How can I put into words what this day was like – well here goes, I will give it a try.
We had booked to go on a short break to Kenya, as we live in Dubai it’s only a short flight which suits me as I hate flying. Prior to leaving I was browsing on the internet and found some interesting information about swimming with Dolphins in the Indian Ocean and logged onto the company’s website: www.dolphindhow.com to find out more. There are no guarantees here that you will see or swim with Dolphins but they do state that they have a 95%+ success rate. Good enough for me I wanted to book.
You can book directly with the company either by fax, telephone or e-mail and payment can be made in advance or print out the booking forms and pay when you arrive in Kenya at your hotel.
When you book directly with Dolphin Dhow you also get 20% discount and a free t-shirt. The cost is roughly £40 with the discount, £50 - £55 without and depending on the exchange rates you are using. Children under 12 pay half this amount.
David and Margie started the company in October 1996 after they discovered the dolphins by accident while out on a rented boat. They joined up with Tim from the UK and Mwamburi from Kenya and had a local craftsman build their first sailing dhow with outboard motor. Now they are a successful business with 2 dhows who take small groups out for day trips around the Kisiti Marine Park and Reserve in the Indian Ocean.
We were staying at The Southern Palms Beach Resort on Diani Beach and only 1 hrs drive away from Shimoni (Swahili word for – Place of caves) where the Dolphin Dhow is located. Shimoni is about an 80km drive south of Mombassa.
Valentines Day 2004
We were collected from the hotel at 7.30am and started our journey to Shimoni in a Hi-Ace mini bus. The driver was excellent pointing out places of interest on the way and stopping by the coconut and cashew nut grooves and also the tea fields which come the rainy season are completely immersed in water for some months. We arrived at the Dolphin Dhow at around 8.45am. After being introduced to the crew you are taken by small motor boat to the waiting dhow, there were 22 of us in total including the crew. You are then given a brief talk on how your day will progress and a lovely cup of tea then follows. We set sail and everybody’s eyes are peeled on the lookout for the Dolphins. We arrived at a beautifully serene inlet where we could go snorkeling through the amazing coral reef that we were told had been compared with the Great Barrier Reef and The Red Sea. Don’t be put of if you haven’t snorkeled or don’t swim as they have a motor boat with big buckets. ‘Big buckets’ I hear you say! Yes they have cut the bottoms of them and fixed clear thick plastic so that you can hang over the side and enjoy the beauty of the coral reef and its marine life. Truly amazing. 1 hour later it’s back on the dhow for light refreshments and fruit.
The motor boat sped of at this point and we found out later it was of to see if it could spot the Dolphins. Not much later it came over the radio that they were there about 5 kilometers in front of us. Disappointment followed when we arrived and were told we couldn’t get in the water as the Dolphins were feeding, and it is too dangerous. We waited what seemed like an eternity and all of a sudden they started leaping out the water and swimming up to and all around the dhow. It was play time! Everybody that wanted to swim was asked to make their way down to the motor boat where we were taken out in front of the Dolphins and slid into the Indian Ocean to swim back towards the 60 or so Dolphins. They were swimming through us under us round us and it was well.......... Awesome to say the least. We were in and out of the motor boat some 5 or 6 times, I lost count in the end. Always racing ahead of the Dolphins and slipping back into the water to swim with them, you are asked not to dive into the water as it scares the Dolphins. I can’t explain what I was feeling sadness, excitement, tingling, crying. Valentines Day has been a very sad time for me in that my dear little brother had been killed in a freak accident in 1997 and was buried on Valentines Day, and here I was swimming with humpback, spotted and bottlenose Dolphins. Beautiful creatures that my brother also loved.
Tired smiling faces got back onto the dhow almost an hour and a half later for a lunch of Crabs, Fish, Rice, Chapattis and tomato salad, with a coconut sauce to die for, followed by tropical fruits, tea, coffee, beer, wine and a good variety of soft drinks and water. This is all included in the price you pay, really good value I would say.
The return trip to shore was very quiet, I think most people just wanted to be alone with their own thoughts at what we had just experienced, for me I just lazed in Jim’s arms and was thankful that I had been blessed with such a moving experience. Wild and free Dolphins had chosen to let me swim with them.
A truly magical day I would recommend to anyone.
Pictures of General: Kenya
Me & Dolphins
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This sounds like a one in a lifetime experience for someone in UK. You are lucky person to have experienced such an exciting adventure. Denis
stepho222 13.04.2005 18:25
me and my boyfriend have said that when we decide on a date of the weddying that the honeymoon hat we pick will have to be somewhere where we can swim with dolphins stephaniexx
borisian31 09.03.2005 12:58
I have also had the pleasure of swimming with dolphins in this part of the world - Zanzibar be be exact. It was a truly amazing experience and your photos are exactly how i remember it! I remember feeling very small and defenceless while the dolphins came and went as they pleased and we just flopped around hoping for a glimpse of them. I'm very sorry to hear about your brother. Great review. Ian
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