Nassau and the Dolphin Close Encounter

Dolphin Kay

Baby Sting Rays

Nassau

Straw Market - Nassau

  Third day in a row that we will get off the ship. There are 5 cruise ships here. The Disney ship has a giant water slide that pushes way out over the side of the ship and whips back to disappear into a smoke stack. We board a bus and crash across town to a huge section of Nassau called Atlantis. Hotels and water parks, about 20 swimming pools, and a massive in and out door aquarium. A large part of the complex, which we come to learn is owned by one man, is Dolphin Kay. We walk about 15 minutes through the complex to an open area with a huge pool of water. There are dolphins swimming, jumping into the air, rising up moving backwards on their tails and simply swimming on their own. We move to a building where we change into wet suits and hear about the dolphins. Keep your hands to your sides- they use hand signals and you don’t want them confused, no fingers in eyes or blowholes and no biting the dolphins. We spend 45 minutes with these amazing creatures. Up close and personal. They have so much awareness and expression. We pet them and watch them do amazing things. We are changed by the encounter. Most of these dolphins are rescued animals and many from New Orleans because of Katrina. They really seem to enjoy what they do. Enjoy learning and human company and especially enjoy our affection and praise.

The aquarium is nothing like I have ever seem. We walk through palm tree ridden curved paths with deep water on both sides. Huge stingrays float by, some 4 feet wide. Schools of fish of every size and color. Sharks and minnows, etc, etc, etc. We descend underground and we see the same water and fish separated by 4 inches of glass. A mile of walkways wend around under the deep water, the fish thick next to us. Out of this area there are shallow pools thick with stingrays, many with people snorkeling with them.

Downtown Nassau is dirty and greedy. Everywhere we go someone is demanding we buy something. A man starts to scream at me because I do not buy. He has dropped his price from $80 to $20. I just looked; I never said I wanted it. It is good to be back on the ship. To eat and hot tub and rest.