Dolphin Kids

We believe people of all ages should have a chance to learn about and become friends with the dolphins, which is why we created our small-group, hands-on Dolphin Kids encounters just for children ages four through nine. Under the watchful eyes of our marine mammal specialists, young children play with, touch and learn from our family of friendly, curious and intelligent Pacific Bottlenose dolphins.

What better way to learn about life under the waves than from the animals who call that habitat home? And the best part is that your kids don’t need to know how to swim to enjoy this relaxed encounter where fun is the focus.

A Truly Kid-Friendly Dolphin Encounter

You’ll be close by as your children (wearing life jackets, of course) enter our specially designed shallow water pool with our trainers and are greeted by the smiling faces and unique vocalizations of members of our family of highly-trained Pacific Bottlenose dolphins. All of our marine mammal encounter programs, including Dolphin Kids, have a remarkable and well-established safety record, so you can sit back in the observation area, relax and just enjoy watching your kids giggle and splash around with their new flippered friends.

Make Lasting Memories

Children in the Dolphin Kids encounter will do more than just meet a dolphin! They will pet and hug the dolphins, check out their fascinating anatomy first hand, shake a fin and even get a wet dolphin kiss. Our goal is to give kids who love dolphins the chance to be closer to these amazing animals than they ever dreamed possible - and the opportunity to do it all independently. Having this kind of experience with a group of other kids and our trainers (instead of with their parents) makes many young children feel extra grown up and special.

Inspiring the Next Generation of Conservationists

When children swim with dolphins, they fall in love with these intelligent, curious creatures and are driven to protect them. Helping kids understand why marine research and conservation is important isn’t always easy! But when kids have a chance to meet and communicate with a dolphin, they feel a stronger personal connection to the oceans and marine life. Kids who swim with dolphins naturally want to do their part to keep our oceans clean and healthy. After their Dolphin Kids encounter, your child may even decide they want to become a marine biologist!

We Take Our Dolphins’ Wellbeing Seriously

We believe strongly that dolphins need downtime just like humans do, which is why we are careful to limit the length of our Dolphin Kids and other encounters to an hour or less. Our dolphins never spend more than two hours per day interacting with our guests. That means they’re free to spend the rest of their time playing with one another, working with our trainers and relaxing or exercising in the safe and stimulating environments we have created for them. Our dolphins receive top notch healthcare and a diet that is closely monitored by experts to ensure that they are as healthy and as happy as they can be in our care. For more information about why we take dolphin welfare so seriously, please read through our Corporate Responsibility page.

The American Humane Association has granted Dolphin Adventure the Humane Conservation certification, which recognizes the high standards we follow in the care of our dolphins and sea lions.