Have you ever seen a dolphin in the wild? Or a pod of dolphins playing in their natural habitat? We live in South Florida near the ocean, so we have seen dolphins coming up for air from the Atlantic Ocean shoreline. We have also been able to pet and feed dolphins at Sea World...
But we had our first dolphin tour when we passed through Savannah, Georgia which DID NOT DISAPPOINT!
Bryce has developed quite a love for dolphins the past six months after his dolphin encounter at SeaWorld Orlando. When we found Captain Derek's Dolphin Tour, we thought
it would be a fun family adventure. Bryce is ten years old now and has previously been on a boat for fishing with his Uncle Andy. He fell in love with the speed of boats on the water, so
we felt that this was a safe choice for us to make for him...
Thankfully, we were correct!
Bryce did an excellent job asking the captain questions, listening to the rules, and obeying them. He is not a risk-taker, so our concerns were low. We started in the back of the boat and walked our way to the front, so we could see more dolphin action. The captain knew the best place to take us where a pod of dolphins hung out and were actively coming up for breaths. They were very comfortable with the boat being present, so we were able to take pictures and videos of the dolphins, including selfies!
The sun was shining and sparkling on the water while a nice breeze kept us cool. Perfect weather! We were able to see Tybee Island and drive closely by the Cockspur Island Lighthouse.
The non-guaranteed part of the tour was if the dolphins would jump and play in the waves behind the boat when the captain took off at high speed. The first attempt was not successful. Although a little disappointed, I was so happy with all of the other elements of the experience that I quickly shrugged it off. Little did I know that the captain would try one more time on the way back to the dock...
And we had SUCCESS!! We saw dolphins gliding together under the water before they leaped up for air! Some dolphins were further away while others were happily swimming alongside the boat. It was a truly incredible experience for all us!
I have to say that the jumping dolphin action was a lot for Bryce to process while it was happening. We were able to record the dolphin activity, so he was able to play it back later and enjoy it - over and over! He genuinely loved the whole experience. We were thrilled that we were able to enjoy this spontaneous, fun family experience with no triggers, sensory issues, or autism-related hiccups. Yay!!
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