The day of the only scheduled activity had arrived. It was Maria’s birthday and she was going to swim with the dolphins.
We didn’t really know what to expect. We knew the location of the Dolphin Research Center and we knew Maria had a 12:00 reservation. We ate breakfast in the condo, packed the sunscreen and cameras, and off we went.
The DRC is a really nice place for being up close to the dolphins. All of the staff seemed truly excited with their jobs. Maria was the only one in the family to actually touch a dolphin, but all of us had a good day there.
The layout has a Tiki-covered spectator penisula surrounded by several interconnected habitats with two to six dolphins each. So the visitors who aren’t participating can observe any and all of the activities. We all had a good time and stayed longer than we expected.
On the advice of a staffer, we had lunch at The Wreck on the other side of the lot. Once again, great food and very friendly service. The girls went back to the gift shop while I finished the pie and my beer.
Hot and tired (again) we went back to the condo. I crashed in the AC and the girls went for a swim in the pool. Eventually we all got clean and went to a late dinner. We returned to the scene of the thunderstorm and ate light. A classic margarita and peel-n-eat shrimp for me.
Back to the condo and bed.