Step aboard Water Planet PCB, and be prepared for a fun and educational time with the bottlenose dolphins near Shell Island. You never know quite what a tour see given the nature of wild marine life, but you’re bound to see and experience a plethora of creatures while out on the water.
The main tour that Water Planet PCB offers is a 1 Day Swim with the Dolphins Tour, and the highlight of this experience is swimming with the dolphins. The tour will head out about 15 minutes to Shell Island, where there are almost always wild dolphins swimming about. You’ll get a chance to swim with them once they’re spotted, and then the tour could take many different routes.
Depending on the day and group’s preferences, the captain may follow the dolphins, anchor at Shell Island, head to the jetties or go inland to a sunken 24-foot boat. Where you go will determine precisely what you see, but there’s always something to explore in the water.
Other dolphin-related programs include a Shell Island Sunset Cruise and Dolphin Tour, a 3 Day Dolphin Swim Program and a 1 Week Dolphin Swim Program. There’s also Dolphin Therapy, which combines dolphins, music and movement in a specialized program that’s tailored to children with specific needs.
Water Planet PCB has been taking people to swim with the dolphins for 25-plus years, and is the most experienced wild dolphin swimming tour outfit in the area. For an unforgettable encounter up close with these well-known porpoises, book your tour and prepare to come aboard.
A few of our favorite programs at Water Planet PCB include:
1 Day Swim with the Dolphins
Bring our swimsuit and leap into the water with the dolphins. Snorkeling equipment and dolphin etiquette education (yes, they have proper etiquette) are provided on the way out to Shell Island.
Shell Island Sunset Cruise and Dolphin Tour
Combine the majesty of swimming with dolphins with the beauty of a Gulf of Mexico sunset. The perfect romantic date, this is one experience that you and your partner won’t soon forget.
1 Week Dolphin Swim Program
The 1 Week Dolphin Swim Program gets you in the water with the porpoises a total of six times. The whole program starts off with an educational morning and sunset cruise, and it ends with a special snorkeling time among the cypress trees. Barbecue is provided on the last tour when you get out of the water.
Grief Support Program
For children who have recently lost someone close, the Dolphin Therapy Grief Support Program does more than serve as a distraction. Through learning about and interactions with dolphins, children actually enter into a grief support program that helps them process, express and cope with their emotions.
Harmony Program
Adaptable to a wide range of special needs, the Dolphin Therapy Harmony Program uses massage, art, craniosacral therapy, music and dolphins to help children express themselves. Kids with ADHD, autism, hyperactivity, manic depression and many other conditions may benefit.
Insider Tips:
– Dolphins may come within an arm’s reach while you’re snorkeling with them. As tempting as it may be, avoid touching the dolphins. Touching isn’t permitted by the boat and is against the law because it’s not good for the dolphins who are used to their natural environment.
– While you can’t touch dolphins, other marine life can be brought up to the boat safely for closer inspection before it’s set back in the water. If you see something you’re curious about, ask one of the crew members who’s swimming to take a look at it and see whether you can bring it up to the boat for a short while.