Travels of Rick and Ruth: Monday, November 3, 2014

What a great day! We went to the Marina pier to meet Eduardo with Wildlife Connections dolphin tour. After learning a bit about dolphins from Eduardo, we went out into Banderas Bay in his Zodiak. We zipped past the Marina and went offshore of Nuevo Vallarta. Wildlife Connections guarantees that they will find a pod of dolphins on this tour, but they can't guarantee that the dolphins will let you swim with them. That us up to them. Lucky us! They were in a playful mood!

When a pod is located we would slip into the water with masks and fins. The dolphins are in the wild ~ there is no cage to contain them. When we got close to a group, we would dive down and swim along with them. What a thrill to be in the water right next to these graceful and powerful creatures! I was swimming above a couple of dolphins when they began swimming in circles. I followed them and the three of us circled together over and over. Then, with a powerful thrust, they were gone. My favorite experience was when I was swimming above a pair and one of them flipped over and looked up at me as we swam. The dolphins make a clicking sound underwater that is so neat to hear. This experience was amazing!

Our group consisted of nine travelers. Marissa and Glenn were from Toronto. While treading water, Marissa asked me if I was on Tripadvisor because she recognized me from a picture. Funny! Joe from San Fransisco had a neat underwater camera. I am anxious to see his pictures. Juan Pablo and his wife Lerua live in Pueblo, Mexico. I went to the back of the boat where they sat so I could practice my Spanish with them and what a nice couple they were. While going to law school in Madrid, Juan Pablo began searching the internet for people who work with dolphins. Guess who he found? Eduardo and Maru right in his home country. Juan Pablo and Lerua vacation four times a year in Puerto Vallarta just so they can swim with the dolphins. He is crazy about them.