Have a dolphin-friendly vacation!

Getting Started. Many tour groups and travel agencies use terms like "eco-tour," "environmentally responsible" and "dolphin friendly" in an effort to market themselves to the growing number of travelers who are concerned about their impact on the natural world. Be an informed consumer and select your vacation destination and tour guides carefully. Don't be afraid to ask questions! For example, what are your tour guide's qualifications? Have there been any complaints lodged against them with the Better Business Bureau? Can they provide references? Check out their mission statement to see if their code of ethics supports your own personal beliefs and goals.

Or visit these links to learn more about responsible traveling:
Animal Friendly tourism
The International Ecotourism Society
responsibletravel.com

Why not help dolphins while on vacation? Research and conservation organizations are now combining business with pleasure. Instead of spending your vacation poolside, why not participate in a dolphin population study, observe the habits of wild dolphin pods or pitch in during a beach cleanup operation? You can visit exotic destinations (or stay close to home), have fun and help dolphins all at the same time. Some popular and well-regarded eco-travel companies include:

Earthwatch Institute
Ecotourism Lindblad Expeditions

Just for Kids. Make your family's summer vacation both fun and educational. At "sea camp," kids learn about the ocean and its inhabitants through exciting, hands-on experiences. But be sure to choose a camp that is truly animal friendly. Some theme parks and aquariums also offer day camps and longer programs for kids which involve keeping dolphins and other marine mammals in captivity. Remember, the only true education about dolphins comes from witnessing them in their natural habitat interacting with other dolphins and living their lives in the wild.

Check out these fun sites:
SeaCamp Association (Florida)
Sea Camp (Texas A&M University at Galveston) (Texas)
Camp Seagull and Camp Seafarer (Carolinas)

 Visit Cetacean-Free aquariums and parks. In North America, more than 6-dozen aquariums do not keep captive dolphins or whales as part of their exhibits. And this list is growing every day. Before you plan your next visit to an aquarium call ahead to make sure that they don't keep dolphins captive as part of their display.

Or, visit the link below to view a list of aquariums, theme parks and zoos that do keep dolphins in captivity so that you can make an informed choice before you buy a ticket!

Wikipedia - list of dolphinariums worldwide.

Visit or volunteer at a marine mammal stranding center. These centers are dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating wild marine mammals such as dolphins, seals, turtles and whales, who for various reasons wind up stranded or beached. Most centers have a steady stream of animals in need of their help so you will most likely get to see a dolphin or other marine mammal up close and personal during its rehabilitation and recovery. Marine mammal stranding centers use the knowledge they gain during dolphin recoveries to help in the diagnosis and treatment of other dolphins in need.

There are many marine mammal stranding centers in the United States. WSPA suggests that you check out the following:

Mote Marine Laboratory
Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network
Marine Mammal Stranding Center of New Jersey

Participate in a dolphin-friendly boat tour with a guide knowledgeable in the ways of wild dolphins. Enjoy the spectacle of wild dolphins swimming along your boat's bow and frolicking with their pod members. Witness dolphins in their natural environment behaving in the way that nature intended. Remember that responsible dolphin watch tours will not endorse interacting with or interfering with the dolphins' routine in any way. Here are some helpful guidelines for safe and successful dolphin watching:

• Be sure that the tour that you chose does not involve feeding or otherwise enticing the dolphins to approach your boat.
• Boaters should never chase, block or crowd dolphins between other boats, shallow areas or land. Allow the dolphins to dictate the "rules" of your encounter and leave when they are ready - never pursue them.
• No more than two boats should approach dolphins at a time. Typically when boats crowd around them, dolphins will dive underwater and leave the area.
• Approach slowly and with care only from the side or in a parallel manner leaving at least one hundred yards of space between boat and dolphins.
• Dolphins are acoustically sensitive so keep your engine noises as quiet as possible by shutting them down or placing them in neutral when near to dolphins. Unpredictable noises and movements could cause the dolphins confusion and result in a collision, so allow dolphins to leave the area before restarting your boat and moving on.

Dolphin viewing tours can be found throughout the U.S. and the world. Some dolphin hot spots are Key West, Florida, Galveston, Texas, Monterey Bay, California, and the coasts of New Jersey, Hawaii and the Carolinas. For international travelers, WSPA suggests Australia, Scotland, Ireland and the Bahamas.

 Capture a glimpse of wild dolphins from the comfort of your beach blanket! Many dolphins swim close to the shoreline and can be seen swimming and jumping off the coast of beaches throughout the world. Good sites for dolphin viewing include the New Jersey, California, Florida and Carolina coastlines and the Caribbean Islands.

Visit these sites for more information:

Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
Delaware, Maryland and Virginia Coast

 WSPA advocates wild dolphin watching only. Wild dolphins are just that: wild. For your safety and for theirs, you should never approach a dolphin in the wild. In fact, in the United States it is illegal to come within 300 feet of a dolphin in its natural environment.

Many tour operators in other countries - and several in the US as well - continue to promote wild dolphin swim programs. One of their claims is that, since the dolphins initiate contact, this makes the experience stress free and harmless for the animals. But your presence in the water can be harmful in numerous other ways. Resting, breeding and feeding patterns can be interrupted by even the most well-meaning tour operators and vacationers. For example, spinner dolphins in Hawaii come to rest in the shallow waters, where they don't have to constantly fight the strong ocean currents. This is where they are set upon by eager tourists. The dolphins are forced to either put up with this intrusion or head back out into the open sea.

No dolphin interaction experience is risk free, for you or the dolphin. Do the both of you a favor and stay out of the water.

*Suggestions offered in this fact sheet are not meant to be endorsements for organizations, websites or materials not specifically related to the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and should be used as a guide only.