Dolphin Quest Bermuda

Out at the West End, inside the walls of the old fort that now holds the National Museum of Bermuda at Dockyard, Dolphin Quest keeps a family of bottlenose dolphins in a sheltered ocean lagoon. Encounters are short and set by age and depth. The simplest is 20 minutes on a shallow wet platform with about 15 minutes of dolphin time in a group of six, and the 45-minute versions add swimming. The day-long trainer programme is for ages 10 and up, and minimum ages for the others start at 2. Everyone in the water has to be comfortable swimming in safety gear and steady on slippery floating platforms.

A paid booking includes museum entry, and anyone with a museum ticket can watch the sessions from the viewing areas above the lagoon. The fast ferry from Hamilton takes under half an hour and buses 7 and 8 about an hour. Summer and holiday slots fill fast, and bookings open a year ahead.