I had mixed emotions of fear and excitement the minute the
dolphin’s cold mouth landed on my cheek-and stayed there for about a
full minute. It was the first time I saw real live dolphins outside the
television screen and got a kiss from one, too. We were at the Dolphins
Pacific Bay, one of the rare places in the world where people could
experience close encounter and interaction with the dolphins, lessons
you will not get in the classrooms. Eight dolphins occupy the lagoons
and only two of them are males, Echo and J. The females are Surech,
Rubak, Ariel, Ekei, Layla, and Roxanne. Ramirez said each dolphin can be
identified by its own distinctive features. We watched in fascination
as the dolphins dived, executed perfect somersaults, flipped over, waved
their tails tumbled and did as the trainers ordered them to do.
“Training the dolphins takes at least two months and you have to get
them into activity everyday,” Arturo Ramirez Jr., our Mexican tour guide
said. He added that using the reward system helps, which means they
will reward a dolphin with fish or ice cubes if they follow the
instructions and do something right. Because dolphins tend to eat
leaves that fall into the lagoon and eventually get sick from it, the
trainers taught the dolphins to retrieve leaves and give it to them, and
the dolphins get rewards for doing so. It is also a puzzle that
dolphins live in salt water yet they drink fresh water. Every couple of
days or so, dolphins are given water through a funnel and a hose and
they sure drink a lot, says Ramirez. Interaction with the dolphins
starts with an educational lecture about the natural history of dolphins
and getting acquainted with the eight dolphins from their photos. This
is followed by a walk along the lagoons and finally getting into a
wading platform where one is given the rare chance to touch a dolphin’s
body, and get a handshake or a kiss from them. For the more daring, you
can snorkel, swim, scuba dive or dive with the dolphins to get a really
close encounter and see their world beneath the surface of the water.
Dolphins, Ramirez said, are sensitive creatures. “If you make
unnecessary movements or actions they will get confused and this could
affect them but they are very playful,” he said. “The purpose of this
dolphin facility is to teach people to study the special abilities of
dolphins, to put them as teaching materials for environmental
education,” says Ramirez. He said it is important for people,
particularly the children to learn the importance of protecting the
dolphins and saving them for the future generations. The Dolphin
facility costing $2.5 million was established in July 20, 2000. Ramirez
said the dolphins were brought in from Japan in 2001 and were trained
here. The Dolphin Bay is one of the main tourist attractions of Palau (A
visit to Palau won’t be complete without going there) and is becoming a
destination not only for tourists but for locals, for children, elderly
people and the handicapped. For more information, visit
www.dolphinspacific.com or email smiles@dolphinspacific.com or call
680-488-8582.
