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Dolphin Crossing: How to Handle Seeing Dolphins During Your Ride

Encountering Dolphins in Madeira Beach

One of the best parts about hanging out at Woody’s Watersports is that sometimes riders have a chance to see a few of the local, friendly dolphins stop by for a swim! Check out this video we posted recently to our Facebook page of some dolphins swimming around our dock area.

Encountering Dolphins in Madeira BeachEncountering dolphins is one of the coolest things that can happen to you while you’re out jet skiing at Woody’s Watersports, but it’s important to make sure you don’t take any actions to frighten the dolphins when you see them. There are some regulations about dolphin interactions, and the last thing you want to do is cause them any harm – or make them rush away. Here’s how best to handle a dolphin encounter during your ride.

Dolphins are friendly creatures and very playful, so they might be curious about your Jet Ski and swim pretty close to you. If you see a few dolphins approaching your area, don’t move towards them; instead, just observe the dolphins from a safe distance. If they’re feeling courageous, they might swim right up to you! But remember that these are animals in their natural habitat and there are restrictions when it comes to approaching and interacting with dolphins, so slow or stop your Jet Ski and simply observe them from a distance.

It’s important that you don’t feed the dolphins since they have a very specific diet. They aren’t able to handle human food, so keep any snacks you might have to yourself. If the dolphins are swimming close to you or approaching you, don’t reach down and pet them – it could give them quite a scare, and you could accidentally hurt them or fall off your Jet Ski!

The most important thing to do when you encounter a wild dolphin is to enjoy the experience safely and respectfully – and snap a few pictures, of course!

If you don’t have plans to rent a personal watercraft at Woody’s this season yet, learn more about our rentals online and be sure to check out our special deals. Call us at 727-391-0200 today to book Jet Skis for you and the family!

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