Just the kids to swim with the dolphins About This Page:

[maryjane]

We'll be at Discovery Cove and our girls want to swim with the dolphins. I'm comfortable with our 17 and 19 year old but our other DD is 13.And my DH and myself aren't into the swimming part so she'll be with her sisters.I'm sure she'll be fine but I'm a mom and I worry! Think I should do it just to be with her?
Thanks
MJ

[veggieBrian]

MJ,
Do you and you husband not swim at all? From what I've read there won't be much for you to do at DC, and I'm not sure you would want your DD13 doing things like the big river swimming attraction without you.
Am I understanding you correctly?

[maryjane]

We'll do all the other water activities.just not swim with the dolphins

[veggieBrian]

Ok! Lol! When you said "DH and myself aren't into the swimming part" I thought you meant you wouldn't be swimming at all, and I'm thinking "Uhhhhh... maybe you don't want to go to DC then!!"
That makes a lot more sense!
As to the original question I would assume if she's an ok swimmer that with the trainers and her sisters she will be fine. I'm dying to do DC someday.

[lisamarie]

The dolphin swim is just amazing. We loved it. DD was 10 when we went and she did just fine. There really isn't a ton of swimming involved in swimming with the dolphins. Lots of pictures touching and kissing the dolphin. You swim out to a little deeper water and then the dolphin drags you back. They take pictures and video of the interactions and swim; you can buy prints or the CD and, of course, the video. Two years ago I spent $200 on the picture package and it was worth every penny. The looks on our faces are so cool. They also take pictures all around the park; we have some nice ones in the sting ray pool. The river thing wasn't bad either, it just got very, very deep in places, so you HAVE to swim. Next time, I'm getting a life jacket so I can float better. And on the river, you go under 2 waterfalls; this keeps the birds where they're supposed to be.
All in all it was a great day and we are going back on our trip in May.

[swatsi]

If its the swimming\treading water in the deep part of the dolphin interaction, your daughter doesn't have to go out to the deep section. You only go out there to do the ride, but I'm sure they do shallow rides as well, everytime I've been we've been told thats okay.

If she is a good swimmer she should be okay with the trainers and siblings.

It's the best experience in Florida anyway, so you may want to do it anyway.

[AngelLily03]

She'll be fine, my family are strong swimmers but we spent most of the experience standing on the rocks. My LB was shorter and he did have to tread a little bit but nothing major. If you can make sure you get a time first thing in the morning, they won't be behind schedule and if a storm rolls in you will have already gone.
Our fav part was the lazy river, we must have taken 20 laps just floating.