Will You Watch or Touch? Dolphins in Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta sits on the largest natural bay in Mexico, and it would be a shame to visit the city and not pay a visit to the area’s friendliest marine mammals. After all, some people speculate that cetaceans (the species that includes dolphins and whales) are extremely intelligent. They may be wrong, or they may be right; if they’re right, local dolphins may feel slighted if you overlook them.

It’s completely natural for visitors to gravitate toward the water; after all, it’s right there and it’s big. Folks bail out of their villa Puerto Vallarta each morning looking for some kind of adventure on the high seas. Many people jump on the chance to interact with dolphins; they set off on an excursion to see dolphins in their natural habitat or take a swim with the dolphins in a controlled setting. Either way, time spent in communion with these creatures is time well spent. Quite often, the experience leaves visitors with a new-found respect for the natural world.

Watch Them Blow

Dolphins fin around Banderas Bay throughout the year, and dolphin watching is not highly regulated in the same way as the government restricts encounters with whales. You may find that most tour operators focus their efforts on whales during the official whale-watching season, however, which creates something of a de facto dolphin-watching season.

Dolphin tour guides take guests onto the waters of the bay, where they can watch these playful animals do their thing in their own world. A dolphin tour in a small boat puts you up close and personal with the objects of your attention, and if you join a group led by marine biologists, you’ll pick up some fascinating information about the world of marine mammals.

Swim with the Fins

It may not be practical to try to swim with wild dolphins in the bay—they have the all the advantage in that environment. Don’t despair! That opportunity is there at one of the dolphin centers in Puerto Vallarta. And visitors have all kinds of great things to say about swimming with dolphins.

The Dolphin Center in Nuevo Vallarta is a favorite for many dolphin-lovers. You can choose how you want your dolphin encounter to unfold: meet dolphins in an intimate, small-group encounter; join a bigger group of humans interacting with dolphins in the water; or stay dry and enjoy the dolphins from the side of the pool. It’s entirely up to you.

Aah . . . Home Again

Whether you choose to meet Puerto Vallarta’s Pacific bottlenose dolphins on the waves of Banderas Bay or nose-to-nose at the dolphin center, you’ll have the experience of a lifetime. You’ll return to your villa rental Puerto Vallarta with wonderful memories, some great photos, and a finer appreciation for the wild world.

The author specializes in writing travelogues, tour diaries and travel reports. He is a huge fan of Puerto Vallarta and all the city has to offer. For further information on Villa Puerto Vallarta and Villa Rental Puerto Vallarta please visit at www.villaencantada.com/