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Vallarta Adventures' Dolphin Center in Nuevo Vallarta Mexico was the first dolphin facility in the world to train Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins for human interaction programs, and is one of the few dolphin educational centers where you can experience up-close and personal encounters with these incredibly intelligent creatures.
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Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins are warm blooded, air-breathing mammals that inhabit temperate and tropical waters throughout the world.
They belong to the group of toothed whales whose scientific name is odontocetes. Pacific bottlenose dolphins can grow to be up to 10 feet long and weigh from 300-650 pounds.
They have a sleek, streamlined body with forelimbs, called pectoral flippers, that they use to steer, and flukes (lobes of the tail) that they use to propel themselves forward.
In general, the color of Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins is a nondescript gray on the back fading to white on the belly and lower jaw.
This coloration, a type of camouflage known as countershading, helps conceal a dolphin from predators and prey. |
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Offering you the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to swim with dolphins, our dolphin center has two areas with seawater pools that are larger than the limits given by the US, European and Mexican Fisheries departments. Each pool holds over 2 million gallons of seawater that has been purified with sand filters and ozone generators.
Dolphin Area One was designed and built in 1996, after the Mexican fisheries department granted Dolphin Adventures a special license to care for dolphins. The lagoon was custom-made and constructed on floating docks to accommodate the rising and falling of the tide, which changes the water levels in the marina up to six feet, twice a day.
Dolphin Area Two opened in October of 2000 and, due to the growth of our dolphin family and the success of our programs, was expanded again in 2004. It is now a state-of-the-art dolphin and marine mammal educational facility with specially designed educational pools, an underwater viewing area, and a maternity pool with a special life support system for our expectant mothers and recently born dolphins.
Our staff has over 30 years experience in all phases of the marine mammal field. From overseeing the health and welfare of our dolphins to offering dolphin educational programs at our dolphin center, our team of marine mammal specialists are creating a greater understanding and appreciation of dolphins and the environment we share.
Like other leading dolphin centers worldwide, Dolphin Adventure does not promote foot push activities (whereby a dolphin pushes the full weight of a person through the water using its nose) because it has been scientifically proven that this activity imposes an enormous strain on the dolphins. After a visit to the Dolphin Adventure facilities, you will realize how much we love and care for our dolphins.
We are still learning how incredibly complex and intelligent these dolphins are, and it is an immensely rewarding quest. It is equally satisfying to share this knowledge, since it is only through a better understanding that we can ensure the preservation and well being of these fascinating animals.
For more detailed information about swimming with dolphins in Mexico, visit our website at Dolphin-Adventures.com | |
