily schedule is subject to change to best take advantage of the local conditions. Unlike some cruises which can tell you a month in advance exactly where you will be on a Tuesday morning, our thinking is that there is no way to predict whether that will be the best place to be on that day; you will only know when you see it! Our operational philosophy is that our guests are aboard a private yacht with a guide at their service with a decade of experience in the area who is always asking: what is the best thing we can be doing right now?
Our emphasis is on the dolphins: seeking them and interacting with them is our reason for being here. But when a good chance to meet their friends or explore their world comes our way, we will make the most of it, enriching the adventure for all.
WHEN:
- June 18 – 25, 2016
- July 2 – 9, 2016
WHERE:
Guests fly into/out of the international airport at Freeport, Grand Bahama (airport code FPO). Guests embark/disembark the vessel at the Old Bahama Bay Marina in West End, Grand Bahama, which is approximately 45 minutes from the airport and Freeport/Port Lucaya area hotels. Non-stop flights depart the U.S. from the gateway cities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Atlanta. Fast ferry service is also available from Fort Lauderdale.
Swimming with dolphins and snorkeling/diving takes place along the western edge of the Little Bahama Bank north of Grand Bahama in an area known as the White Sand Ridge and/or on the Great Bahama Bank around Bimini .
THE BOAT:
Our vessel on the Little Bahama Bank is the 100-foot M/V Carib Dancer. She was refurbished in the summer of 2012 and offers the same comfort, excellent food, and outstanding service we’ve come to expect from the Dancer Fleet. Only twelve guests get to participate in this special adventure as the M/V Carib Dancer carries just 8 passengers in 4 Deluxe Staterooms, plus 4 more passengers in a single Quad Stateroom.
THE COST (per person):
Berth, Quad Stateroom: $2,875 now $2,444
Berth, Deluxe Stateroom: $3,085 now $2,623
For more information, contact Dive Discovery at:
1 800 886-7321, (415) 444-5100
or Email us