My husband and I opted for the dolphin swim on Temptation, as it sounded like a great experience. I chose it primarily because it's an interaction with wild dolphins, and the crew are marine biologists, which meant there would be a baseline respect for the animals and their habitat, above any stressful shenanigans. And there was that, which I appreciate. Honestly, my biggest disappointment with this cruise had to do with the crew.
1) This is a crew of marine biologists who spent exactly 0 time talking to us about the dolphins, their habitat, or any of the other creatures in the area. That's probably a fascinating ecosystem, teeming with life, but I couldn't tell you anything about it. We spent way more time above water than in the water, shivering in the wind as the captain motored around looking for dolphins. Did both mates need to spot the dolphins? I think one of them could've talked on a PA system and imparted some education for both the dolphin swim and dolphin watch folks, and improved this experience vastly. I've been on a *lot* of marine watch cruises in my life and there's always been someone imparting education about the whales and dolphins and their habitat- education inspires people to become stewards of the environment, and it also passes the time. For the life of me, I don't understand why these guys chose not to do that.
2) The ship was in really poor shape. No working toilet, no space to change, no info beforehand about what to bring (so we didn't have towels and didn't have a private space to change, consequence of which was that getting into and out of our wetsuits was miserable and embarrassing).
3) Crew were sniping at each other. I get that it's been a long season and you're ready to be done, but it's a small boat and you've crammed it full of people who are now walking on eggshells around you. Please be aware of the tension that causes.
4) The optional USB drive photos are...above water! I guess that was obvious? Not to me. I assumed that a crew member would be in the water with us, taking underwater photos (since several of us, myself included, didn't see a dolphin despite being in the water with them). In fact, the photos are of some dorsal fins off the prow, and random people on the boat. It was a waste of $20, for me, but at least the USB is shaped like a dolphin, which is cute, I guess?
5) Crew instructions about being in the water don't account for speed and turning. I was trying to stay inside the lines as instructed but the captain was turning in a constant circle, which made that impossible. My husband was trying to stay afloat but the speed of the boat while being towed meant he had to kick himself at a downward angle in order to not bob to the surface. We all found ourselves having to break "the rules" and cause visibility issues for other people on the line simply to stay on the line. I feel like there must be a better way to do this. Fewer people in the water, maybe?
Speaking of going in circles- I'm sure it was lovely for the folks on the one line, who got to see the dolphin pod for however long it was, but for those of us who didn't get to see a single thing, because were were on the outside of that circle the entire time, it sucked. And that's compounded when every time you pop your head up in defeat, a crew member is yelling at you about where the dolphins are. Dude, I *know* they're right there. But between the distance, depth, darkness, and other entire line of people between my and the dolphins, I cannot see a thing and you yelling at me like I'm an idiot doesn't help.
Overall, I was disappointed with the experience as a swim and as a sail. It was hard not to see opportunities for improvement, based on previous sail experience, and be frustrated that those opportunities weren't being acted upon. I can only hope the conservation efforts the company does are more cohesively thought out and better executed. read more
