Cabo Dolphins

Pacific bottlenose dolphins in saltwater pools by the Cabo San Lucas marina, with a smaller, quieter second centre in San José del Cabo across from the Hyatt Ziva. The marina site shares its dock with a lot of other boat departures, so it is the busier of the two.

There are four programmes and they differ mainly in how deep you go and for how long. The Dolphin Encounter keeps you on a platform in 20 to 30 centimetres of water for about twenty minutes (no swimming, and children from age one can do it). The Swim Experience adds time in deeper water from age four. The Signature and Premium swims include one or two free-swimming sessions with a dolphin and an optional mask to watch it underwater. Every session starts with a ten-minute talk from a trainer.

Life jackets are compulsory. Sunscreen, jewellery and your own camera stay out of the pools; staff photographers sell the pictures afterwards. Pregnant women cannot take part, and children up to nine need a paying adult of 16 or over with them. Towels, lockers and (in winter) wetsuits are provided. Hotel transport is an add-on except on the Premium swim.