I packed up my Ford Maverick in upstate New York and drove through a winter blizzard to sunny Fort Lauderdale. I never looked back. That journey changed my life, and my South Florida adventure began.
When I arrived in Florida, I thought back to a book I loved as a little boy about Jacques Cousteau and the adventure of marine life. Now it was my turn to experience the beauty of the Atlantic Ocean for myself. I became scuba certified, grew into an avid diver, and developed a lifelong love for the sea.
As the years passed, I knew I had to choose a career path. At first, I thought about taking tourists snorkeling in the Florida Keys. Then I discovered something even more special — the opportunity to swim with dolphins in the Keys. The first time I did it, everything changed. I never turned back. That was the moment I truly became John the Dolphin Expert.
Since then, I have experienced dolphin programs in the Florida Keys, Orlando, St. Augustine, Oahu, Mexico, and the Caribbean. I love both trained dolphins and wild dolphins, and I feel blessed to have built a career around helping others experience these incredible animals.
One of the best parts of my work is hearing the joy and excitement families share with me after their dolphin experience. I have been doing this long enough now that many repeat guests are returning with their children — and even their grandchildren.
I believe dolphins and marine mammals are one of God’s great gifts to the world. My hope is that more families can enjoy them in a meaningful and responsible way.
People sometimes ask me why I call myself John the Dolphin Expert. My answer is simple: in more than 30 years in this business, I have never met anyone else who has personally experienced dolphin programs across Florida, Hawaii, Texas, Mexico, and the Caribbean the way I have.
Over the years, I have seen firsthand the care, dedication, love, and expense that go into taking care of dolphins. I know there is a lot of negative talk out there about dolphin facilities, but I can honestly say that what I have personally seen has been very different. No one has paid me to say that. My opinions come from my own real experiences. I have found that every dolphin facility is different, and each one has its own appeal, personality, and specialty.
In Florida, I have experienced dolphin programs in the Florida Keys, Orlando, and St. Augustine. Most of my clients travel to Florida, and I like helping them understand that each location offers something very different. In the Florida Keys, the experience is in a beautiful man-made saltwater lagoon. In Orlando, it is in a wonderful marine park setting. In St. Augustine, it is at the oldest marine park in the United States, originally built in 1938 and given new life in recent years.
In Hawaii, I have done the dolphin program on Oahu, an island I truly love for its beauty and unique atmosphere.
In Texas, I had the opportunity to swim with the dolphins in San Antonio, and it was a wonderful surprise. Discovery Point offers a fun and memorable dolphin program that many people may not even realize is there. It is a great experience at a very reasonable price. For everyone in Texas, I highly recommend giving this program a try.
In the Caribbean, I have experienced dolphin programs in Nassau, Bahamas, on a spectacular private island; in the Dominican Republic, including Puerto Plata and Punta Cana, where one location is a full marine park and another offers a private-island feel. One of my personal favorites is St. Thomas, where they have wonderful dolphins and sea lions. I have also done the program in Grand Cayman, a place I loved so much that I told my wife I wanted to move there. She thought I was crazy. I have also visited Ocho Rios, Jamaica, which is especially meaningful to me because it is my wife’s birth country, and we always enjoy going there together. I still have not made it to Montego Bay yet, and St. Kitts remains one island still on my list.
In Mexico, I have done dolphin programs in Cancun on Isla Mujeres, which is a beautiful island with a special charm. I have visited Cozumel on a cruise and experienced the dolphin program at Chankanaab Park, which was phenomenal. I have also done the program in Playa del Carmen, a town with an authentic Mexican feel, and in Puerto Vallarta, where the park environment has a totally different vibe from the Caribbean side of Mexico.
After all these years and all these experiences in so many places, I hope I have earned the right to call myself the Dolphin Expert.
As long as I still have the passion to show the world how wonderful dolphins are, I plan to continue doing this. Through my websites, blog posts, and YouTube videos, I want to help keep you informed and hopefully inspire you to experience the wonder of marine life and dolphins for yourself.
You have read a little about my journey, and now I would love to hear your story. If dolphins have made a special impact on your life, I would be honored to hear about it. And if you need information about any Dolphin World location, please feel free to reach out.
