General Information

"Swimming with the Wild Spotted Dolphins of Bimini was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life......... Nowdla and her crew were incredible........I will absolutely be back"

                                                               -   T. Roycell  Chicago IL.
A unique phenomenon occurs near our home island of Bimini Bahamas.  A "Pod" of  Wild Spotted Dolphins has taken up residence in our waters. The ongoing presence of these Wild Dolphins gives us a unique opportunity to interact with them in their environment and on their terms.

"Spotted Dolphins" are different in many ways from the more well known "Grey Bottle Nosed Dolphins" that you see in captivity.

   "In the Wild", Spotted Dolphins seem to actually seek out Human interaction. In contrast, the Bottle Nosed Dolphins tend to be curious but tentative, more often than not shying away from swimmers. In Captivity though their roles seem to be reversed. Spotted Dolphins are virtually un-trainable and do not do well in a captive environment. The Bottle Nosed Dolphin are very trainable and seem to adapt well to captivity.

Nowdla Keefe of BIMINI UNDERSEA, after years of research and exploration, has devised a program enabling visitors to observe, interact with, and often times swim with  these beautiful cetaceans. This may be your opportunity to "Live the Dream" and Swim with the Wild Dolphins of Bimini.

 

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Nowdla with the Dolphins

Photo taken from the article "Dolphin Lady" from 

Skin Diver Magazine

 

 Bill & Nowdla Keefe's Wild Dolphin Adventures offers these unique "Dolphin Excursions" regularly  aboard the Dive Vessels "Destiny" and "Adventurer". Trips are done both in the morning and afternoon and can be anywhere from 3 to 4 hours in length.

Nowdla has been conducting these excursions on an average of 3 times weekly (5 times weekly in the summer months) since February of 1996 and at the time of this writing has documented a success rate of successful encounters with the Dolphins of well over 80%  

In most cases, once the "Pod" has come to our boat, the Dolphins have allowed our guests to swim and interact with them. The photo and video opportunities have been absolutely outstanding.

 

It takes approximately 1 hour to reach the "Dolphin Grounds" before we begin our pattern. At times, the Dolphins have come to the boat in as little as 30 minutes. At times it has taken over 3 hours. On average, about 1 out of every 5 trips the Dolphins opt not to come to the boat at all. But that's the nature of a "Wild Encounter". For those times that they do join us, the experience has been unforgettable.  

This is a "Once in a lifetime" opportunity to interact "In The Wild" with these magnificent creatures. We all grew up watching "Flipper" on TV. Watching "Sandy" and "Bud" frolicking in the water with the "King of the Sea". Now, imagine yourself in the Turquoise Blue waters off of Bimini. Swimming side by side with these amazing animals. All you need is mask, fins, snorkel and an adventuresome spirit.

It's an experience you'll not soon forget and one others only dream of having.

Whether skin diving to the bottom or just floating on the surface your sense of wonder and amazement is overshadowed only by the pure exhilaration of being so close to our oceans most intelligent citizens.

Are These Types of Adventures for You ?

Wild Dolphin Excursions are experiences "In the Wild". Although we have an exceptionally high success rate of interacting with the Dolphins on our trips (80% at the time of this writing) We Cannot Guarantee that the Dolphins will come each and every time. That is the nature of a "Wild Excursion". It is important for you to understand that. Past results are neither an indication nor guarantee of future results.  

No refunds will be given in the event that we do not encounter Dolphins on any specific trip.

These trips are not for everyone! And we mean that in the nicest possible way.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basically everything that people do in their lives they do to somehow fulfill 6 Basic Human Needs.

2 of those 6 needs are the need for Certainty and the need for Adventure & Variety (aka Uncertainty). Everyone ranks or values those 6 needs differently. The need for both Certainty and Adventure in everyone's life creates a paradox for many people.

Your personal experience on these Excursions will be greatly affected on how you value Certainty and Adventure in your life! You must be honest with yourself! If you are the type of individual that places a high value on Certainty then a Wild Dolphin Excursion may not be the best type of Dolphin Encounter for you

As we have said before, our success rate is phenomenally high. The overwhelming majority of people that join us on our Excursions have the experience of a lifetime. But there are those that have come to Bimini, participated in Excursions, and not encountered Dolphins. 

If you are the type of person that will......

  • be devastatingly disappointed or...
  • feel as if you were misled or....
  • feel as if you should be compensated because the dolphins chose not to show up that day......

Then, you may be the type of person that should not participate in this type of activity!

  There are Outstanding Open Ocean Captive Dolphin Programs in both the Bahamas and the Florida Keys that can guarantee you a wonderful experience and fulfill that need for Certainty. These are great programs that have our full support and come highly recommended. Most of our staff have participated in these programs in the past and we think they are great!

However, if you are the type of individual that does put a high value on Adventure & Variety in your life, and the Thrill of NOT knowing how things may turn out then Dolphin Excursions "In The Wild" may be just the activity for you. If you "Enjoy the Process" and not just "The Outcome" then we invite you to join us for a Truly Outstanding Experience

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