The first year I was asked to come on an open ocean trip to swim with cetaceans I had mixed feelings. I was thrilled at the very thought of being close to these animals I loved so much and spent years watching above the water. But I was concerned about whether entering their habitat, their home, would be disturbing to them. I didn't want to be party to having the experience of a lifetime for myself at the expense of harassment to the animals. After doing a lot of research about the chartered vessel, Bottom Time II, and it's crew, I learned a number of things which made me very comfortable participating in my first and subsequent trips:

The location in which we interact with dolphins on this trip is a remote area north of Bimini in the Bahamas. This area is not accessible to cruise ships which limits human presence to very small groups of people, and to relatively small boats. This also acts as a safety valve preventing harm to the dolphins' environment.

The strictly enforced rules about our behavior with the dolphins include:

The dolphins choose the interactions; we wait to see what they want

We do not feed the dolphins

We do not reach out to touch the dolphins

We do not chase the dolphins

We do not harass the dolphins in any way

Anyone not abiding by these rules is not allowed back in the water with the dolphins.

What shapes the above mentioned rules enforced by the captains on board, is an underlying philosophy about human/cetacean interaction held by the crew, the staff and the owner of Bottom Time II, Ron Piccari. These men and women love animals. (Read about their rescued companion animals on the Vessel & Crew page.) They care deeply about the welfare of the dolphins and whales who are the focus of their expeditions. I have been chartering with them since 1999, and each year I am more touched by their devotion and commitment to animals. This is not a company that will chase a whale or dolphin so a guest can get a great photograph, so the guest will be thrilled and come back. Rather, the crew tells its guests to "be patient", to "wait for the animals to come to us", "to be open to whatever encounter the animals want, not to ever force it."

The integrity of Bottom Time's values and practices, coupled with only small numbers of people being around the dolphins, allow me to feel confident that our presence is neither intrusive nor harassing. If it were, I could not participate in it.