Dolphin Connection at Hawks Cay Resort #seizethekeys

I have always wanted to get up close and personal with dolphins. It’s on my 30 Before 30 and it’s been on my “wish list” since I was a kid and now, thanks to Dolphin Connection at Hawks Cay Resort, that dream has become a reality.

When I found out I was going to meet the dolphins at Hawks Cay, I was so excited. I knew to expect an amazing morning where I get to touch the dolphins, play with them but what I didn’t expect was that I was going to leave Dolphin Connection with a new perspective.

Dolphin Connection:

I’m going to start out with that new perspective. We are hurting these amazing creatures. These animals, that many of us have loved and held high on a pedestal since we were little, are in danger because of our ignorance. I’m sure you already know that we’re polluting the oceans with our garbage but do you realize what that means? Because I didn’t. Not before dolphin connection.

The above image eye opening. I had no idea that it took fishing line 600 years to breakdown. It’s not uncommon from dolphins to arrive at Dolphin Connection that have been tangled in fishing line or had little pieces of it in their intestinal tract. So for the love of all things holy, please put the trash in the trash.

Listen, I’m the furthest thing from a hippie-dippie person but the Dolphin Discovery helped me discover how I can help the dolphins (and other marine life) with some pretty simple things.

At Dolphin Discovery, you do not ride the dolphins. There are no push and pull experiences and the reasonings come from common sense:

1. That’s not fair to the dolphins.
2. They’re 300-500 pound mammals – it’s potentially dangerous for us.

Dolphin Connection, The Fun Stuff:

We interacting with the dolphins from the docks. We learned about their rescue stories (my friend Lucky was caught in a fishing net and brought to Hawks Cay Resort), their quarantine practices, and got some up close and person time. We pet the dolphins, learned a few hand signals to communicate and fed them. You guys, I touched dead fish – but it was for the dolphins so it’s okay. I also witnessed the love between the trainers and the dolphins. They each have a special relationship and the trainers know each dolphin’s personality.

The “tank” isn’t a tank. It’s their natural habitat. It’s estimated to have over 100,000,000 gallons of water in their area. Fish swim in and out and the fence is only five feet high. I was watching the dolphins jump and play, they could easily escape if they wanted to.

One of my favorite experiences was hearing them talk. They each have different voices and mannerisms like we do. It seems like something I should have known, but I didn’t. I learned so much from this experience.

I was on cloud nine after my experience and did a quick Facebook Live. You can watch it in the embedded clip above.

If you’re heading to Duck Key and want to education yourself and your family on the dolphins, please visit Hawks Cay Resort for more information. Since you’re heading to the Keys, please visit the Florida Keys website to learn more about your upcoming trip (and to find more great ideas on what to do). I’m highly suggesting Parasailing in Key West (I had an awesome time).

This post is not sponsored. I was invited on a media trip to the Florida Keys to experience what there is to do there but I was not required to write anything. This post has come from my own free will because I had such an amazing time here and wanted to share my experience.