There are two places where you can swim with dolphins in the Keys – the one I chose was Dolphins Plus which is just south of MM100 – Oceanside, an hours drive from Miami.
Dolphins Plus is a dedicated conservation and protection facility without all the pomp and gloss of some other facilities. They offer a couple of options for a dolphin swim – the Structured dolphin swim and an unstructured swim with wild dolphins. I took part in the structured dolphin swim and was very lucky as I was alone and they were training a new dolphin so I had 2 dolphins to myself. It is a half hour swim in normal depth water, I swam with Isla and Sammy. During my swim (which is facilitated by an experienced Dolphin trainer) I was allowed to touch the dolphins – we did belly rubs, kisses and I was also towed by the dorsal fin. It was a truly unique experience, one I will never forget and definitely my most treasured dolphin swim.
The other dolphin swim on offer is the unstructured swim with wild dolphins. Contact is not guaranteed on this swim which was why I didn’t choose it.
Since I visited the facility now also offer a sea-lion swim.
Visit www.dolphinsplus.com for more information, you can even reserve a swim online.
