Yes! Finally I'm getting the pictures up!
So, on Tuesday, while all y'all were snarking and fisking all the idiots who are screwing up our country, the Darling Munchkin and I got up close and personal with some of God's most glorious creatures: dolphins.
Dolphin Quest has a facility inside the Hilton Waikoloa Village, and we made reservations ahead of time - I think they allow up to 60 or 90 days in advance (check out their website).
These are Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins, not the Pacific Spinner dolphins, which are a deep water creature, and therefore unsuitable for this environment. All of these dolphins were born in captivity, so this life is all they know.
They are beautiful, BEAUTIFUL animals, and if I believed in reincarnation, I would like to either come back as one of my own (terribly spoiled) cats, or as a dolphin 
The Dolphin Quest staff are obviously devoted to their charges, and full of information as to their habits, needs and behaviors. One thing which the Beloved Husband learned was that the staff actually feeds the dolphins water. In the wild, dolphins get all the water they need from their prey, but that's not the case in captivity. So, the trainers deliver water via a sort of gastro-IV line which they snake down the dolphin's throat. Also, each dolphin has its own dental cleaning kit(yep - it's a toothbrush!), because they aren't using their teeth to catch their prey as they would in the wild.
This guy's name is Lono, and he's the only mature male in the Hawaii pod. He's a real sweetie and very patient will all these strange people making a fuss over him. Here he is, waiting for the Munchkin to give him a kiss:
We also got to meet one of the ladies, who is pregnant and due in September... I want to say that her name is Kona, but I might be mistaken.
Their skin feels like a very, very smooth cool rubber - actually, Madeleine L'Engle put it better in A Ring of Endless Light: she describes a dolphin's skin as "resilient pewter.
Anyway, it was wonderful, and if there's a Dolphin Quest near where you take your next vacation, I highly recommend that you try to participate in one of their "encounters."
OMG! That looks like so much FUN! I would love love love to swim with dolphins!!! Actually, I'd probably not be able to let go from hugging them!
::big grin for the rest of the day::
I'm so jealous! :-D :-D :-D
Posted by: Beth | June 22, 2007 at 06:32 PM
How cool...and I would want to be born again as a dolphin for sure. They are smart animals, beautiful too. I have seen "wild" dolphins off the east coast and they amaze me with how sweet and gentle they are without training. They're curious and friendly too in their own element. The CG in New England uses dolphins to assist with searches for ships, boats and people. Amazing.
Looks like you'all having a GRAND time. LOOK at the water. Ahhh...
Posted by: Raven | June 22, 2007 at 06:49 PM
What fun!! The pictures are FANTASTIC! It looks like y'all had a ball.
Posted by: beth | June 22, 2007 at 11:44 PM