#18 - Swim with Dolphins

Dolphins.  For as long as I can remember, I had wanted to swim with dolphins SO much.  I had always loved dolphins, and I think when I watched the Full House episode where the girls got to swim with dolphins, I knew I needed to do it as well.  I mean if Michelle is doing it, I knew it had to be good.

When I went on my first cruise, my friend Sara and I had wanted to go swimming dolphins.  There was one stop that had an excursion where you could swim with dolphins; too bad it was filled up and the only thing that was open was to watch people swim with dolphins.  You could pay money...to watch other people...swim with dolphins.  That sounds like fun....(yes, that was filled with sarcasm).

So obviously, I didn't get to swim with dolphins, and I still wanted to. 

When I went to college, my parents decided they'd get a time share.  We started going down to Mexico each year in January during my break.  Each time we went there, it seemed like my dad's mission to find a place where you could swim with dolphins, since he knew I really wanted to do it.  My dad was infamous for heading out early in the morning to check out the area, as well as talk with anybody with ears. 

The second year we were in Mexico, there was a place right next door to our resort where you could go swimming with dolphins.  My dad went every morning to see if they had any available spots, but because of all of the cruises, they didn't have any open spots.

The third year we went down to Mexico, my dad was talking to some people who let him know where there was a place you could go swimming with dolphins.  Lucky for me, they had one spot open, and my dad booked it immediately. 

While I wanted to do the dorsel fin ride, like on Full House, I couldn't do that.  It was so awesome.  There were about ten other people in my group.  We would bob around and the dolphins got to swim amongst us, as well as we got to swim up to them and touch them.  I'm pretty sure I was on cloud nine. 

Then we all got in line, and apparently since I was in the front, I got to go first.  We laid on our bellies with our arms out and floated on the water.  Then two of the dolphins came behind us and pushed us on our feet so we were basically like flying upwards.  Kind of like superman.  But not. :) 

It was an awesome experience, and it meant a lot to me that my dad really pushed for it to happen.

(That's me on the far left.)