On a trip to Florida a couple of years ago my family and I were lucky enough to get the chance to visit Discovery Cove for a day.
Discovery Cove is a 30-acre retreat, where not only do you get the chance to swim one to one with dolphins, but also have the opportunity to snorkel, feed tropical birds and even take a float along the tropical river. On any one day there are only a maximum of 1000 visitors allowed entrance into the park, so you know it will never get over crowded like over Florida parks.
We arrived at the park at 7.30am and straight away had to be fitted with our life jackets and snorkelling gear. Our time slot for our swim with the dolphins was scheduled for 8.30am, so we didn’t have very long to wait. After a very short briefing with the park staff, we were off to the Dolphin pool. It really was an amazing experience and I will have such precious memories that will last me a lifetime. It is wonderful to be able to interact with such magnificent creatures. It was such a shame when our time with the dolphins was over, but there was so much more to do in the park. We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to snorkel amongs the magnificent sting-rays and the beautiful tropical fish. For somebody who has never tried snorkelling before, this was an amazing opportunity and one that I would certainly love to repeat.We spent a very relaxing couple of hours floating along the Wind-Away River and then it was time to have our lunch. The brilliant part of the Discovery Cove experience is that once you have paid your entrance fee, there is nothing else to pay for (except gifts). We ate a beautiful lunch, followed by a couple of drinks and then during the afternoon we relaxed on our private beach just enjoying the whole experience.
Unfortunately our day was over way too quickly. Now that I have had a bit of experience with snorkelling, I have made the decision to book a holiday where I can snorkel until my heart is content.
After doing a bit of research, I have decided on a Galapagos Holiday. From all the reports I have read, it looks like I would be able to snorkel amongst the wildlife and see them in their natural environment. There would also be opportunities to be able witness first hand rare fur seals and giant tortoises. What a fantastic holiday this could turn out to be and what a fantastic opportunity to actually get to see wildlife up close and where it should be.