Puerto Vallarta sits on the largest natural bay in Mexico, and it would be a shame to visit the city and not pay a visit to the area’s friendliest marine mammals. After all, some people speculate that cetaceans (the species that includes dolphins and whales) are extremely intelligent. They may be wrong, or they may be right; if they’re right, local dolphins may feel slighted if you overlook them.

It’s completely natural for visitors to gravitate toward the water; after all, it’s right there and it’s big. Folks bail out of their villa Puerto Vallarta each morning looking for some kind of adventure on the high seas. Many people jump on the chance to interact with dolphins; they set off on an excursion to see dolphins in their natural habitat or take a swim with the dolphins in a controlled setting. Either way, time spent in communion with these creatures is time well spent. Quite often, the experience leaves visitors with a new-found respect for the natural world.

Watch Them Blow

Dolphins fin around Banderas Bay throughout the year, and dolphin watching is not highly regulated in the same way as the government restricts encounters with whales. You may find that most tour operators focus their efforts on whales during the official whale-watching season, however, which creates something of a de facto dolphin-watching season.

Dolphin tour guides take guests onto the waters of the bay, where they can watch these playful animals do their thing in their own world. A dolphin tour in a small boat puts you up close and personal with the objects of your attention, and if you join a group led by marine biologists, you’ll pick up some fascinating information about the world of marine mammals.

Swim with the Fins

It may not be practical to try to swim with wild dolphins in the bay-they have the all the advantage in that environment. Don’t despair! That opportunity is there at one of the dolphin centers in Puerto Vallarta. And visitors have all kinds of great things to say about swimming with dolphins.

The Dolphin Center in Nuevo Vallarta is a favorite for many dolphin-lovers. You can choose how you want your dolphin encounter to unfold: meet dolphins in an intimate, small-group encounter; join a bigger group of humans interacting with dolphins in the water; or stay dry and enjoy the dolphins from the side of the pool. It’s entirely up to you.

Aah . . . Home Again

Whether you choose to meet Puerto Vallarta’s Pacific bottlenose dolphins on the waves of Banderas Bay or nose-to-nose at the dolphin center, you’ll have the experience of a lifetime. You’ll return to your Villa Rental Puerto Vallarta with wonderful memories, some great photos, and a finer appreciation for the wild world.

If you want to swim with bottlenose and spotted dolphins, both trained and wild, the Florida coast is an ideal destination. Bottlenose and spotted dolphins are the most gentle and intelligent mammals next to humans and even more when you meet them. You’ll be able to swim with dolphins when you visit them in the Florida, Key Largo, Key West area, and Miami, Fort Lauderdale area.

You can choose from shallow-water swimming experiences with trained dolphins and deep-water encounters with wild dolphins. In shallow water enclave, you can spend time working with a trainer from a platform, as the dolphins perform tricks on command. You can also swim with the dolphins, as they will do toe pushes and body rubs. You can enjoy dorsal fin rides and snorkel with them.

Once the trained dolphin swim in captivity gives you an understanding how the dolphins behave in a controlled environment, you can go for wild dolphin encounter. You will need to go out in the sea in a boat with an experienced guide and boat captain, to find pods of wild bottlenose dolphins.

There are several facilities in Florida that offer the opportunity to swim with dolphins, both trained and wild. One such facility is Dolphins Plus, a dolphin research and education facility located south of Miami in Key Largo. Dolphins Plus houses 14 Atlantic bottlenose dolphins.

In the Florida Keys, there are three legally registered facilities that offer you the opportunity to swim and interact with dolphins – Theatre of the Sea, Dolphin Plus, and Dolphin Research Center.

There are structured and non-structured swims with the dolphins programs. In the structured program one can have an up front and personal dolphin experience. You can swim, dance, kiss, and enjoy a dorsal tow with the dolphins. In this swim, contact is guaranteed with the dolphins.

Pregnant women are not allowed in the water.

The non-structured swim is only meant for snorkelers who are comfortable in deep water. Since the dolphins in these sessions are not trained, contact cannot be guaranteed. The dolphins set the pace, and contact is up to them