Dolphins are easily recognizable and loved, due in part to their friendly chatter, sociable personality, and permanent smile. Unlike other species that we can encounter during our deep sea fishing charters, dolphins do not have gills to breathe through underwater and must come to the surface to catch their breath, which allows us to steal a glimpse! Before you embark on one of our private dolphin tours, equip yourself with these fun facts regarding these maritime mammals to optimize your time on the water.

1. Dolphins are highly sensory animals, with advanced eyesight and hearing at the expense of smell. Though dolphins have no sense of smell, they have very acute eyesight both in and out of water as well as the most effective hearing in the world. They hear frequencies ten times what adult humans can hear, which enables them to use echolocation to pinpoint objects in the water.
2. Much like us, dolphins are social creatures. They live in groups known as pods that hunt and play together, with quantities that may even exceed 1,000. Gestation for these mammals can take anywhere between nine to 17 months depending on the species of dolphin, and they have been observed to be surprisingly maternal after birth. Mother dolphins nestle and cuddle with their offspring, who nurse for up to two years and can stay with their mother from three to eight years.
3. The evolution of the dolphin’s larger brain is surprisingly like that of humans, and they demonstrate an intelligence on par with apes. Like humans and apes, dolphins have the ability to recognize themselves in front of a mirror. Furthermore, dolphins have also been documented using tools, which puts them on the very short list of animals able to do so. For example, in Australia, dolphins fit marine sponges over their beaks when foraging for fish to protect themselves from the sharp edges of rocks.
4. Underwater noise pollution poses a significant threat to dolphins. Noises produced by naval activity, underwater construction, and the oil industry can cause significant stress and injury to dolphins. As dolphins tend to rely primarily on their own chatter to communicate with one another and search for food, noise pollution hampers their ability to do so which can prove fatal.
5. Dolphins have very few natural enemies and, yes, that includes sharks! Sharks tend to avoid pods so if you happen to see dolphins at the surface, it mostly likely means that any sharks in the area are maintaining a safe distance. However, humans are the main threat to dolphins due to pollution, fishing, and hunting. Some dolphins are accidentally killed in fishing equipment like nets which is why solutions such as “pingers” are being engineered, which are attachable alarms that alert dolphins to their presence so that they can be avoided.

Now that you know a little bit more about dolphins, contact us at Captain Daddy’s Fishing Charters and inquire about our private dolphin tours! These two and a half hour cruises are perfect for getting up close and intimate with this cherished species, and we include the option for additional hours as well.

Tim Russell, also known as Captain Daddy, has over 27 years of experience fishing the greater Daytona Beach area and enjoys imparting his knowledge upon others. Look over the many fishing charters we offer online, which include shark fishing and deep-sea fishing, to find the perfect trip for you and your family. For the best time on the water that you can have in Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach, call Captain Daddy!