The Truth Behind Swimming with Dolphins
Just ask around “who loves dolphins?” Most likely almost everybody loves dolphins, but what “loving dolphins” really means? This question cannot be answered easily… If you would ask another question “Is it safe to swim with dolphins in captivity?”, you may be amazed by the fact that most people, maybe even you, have never thought about it… “It’s safe to be around with dolphins” is a kind of imprinted in our subconscious. Is it so? Is it safe for you and for dolphins? This documentary will help you to make clear the ambiguous situation surrounding this type of entertainment.
Watch this Documentary in Spanish. Miralo en Español “La verdad detrás del nado con delfines”:
Watch this Documentary with French subtitles. Nager avec les dauphins: l’envers du décor:
Watch this Documentary with Bulgarian subtitles. Гледайте на български “Истината зад плуването с делфини” :
Watch this Documentary in Russian. Смотреть на русском Правда о «Плавании с Дельфинами» :
The Dark History of Killer Whale Captures
A chronological documentary ranging from the 60s to present briefly describes kidnapping of orcas from their natural habitat. A more detailed is the information about capturing of orcas in Russia, the only country where it’s currently practiced. You will find the names of 60 orcas being in slavery in 14 marine parks in 8 countries and learn about the dynamic community movements against the captivity. Film brings to light the names of people who are responsible for this inhumane and dirty business of exploitation and slave trade of the most intelligent creatures in the world. “Shamu show” doesn’t have any educational value; it features animals in an artificially created environment with unnatural behavior; with the only purpose to display the dominance of a human that could enforce a killer whale to perform tricks.
Captivity can be ended only when more people are informed and educated about the truth of the imprisoned marine mammals and refuse to visit Marine parks and Dolphinaria. Only together we can make a difference and build life on Earth without the violence and dominance of the mankind over other Earthlings.
The Orca Captures Aug’18
Unfortunately, Russia is the only country in the world, where capturing orcas is legal, with the quotes officially issued. It happens in the sea of Okhotsk, which is an extremely remote place and very far from public eyes. According to the unofficial statistics, the capture of one baby-orca is accompanied by the death of one adult orca. This year, for the first time in the Russian history, a small team of caring and brave Sakhalin volunteers from Marine Mammals Rescue Team “Ocean Friends” was conducting public monitoring of orca capture.
Lolita the Orca – A Call for Humanity
Many of us cannot just stand on a curb and witness atrocities and injustices toward other Earthlings. We take it into our hearts and fight for those who can’t defend themselves. This video is our attempt to understand why these tragedies happen and what can be done to stop it. Many people engage in animal advocacy and get burned out – it is very difficult to keep up. This video is our message to everyone on the brink of burnout and we hope it will inspire them to keep fighting for a better future for all Earthlings on our beautiful planet.
Miracle March for Lolita, Miami 2017
Miami Seaquarium holds Lolita as its slave and refuse to do honorable thing – to retire her after 47 years of exploitation. They don’t want to give up the profit they are making on her enslavement. We won’t give up either. On this day – April 1st, 2017 a few hundred people marched in front of Miami Seaquarium demanding freedom for Lolita. It was remarkable that so many young people stood up for humanity. A politician running for the US Senate also joined this very visible and important march. The message is clear – our society is growing into a more humane one!
Empty the Tanks – Free Lolita the Orca, Miami 2019
We are here, at 7th Annual Empty The Tanks Worldwide Event, to be a voice for Lolita the orca. This is a day for everyone around the world to stand up against marine mammal captivity. The abuse and exploitation of these sentient beings has no place in the 21st century.
Lummi Nation Naming Ceremony for Lolita/Tokitae the orca
Lummi Nation Naming Ceremony for Lolita the orca, also known as Tokitae, took place at Miami Seaquarium on May 31, 2019. Tokitae’s new name is “Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut” – the name of a Native Village in Penn Cove near the site where she was taken from her family in 1970.
The Lummi Nation tribe of Washington state recognizes orcas as their relatives. Since time immemorial, Lhaqtemish (the Lummi people) have lived in balance with Xwullemy (the Salish Sea bioregion, WA). Repatriation of the killer whale Tokitae/Lolita from the Miami Seaquarium to her home in the Salish Sea is part of their work in collaboration with Orca Network.The retirement plan for Lolita: here
Magical Whale Watching Trip
A magical whale watching trip in Baja, Mexico with Gray whales in San Ignacio Lagoon, Blue and Humpback whales and Long-beaked common dolphins on the Sea of Cortez. The whales and dolphins gifted us with their presence and shared themselves graciously and playfully with our group during our March, 2018 trip. It was an unforgettable trip that touched our hearts and changed our lives forever.
Russian Dolphin Trainer Sergei Kozhemyakin
Russian dolphin trainer Sergei Kozhemyakin from Moscow reveals the secrets behind the scenes: abnormal behavior, punishment of dolphins, the water quality in dolphinaria, how dolphins get depressed after being separated from their children, trainer’s occupational diseases, and many other things in this interview.
Protest against U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program
Protest against Navy Dolphin Program was held on October 22,2016 at the Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego CA. For years, the U.S. Navy has held dolphins and sea lions in small enclosures in San Diego (California), Bangor (Washington), Kings Bay (Georgia) and used them in many operations. Training is similar to that of a police dog and involves ‘positive reinforcement’ and the use of treats. The US Navy uses trained bottlenose dolphins to locate and mark mines on the sea floor or in shallow water. Other teams of dolphins and sea lions are used to protect ships and harbours, detect enemy swimmers, as well as recover equipment from the sea floor. In late 80’s, insiders found that marine mammal intelligence and military intelligence were mutually exclusive and could not reliably coexist to even minimal national security standards. U.S. Navy finally admits NMMP programs are obsolete due to ROV/Drone technological advances that have replaced human ground troops and air support systems. 100+ dolphins and 40+ sea lions deserve Honorable Discharge. This $20-30 Million Dollar waste of tax dollars can certainly be put to better use for National Security or Veteran Assistance. #EndDolphinGITMO
Meet the Manatees
From the video filmed at the Crystal River in Florida, learn some awesome facts about the huge, but harmless creatures who live in salt or fresh water and feed on grass. They prefer a solitary lifestyle, but congregate in huge numbers near warm springs in winter. They never leave the water, although their closest relatives are elephants.
A voyage to Mexico to meet Blue and Gray whales
We returned to Mexico to see the largest animals on the entire planet – blue whales and the friendliest of all whales – gray whales. We had a busy four-day trip. The lovely old town of Loreto on the Sea of Cortez met us with good February weather. Winter and the beginning of spring on the Sea of Cortez is a great time to watch blue whales. We observed them very closely, although their loud breathing is heard very far away. Not a single boat trip to the Gulf of California is complete without communication with local residents – common dolphins.
Then we crossed the entire California Peninsula from east to west, passing mountains, deserts, and farmlands. By the way, what was amazing in the middle of nowhere the phone always perfectly caught the Internet. After 2.5 hours trip from Loreto, we reached the village of Puerto San Carlos on the shores of Magdalena Bay. Gray whales migrate to this bay, well protected from the harsh Pacific Ocean by two islands. Here they breed and give birth, as in other convenient bays off the coast of the Baja California Peninsula. Sometimes, Gray whales approach the boats to communicate with people. This time Oleg sang OM to draw whale’s attention. On this voyage, we also discovered the city of Nopolo, which is 5 miles south of Loreto. This beautiful city is almost empty during the hot months, and in the winter Canadians, Americans and Europeans live here. Summing up our journey, we can definitely say that, if you are in love with whales and dolphins, Loreto and the Sea of Cortez is a place that you want to visit at least once a year…
Ocean crafts for kids
Recycling everyday rubbish into beautiful ocean themed keepsakes! This video is about how, through simple things like crafts, we introduce children to see the beauty of the ocean and its inhabitants. We teach them to protect the environment. We explain and show how you can reuse things, beautifully decorate them, give them a second life and use them in everyday life. Elena shows two simple techniques for beginners: decoupage with napkins depicting dolphins and fish on jars and stencil painting dolphins on an umbrella and organza.
Bear Fishing in Kamchatka
A fascinating story about the bears fishing in Kamchatka. We tried to learn about this magnificent creatures first hand and to meet them face-to-face. Most of the bears were really close and we had a chance to pick into their daily lives. It was the lifetime experience, and we want to share it with you and hope you would like it. Dive with us into the unique wildlife of the Russian Far East in Kamchatka and meet the brown bears in the wonderful Kurile Lake of the South Kamchatka Federal Reserve.
Killer Whale Captures in Russia
The documentary uncovers the shocking situation with cetaceans, especially killer whales, in Russia: the lack of animal protection laws, forgery of documents, corruption, and the lack of statistics. In Russia, killer whales are still considered as aquatic biological resources and, as such, humanly treatment is not considered for them. Orcas are being captured under the approved quotas and are permitted “for educational and cultural purposes.” Most of most of them, however, are intended for sale to China. Considering the market value of a killer whale at 1-2 million US dollars, the Marine Mammal Council of Russia suggests that transacting cetaceans is impossible without corruption rings involving the Khabarovsk Territory and Moscow.
Moscow Orcas
The documentary tells the story of the three killer whales: Narnia, Nord and Malyshka. They have been captured by Sochinsky Delfinary LLC in the Sea of Okhotsk of the Russian Far East and then kept in the small sea pens in the Pacific Research Fisheries Centre near the city of Nakhodka. From there Narnia and Nord have been taken for a year to the temporary tank at the All-Russian Exhibition Centre (VDNKh) in Moscow. Then, together with a newcomer, Malyshka, these acoustically sensitive animals have been moved to the new Oceanarium at VDNKh, which still has been under construction at the time. The opening of the Mosaquarium (new name of Oceanarium) has been delayed several times before becoming operational in August 2015.
U.S. Laws on Captive Orcas
The primary laws governing the facilities housing killer whales in the US are the Animal Welfare Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The Animal Welfare Act established the standards and specifications that a facility must meet in order to house an orca whale in captivity. The Marine Mammal Protection Act is aimed at protecting the whales from being unlawfully captured from the wild, requires a permit for capturing such as scientific research, public display, or for enhancing the survival or recovery of specific stocks.
This is the True Story of SeaWorld
Marine biologist Dr. Naomi Rose of the Animal Welfare Institute highlights how SeaWorld meets requirements of Marine Mammal Protection Act on the need to offer an education or conservation program to have marine mammals on public display. The SeaWorld is exploiting the educational and scientific purposes for captive animals. The world expert in cetaceans, Dr. Rose sheds, light on the SeaWorld-type education and the SeaWorld-type science.
To End the Grindadráp
Faroe Islanders are passionately adherent to their centuries-old tradition of grindadráp – a mass slaughter of highly intelligent, feeling, thinking, and self-aware socially complex beautiful pilot whales. Faroese are proud of killing another living creature just for the sake of killing, not for subsistence. Faroese children grow up watching these slaughters, watching the ocean turns red from blood, watching gutted dolphins, watching fetuses torn from bellies of their mothers. It is scientifically proven that there is a direct association between the ability to harm animals and to harm humans. Serial killers and hunters have the same sociopathic behavior. The silence is the main destructive force in the history of mankind. If we are silent, such horrible things will go on and on.
The Miracle March for Lolita
Around 1600 of animal rights activists and supporters took to the streets on January 17, 2015 calling for the release of a killer whale Lolita from the Miami Seaquarium, where she has been held captive for 44 years. Orcas are highly intelligent and, social animals that normally spend their entire lives traveling with their families. Lolita (first called Tokitae) was taken from her family during a violent roundup off the coast of Washington state in 1970 and hasn’t seen another animal of her species since 1980. Her tank is the smallest whale tank in North America and violates Animal Welfare Act standards, yet it has not been upgraded. There is no cover or shade over her tank so she is exposed to the intense Florida sun and extreme weather every single day. She has been forced to perform tricks for human amusement twice daily for the last 45 years.
Should We Continue the Slavery?
People love dolphins, but they often fail in empathy and imagination. They do not realize that dolphins are brought into a cement tank from their natural environment, kidnapped from their families, held in nets, carried in trucks, hoisted into planes and flown to distant locations. Many die in the process. Those that survive are condemned to the life-long imprisonment in water tank, filled with their excrement and chemicals to reduce harm from their feces and to make water crystal clear and blue. They circle and circle in their prison, small and shallow tanks, whereas in the wild dolphins cover distances up to 100 miles a day and usually dive to the depth of 300 feet. Captive marine mammals are forced to perform tricks for the public amusement and to generate profit for their slave-masters.
Against the Taiji Dolphin Slaughter
Activists held regular Peaceful Protest in the front of the Japanese Consulate in Miami to raise awareness of the dolphin drive hunting, which occurs every year in Japan from September to April. Every year many hundreds of dolphins are massacred in Taiji, Japan. The pretty or cute ones among them being selected and sold into the captivity industry around the world, the rest of dolphins are slaughtered for meat, pet food, and fertilizers. Buying dolphins from Japan as well as buying a ticket to the show fuels the demand for more dolphins to be captured.
What Kills Killer Whale?
It is impossible to build a society of happy people, – where cruelty and inhumanity is exercised to other living beings. It is a well-established fact that capturing cetaceans of all species from their natural habitats in the wild for a life in captivity is extremely detrimental to both the captured animals as well as to their remaining family members. They are highly intelligent, socially complex, sentient beings with a scientifically proven range of emotions far beyond that of any human. They live in tight family circle for their entire lives: babies, juveniles, mature adults and elderly, all together. They hunt, feed, raise and teach their young, care for their matriarch and converse in their own dialect. It is as disgraceful for us to steal them from their ocean families and exploit them, as to watch impartially our own children being kidnapped and sold into a life of slavery. What kills killer whales and other animals as well? Our indifference.
Loving Dolphins to Death
It is a tricky word “love”. If you go into any place with captive dolphin, you will be told, “We love the dolphins, they are our family.” Then question is, what love means to them? Love is not a one-way relationship. Surely, we all love dolphins, and the captivity industry has capitalized on this to make huge profits at the expense of the animals misery.
Swimming With Dolphins
The film explains that swimming with dolphins in captivity is not safe for the dolphins as well as for the participant. It helps people to understand the reality behind their dreams to swim with a dolphin, the cost to the animal, and potentially the cost to themselves. The documentary has been made on the basis of the research of publications available to the public on diseases of marine mammals and disease transmission cases to people and vice versa.
The National Animal Rights Day, Miami 2017
The National Animal Rights Day was commemorated for the first time in the Miami area on Sunday June 4th, 2017. Animal rights is the principle that animals should be able to live free of human use and exploitation.
Established by the non-profit “Our Planet. Theirs Too.” in 2011, The National Animal Rights Day (#NARD) is an annual day observed in multiple countries around the world on the first Sunday in June, for the purpose of giving a voice to all animals and raising awareness for their rights, until all animals are free from enslavement and their rights are established and protected by law.
On this day, special NARD events are held simultaneously in major cities around the globe. They start with a memorial ceremony for the billions of animals who die every year by human hands – often in the presence of real deceased animals, and continue with the reading and signing of The Declaration of Animal Rights. They end with a celebration of the animals in our lives, and the steps that are being made every year towards ending animals’ suffering and shifting the planet to a cruelty-free, plant-based, lifestyle.
The Spirit of the Turks&Caicos Islands
We explored unique Salt Cay Island, one of the eight islands of the Turks and Caicos archipelago. We discovered there is a wonderful snorkeling on North Bay Beach. We made friends on the island – wonderful donkeys.
Monterey Bay Whale Watch
We were so lucky to join the all-day trip at Monterey Bay Whale Watch, which is owned and operated by a marine biologist Nancy Black. The truly professional and well-organized whale watching tour is focused on learning about the whales in their environment, and it left us with great memories. We’ve seen the socializing, breaching and slapping behavior of humpbacks whales, and how they interact with Pacific white-sided dolphins.
Elephant Seal, Año Nuevo State Park
Año Nuevo State Reserve is home to a large colony of Northern Elephant Seals. Elephant seals spend most of their lives at sea and come ashore only to molt, mate, and give birth. At the Ano Nuevo beach, you have a chance to see elephant seals up close.
Amazing California Sea Lions
California sea lions are often seen sunning on the cliffs near the La Jolla Caves (CA). Remarkably intelligent sea lion is one of the most famous La Jolla attractions. California sea lions are just one of several marine mammals of the family, Otariidae. Sea lions are characterized by the presence of external ear and long front flippers. This is one easy way to distinguish between sea lions and seals, since seals do not have ear flaps. Sea lions are adapted for movement on land as well as in the water: with a smooth, torpedo shaped torso and powerful flippers. Highly social, sea lions form groups of several hundred to several thousand animals in colonies onshore. They even stick together in the water. California sea lions are opportunistic eaters, feeding on squid, octopus, herring, rockfish, mackerel, and small sharks. It is believed that females and juveniles remain near the rookeries year-round, but males migrate north as far as British Columbia during the fall and winter.
SS Copenhagen Wreck Diving FL / Fish Identification
The steamship Copenhagen rests on the ledge of a reef in 16-31 ft. of water with its bow facing south and is located ¾ of a nautical mile offshore of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea (FL), south of Hillsboro Inlet. The SS Copenhagen was declared a State Underwater Archaeological Preserve in 1994. SS Copenhagen Wreck GPS Coordinates: N 26° 12.349′ W 080° 05.108′
SS Copenhagen, a 19th Century British cargo steamer 325′ long with a beam of 47′, struck a reef on May 26, 1900. The crew began unloading the cargo – 5,000 tons of coal – but were not able to free the vessel from the reef. The crew abandoned the vessel. The wreck was visible above the water for a long time until WWII naval fighter pilots used it for target practice.
The Copenhagen currently sits in 30 ft of water in hundreds of pieces and has become a refuge for beautiful marine life. Please, save marine life! Go vegan! You can meet here: French angelfish, sergeant major, stoplight parrotfish, bluehead wrasse, black grouper, honeycomb cowfish, blue tang, yellowtail snapper, spotted moray, reef butterflyfish, Sailor’s grunt, Nurse Shark, etc.