Close encounters of the dolphin kind, part II: diving with dolphins in Curacao

  DIving with Dolphins in Curacao (Photo Credit: Stephen Brouillette)

After my brief encounter in the early 90's with JoJo, an Atlantic Bottlenose dolphin who has been living and playing in the shallow waters of Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands since the early 80’s, I longed for another longer experience with dolphins. (If you missed it, read Close Encounters of the Dolphin Kind: JoJo, Dean Bernal, and Me.)

Over the years, I'd read about dolphin swim and dive programs, including the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences which is based at Anthony's Key Resort in Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras. Even though I had an interest in going there to participate in their dive with the dolphins program, other dive destinations always took precedence for one reason or another.

Then, in early 2008, while researching our next dive trip, I read an article in Scuba Diving magazine about Curacao, one of the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao), located off the coast of Venezuela. It had received top honors for healthiest marine environment, the number two spot for top diving destination (Caribbean/Atlantic), beginner diving and shore diving, and the number three spot for top marine life by readers in the 2008 Top 100 Readers Choice Survey. On further investigation, I discovered there was a Dolphin Academy on the island, patterned in part after the program at Anthony's Key in Honduras. (Photo credit: Debbra Brouillette - Trainer with dolphin - above; Our two dolphins, Annie and Teresa (below)

The Dolphin Academy is located within the Curacao Sea Aquarium, an incredible facility opened in 1984, which is one of the top attractions on the island. It was developed directly on the oceanfront with a healthy coral reef only a stone's throw from the entrance. It's been called one of the most unique in the world because of its open-water system. Sea water is continuously pumped into it. Large tanks hold more than 400 specimens of sea life from around the waters of Curacao.

In 2002, the Sea Aquarium complex added a new dimension with the opening of the Dolphin Academy. The dolphins were flown to their new home in Curacao from Roatan, Honduras, including Copan, the only male, and his "harem" of five female bottlenose dolphins – Teresa, Bonnie, Annie, DeeDee and GeeGee. Since then, several babies have been born. Four trainers also moved to Curacao from Roatan and still work with the dolphins at the Dolphin Academy.

Lion's Dive Beach Resort Video

A resort located next to the Sea Aquarium, Lion's Dive & Beach Resort, was offering a well-priced package that included airfare and diving, so we booked our trip through Caradonna Dive Adventures. Diving with dolphins was, to me, the main attraction and reason to visit Curacao. While it was a somewhat expensive add-on, as far as I was concerned, it would be my birthday, anniversary and Christmas present all in one. No other gift was necessary. I just wanted some quality time with a dolphin.

I like the fact that the dolphins at Curacao's Dolphin Academy are housed in ever-circulating ocean water, and that the Dolphin Open Water Dives take place on the reef just outside the Sea Aquarium. We also found out that the dolphins are not forced to do anything they don't want to do, and, for some unknown reason, the first day we were scheduled to do our dive, Annie, who was to be our "personal dolphin," didn't want to come out and play!  Their trainer told us that if the dolphins sense sharks are in the area, they will be reluctant to come out, or there could have been a number of other reasons that Annie didn't want to leave her best friend Teresa that day. In fact, when our dive was rescheduled for later in the week, we were surprised to find out that we would have two dolphins on our dive – not just Annie, but Teresa also!

My excitement was further heightened at this news, as well as learning we would be sharing our dolphin dive experience with only three others – a father and his two teenaged children from the Netherlands.

The dive was digitally filmed and we were able to view and purchase our dive on DVD a short time later. (See a portion of our dive on the video below.) Besides the Open Water Dive, dolphin encounters, swims, and snorkels can also be arranged. See Dolphin Academy Programs for more info. You can even become an assistant trainer for a week by taking an in-depth course. If I had unlimited time and money, I'd sign up for that in a heartbeat. See Dolphin Academy Course Program for more info.

Video - Dolphin Dive, Curacao, July 8, 2008  (I am the diver toward the end of the video in pink-and-black wetsuit.)

All our dives, including the dolphin dive, were booked as part of our package through Ocean Encounters, a friendly, family-owned dive operation whose main facility is on the grounds of Lions Dive and Beach Resort. We had a great week diving with them and would highly recommend them to other divers.

The night before and the morning of the dive, I was filled with apprehension. What if the dolphins wouldn't come out and play? The deciding factor for why we ended up in Curacao that year was my fervent desire to dive with the dolphins. I said a little prayer as we donned our gear, boarded the dive boat and motored out to the reef. We slipped into the water and descended to about 30 feet, swimming past coral heads and sea fans to a sandy area where we waited for the dolphins to make their appearance. Their trainer and trusted friend George, who had given us a dive briefing on the boat before leaving to retrieve Annie and Teresa, soon joined us and motioned us to watch for the dolphins. We had been told not to reach out to touch them but, instead, to let them come close to us and be patient.

Finally, we saw them swimming through the reef area and then past us, circling an area outside our sight and then back into view, swimming ever closer on each pass until we could finally manage to stroke their rubber-like bodies. "They feel like innertubes," I was told, and they do! Because they were so familiar with George, they playfully twirled around him and affectionately moved ever closer to him, as we watched with envy. We could hear their clicks and squeaks as they darted around the reef effortlessly, enjoying their underwater playground.

One by one, we swam near to George and got our opportunity to "share the love" they were feeling with him, getting in our own strokes and up-close-and-personal moments with these marvelous mammals I'd waited so long to interact with in their environment. My husband was fortunately able to get a few photos of my encounter, and I got several others of them throughout the dive. Although our dive time with the dolphins was around 25 to 30 minutes, it seemed like half that time. I didn't want it to be over, but, at the same time, I felt exhilarated, joyful, privileged, and even blessed, to have had the opportunity to experience being with dolphins in a natural habitat.

One major item on my "bucket list" had been accomplished. I had dived with dolphins! But it was much more than an item to be crossed off a list. It was truly a gift... a close encounter of the dolphin kind.

(Note: I recently learned from the Curacao Dolphin Academy's Facebook page that Teresa, one of the dolphins we shared our dive with, passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 30, 2010, after experiencing extreme birth complications. Her baby also did not survive. Teresa arrived on Curacao from Roatan on May 26, 2002. She was one of the dolphins that started the open water program and also was proud mother of dolphin Kayena. RIP, Teresa...)

Dolphin Academy Therapy and Research Center

In 2006, the Dolphin Academy began its Therapy and Research Center, assisting in the therapy of mentally and/or physically handicapped children. We talked to a Dutch family who had been there for two weeks with their Down syndrome child and were amazed at the progress she had made. A new Dolphin Suites resort opened in March 2009. Billed as the first care hotel in the Caribbean, it offers facilities and services for people with special needs.

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