Ask a Scientist: What if I want to swim with...Dolphins?

2

-Slowly slide into the water without any splashing as this may irritate the animals.

-When you see dolphins near you, stop your active movement and let the animals coming to you. When you get chosen by[nbsp] them it feels much more amazing!

-Do not chase the animals when they do not seem too eager to meet you. Refrain from ‘duck diving’ to force an interaction – they’ll just getting more annoyed and will try to avoid you by all means.

-Eye contact is okay but as with all mammals: Don’t try to win a staring contest! ;)

-Do not initiate any physical contact. Although dolphins are highly physical animals you may experience negative behaviour when they are not in the mood. Therefore, it is better to overall refrain from touching. Especially as quite a few encounters have put swimmers at health risk in the past after they reached out to individuals. Dolphins are powerful predators and should be respected as such. In general, sustainable wildlife encounters do not involve any close contact.

-Beware of jerky head and body movements as well as an open rostrum (mouth) being directed towards you. Those are signs of stress/threat and you should leave the animal(s) alone.

-Taking pictures while experiencing animals at short range is very popular and it’s a great way to take some memories back home. For this, please make sure your flash is turned off at any times as it may startle the animal.