We knew ahead of time that wind gusts today would be 30 mph, so boat trips and sandy beaches weren’t in the cards.
Even though we woke up with no plans, we were still able to get tickets for a 2:30pm Dolphin Meetup at the Coral World Ocean Park at Coki Point.
We arrived around 11:30 with three hours to kill before our date with the dolphins. I think my expectations were low, not for any reason except this place didn’t show up in my Google searches ahead of the trip and no one had recommended it to us.
We started out at the touch tank which featured a starfish and sea cucumber. These little guys didn’t seem to mind the attention. The guides are very knowledgeable and do a good job catering their explanations to younger explorers.
The park is full of underwater viewing opportunities. After the touch tank and a brief downpour of hurricane-like rain, we took the dock across to the white dome on the water, down the spiral staircase and into the world of the coral reefs.
I could have stayed down there for hours. I could do the same with snorkeling if it weren’t for the potential sunburn, so this was perfect for me.
After we surfaced, we headed to the shark tank to watch a quick hand-feeding by park staff. Nurse sharks live cooperatively with lemon sharks, no one seeming to nibble on each other’s fins.
There’s an extensive number of iguanas roaming the park like free-range chickens. They have a dedicated area, but we seemed to spot them all-over.
Other reptile friends include the red-footed tortoise, of which they had 5-10. They enjoyed a small water enclosure and a robust buffet of veggies. Life’s not bad for them I think.
Additional friends included a sea lion, three green-back sea turtles and of course, the bottle nosed dolphin we met later in the day.
One of my favorites was the bird enclosure where for $3, you could buy a small cup of nectar and have a Rainbow Lorikeet sit on your arm and watch them lap it all up. These little guys were not shy at all.
The lady in the enclosure was very generous. She refilled our cups with nectar about four times over, not once asking us for more money. Everyone was able to participate, even #1LittleSister at 3 years old.
Amir had to drag me out of there to make sure we didn’t miss our next show. Something about the color and calmness of these birds made me want to spend endless time with them.
At 2:20 we headed to the Dolphin experience. There are two options for meeting the dolphin – a meetup where you stand on a platform submerged two feet below the water and touch the dolphin as it swims up, and an in-water swim session which is a bit more up close.
Since we booked this morning, the meetup was our only option, but I think it worked best for our crew ages 3-46, all but one of whom had never touched a dolphin before.
The kids were able to hand-feed the dolphin, named Nola, small fish. Nola is unique in that she’s completely blind and reliant 100% on echolocation as her survival sense. No dolphin can smell, but most rely heavily on their excellent vision.
The staff take photos during the experience which are available for purchase at the end of the encounter. Compared to daycare photo prices ($40/photo), these were pretty reasonable at $60 for all 15.
After Coral World, we were starving and knew we wouldn’t feel like cooking once home. We ate at Margaritaville, which was just as you’d expected it – overpriced, oversized and a bit forgettable as many American chain restaurants often are. It got the job done, but definitely not our best meal here.
Tomorrow the wind is expected to continue. No plans yet (again), but based on how well things turned out today, I’m not at all worried.
~Steph
TeamLouka 