Swimming with dolphins is officially on my list of MUST-DO’s in San Antonio, TX. Discovery Point at Sea World is now open to the public and the most adventurous feature is an opportunity to swim with dolphins!
If you’ve visited the dolphins at Sea World San Antonio in the past, you may remember the dolphin habitat where visitors could interact with them including feeding them. Today, the 600,000-gallon Dolphin Lagoon is twice the size of the previous dolphin habitat. A variety of shells, natural materials, recycled glass and stone were used as building materials throughout Discovery Point, including the rockwork shapes created to resemble dolphins.
Swim with Dolphins in Texas
Discovery Point offers the only in-water dolphin swim in Texas, and is the welcome center for Beluga and Sea Lion swims. During the new dolphin swim experience, you can interact with bottlenose dolphins while learning about dolphin behavior and communication, as well as SeaWorld’s ongoing local and worldwide dolphin research and rescue efforts.
How it works:
Once you sign up for a swim, you will attend a brief classroom presentation about safety aspects of your interaction, animal husbandry, and how the trainers interact with the dolphins. You will then change into SeaWorld-provided wetsuits and wade into Dolphin Lagoon to meet the animals for a swim with SeaWorld’s expert trainers. You will likely be in groups of about eight guests and be in the water for approximately 25 minutes. A professional photographer and videographer is on staff to take photos and videos of your experience that will be available for purchase. (The slideshow of photos above are courtesy of Sea World.)
Watch my interaction on the Facebook LIVE video that I posted when I was there for the media day before the grand opening. It was only a short time in the water for me but it was an incredible experience. The trainers are gentle and take great care of these animals. And the dolphins seem like they are actually having fun. Not only was the short swim amazing but I found a new respect for the Sea World expert trainers. I was a little nervous when it was my turn to get in the water but they made me feel comfortable and seem to make the dolphins happy.
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Paid reservations must be made for this program, and participants must be at least 6 years old to swim with dolphins. Children ages 6 to 12 must be accompanied by a paying adult who is also participating in the dolphin swim experience. Prices range from $125 to $155 per person. To learn more about Discovery Point and reserve your swim, please visit www.seaworlddiscoverypoint.com.
Even if you don’t want to swim with dolphins, you and your family can still enjoy observing these majestic animals in their new home – The Dolphin Lagoon. You can watch dolphins at play from both above and below the surface. This up-close look at how dolphins learn and explore their environment is amazing!
“As a world leader in animal care and conservation education, we are revolutionizing the way our guests learn about marine animals and ocean health,” said Carl Lum SeaWorld San Antonio President. “Now, more than ever, we’re creating experiences that can inspire guests and change minds, hearts and lives forever.”
You can also visit the newly renovated Explorer’s Reef aquarium which is home to more than 350 species of fish, invertebrates and amphibians, as well as five different species of sharks. These animals are considered vulnerable and well on their way toward endangered status.
Follow SeaWorld on Facebook or @SeaWorld on Twitter and Instagram @SeaWorldTexas, using #DiscoveryPoint for exciting updates.
Keep up with me and more of my shenanigans on Snapchat! Follow me. My user name is quemeanswhat. Here’s my story from the Sea World Discovery Point Media Day.
