The Dolphin Experience Grand Bahama Island
Very few underwater experiences can compare to a dive in which you’ve witnessed the beauty, grace, and energy of dolphins. On Grand Bahama, divers can usually expect to be followed by dolphins out into the open sea. The Dolphin Experience was Mike Schulz’s idea. He decided to give up his job as a dolphin trainer and release the dolphins imprisoned in tanks into a better environment. The animals released from the dolphin aria underwent months of training before facing the open sea. They live now in a lagoon called Sanctuary Bay to the east of Lucayan Marina, in quiet, deep, protected waters kept clean by the tides. The group usually consists of 6 bottlenose dolphins. Dolphins are intelligent, and these have come to know and love this place.
The meeting point is on the medium reef at a depth of 50 feet; on almost flat sandy clearing where there are big coral banks. The relatively shallow depth and the reflection of the sun on the sandy bottom make this stretch of barrier reef among the best for photography. The dive boat sets out from UNEXSO base and divers are briefed during the trip to Sanctuary Bay. All divers most know how to behave in the presence of the dolphins and learn the signals to which the dolphins respond.
Leaving Sanctuary Bay, the dolphins follow our boat and the backup boat towed toward open sea. Not all dolphins are interested in humans, and they are never forced to interact. Sometimes this group meets other dolphins of the same species and can disappear for days before returning to Sanctuary Bay.
The Dive
Keep a camera, fitted with a light telephoto lens, handy during the journey to the dolphin reef; the dolphins that do follow the boat perform incredible acrobatics in and out of the bow waves. You can judge quite easily at what point they will leap out of the water and get some wonderful shots.
We descend 50 feet to the sandy bed, where we arrange ourselves in a circle. Four dolphins appear immediately. They swim around us at high speed, rushing to the surface and then plunging back into the depths, as if they were demonstrating their strength and skill. Their hydrodynamic bodies flying through the water make a fantastic sigh and it occurs to me that they really enjoy themselves here. When the instructor goes deeper, taking the bag of bate with him, the group calms down, as if they realize that the moment has come to do something for the guests. There is one strictly enforced rule with the dolphins: No work, no food.
The program changes each time; divers can either hitch a ride with the dolphins or feed them. The important thing is to remember the signals from your briefing; otherwise you run the risk of being completely ignored by the dolphins. It is particularly interesting to watch them go to the surface to breathe. Every movement they make is infinitely calm, which makes for great photographs and videos. Not all their games involve the divers, so find a comfortable spot for yourself in their habitat and watch them closely.
