Today we had our long awaited Dolphin Swim at Ocean World. It was great. Tessa was over the moon with excitement! We were in a lagoon with four other people and the two dolphins. The first thing we did was swim to the middle of the lagoon. There we held hands, Tessa in the middle, and the dolphin jumped over us. It went so fast we really couldn’t see him jump, so I am so glad we have a picture!
Next, we each went up individually to get a hug and kiss from the dolphin. This was great as you actually got a close interaction with the dolphin. Their skin so smooth, and they have such a great looking face. It looks like they are always smiling.
The dolphins kissed us on the cheek and then they kissed us on the lips. That was interesting!!
We also did some dolphin dancing.
I think the kids were a little nervous when it came to actually feeding a fish to the dolphins!
The big highlight, and hands down Tristan and Tessa’s favorite was the dolphin tow. You swam to the middle of the lagoon and held your hands out to the side. Both dolphins would then come under the water next to you, and when they surfaced, you grabbed ahold of their fins and they pulled you. I was surprised how fast the went. I was also impressed that the kids were able to hang on! 
After that, we lined up and the dolphins swam in front of us and we were able to touch them on their backs and stomachs.
The dolphin swim was really fun, and I’m glad we did it! Dan is supposed to do a Shark Encounter soon, so stay tuned for that!
Dan had a great birthday. With a lot of work from Brooks and Tristan, a party was organized!
I had mentioned to Sara, Brooks wife, that today was Dan’s birthday. A while later, Brooks came to invite Dan over for a beer. The kids and I were busy cleaning and doing laundry. Two hours later, I sent Tristan to check on Dan and Tristan doesn’t come back. Tristan was having the time of his life, learning about Brooks boat, starting the generator, you name it. Finally much later, Tristan and Brooks come back to Alegria with a plan to have a party for Dan and invite people on the dock. Ok, I said a bit reluctantly, as the boat had stuff everywhere, and I was trying to do laundry. They went up to the restaurant and got a good deal on the buffet. Tristan, in a surprising move for him, went to the boats where he saw people on, and asked them to come over for a party. This was big for him, as he didn’t know some of them. About 5:30, Tristan, Tessa, and Brooks showed up at Alegria, with Tristan carrying a twenty pound roasted pig, Tessa carrying some fruit, and Brooks a big batch of potato salad. Brooks told us that Tristan insisted on carrying the pig himself, even though the restaurant had offered to bring it down. He was so proud of putting together the party! Soon we were joined by Stephanie, Hayden and Eric from the catamaran, Plan B. Chris and Anne came from the monohull Blue Runner, Sara brought her friend Justina, who lives in Puerto Plata. Later Walt from Wolverine, Deemian (the tiger trainer) and his wife and daughter also came. We had a great time and got to meet lots of new friends. It was especially nice for Dan, who is never happy about new birthdays!
One other note, I asked Tristan, who back in the states was a bit shy, how he was able to talk to invite all these people he didn’t know. He said that at first he almost backed out, but he knew how important it was, and he wanted to make his Dad proud. Get the Kleenex!!!
Today we had our long awaited Dolphin Swim at Ocean World. It was great. Tessa was over the moon with excitement! We were in a lagoon with four other people and the two dolphins. The first thing we did was swim to the middle of the lagoon. There we held hands, Tessa in the middle, and the dolphin jumped over us. It went so fast we really couldn’t see him jump, so I am so glad we have a picture!
