A little nervous about the Royal Swim

[LJC1861]

My friends and I are doing the Royal Swim at Chankanaab on May 7. Suddenly I am a bit nervous about the experience. I am not nervous about the swim itself, or interacting with these beautiful creatures....

 

what I am nervous about is not getting the "tricks" right. What does the foot push experience feel like? How soon do you have to lock your knees? Do you always get water in your face during the dorsal fin grab? How do you know when to let go? These may be silly questions, but suddenly it is all I can think about.

 

Can someone out there ease my mind???

 

Linda

[azkcruizers]

I took my 3 children 8,9, and 12. They were all able to do all of the tricks! One of them let go during the pull and they let him try again and he did it. You do get water in your face but it's worth it. My children loved it. It's a once in a lifetime chance. Once you start you'll have a ball. Relax and enjoy!!;)

[bnsilly]

Ok...this did not concern me at all when I went....BUT~~

I could not do the thing where you lay on the boogy board and the dolphin pushes your feet with their nose..Can't really explain it, but I couldn't handle the pressure to the middle of my feet. Not pain really, just uncomfortable..Tried it twice.

No one else had problems with it though, and I DO have sensitive feet...Everything else was great! So go and enjoy~ Pam

[CruisnGram]

My friends and I are doing the Royal Swim at Chankanaab on May 7. Suddenly I am a bit nervous about the experience. I am not nervous about the swim itself, or interacting with these beautiful creatures....

 

what I am nervous about is not getting the "tricks" right. What does the foot push experience feel like? How soon do you have to lock your knees? Do you always get water in your face during the dorsal fin grab? How do you know when to let go? These may be silly questions, but suddenly it is all I can think about.

 

Can someone out there ease my mind???

 

Linda

 

Don't be nervous about it. It's really not hard. And, for some reason, if you decide not to do something, like the foot push, no one will make you. My cousin didn't want to do it so she got 2 dorsal pulls.

 

Just relax and the dolphins will do the rest. They are AMAZING at putting themselves right where they need to be.

 

For the dorsal pull, they instruct you to just "stand up" in the water with your arms out to the side, palms facing down. Of course you aren't standing up, you are in deep water, but that's the position you take.

The dolphins swim up beside you and put their fins right in your hand. You just grab on when you feel them. If you keep your head up as high as you can, you won't get much water in your face. They will pull you towards the dock and when you get close, they will just disappear from your hands which will stop you. You don't have to worry about stopping yourself.

 

For the foot push, you just float on your stomach, with your feet perpendicular to the floor/bottom of water (toes pointing down), and your legs spread. Again, the dolphins will come right up and put their noses on the soles of your feet and push. You just sort of automatically rise up out of the water if you keep your knees stiff. It's really very, very easy. I was surprised that it didn't take any huge effort to balance. You just sort of glide through the water. It was funny when I did the foot push because I didn't have my legs far enough apart for both dolphins to swim side by side which they need to do to have their noses on your feet. One had a good "hold" and the other kept losing his "grip" and bumping his nose back on my foot like he was saying "hey lady, spead 'em!" LOL I finally got the hint and then it was smooth sailing.

 

You will have the time of your life and will be amazed at how easy it is. Dont' sweat it......relax and have fun!

[LJC1861]

Thanks for the reassurance everyone!

 

Linda

[trctjs]

I agree. It was MUCH easier than I expected it to be. I had trouble with the pull though. My hand didn't catch one of the dolphins right and one swam faster than the other. I got a LOT of water in my face. The push is awesome. I was a bit scared though only because while you are floating out there you see the dolphins go shooting underneath you and then you hear them breathe when they surface behind you. For me a it was a bit freaky for just those couple seconds.

 

But I would do it all again in a heartbeat. It was AMAZING!!!!! Have a wonderful time!!!!!!!!!

[PapaBear67]

How large of a person can the dolphins push? I'm considering the royal swim, but I'm a pretty stocky guy, and I don't want to overwhelm or strain these amazing creatures.

 

At the very least, the dolphins should get an extra "scooby snack" or something for pushing me around.

[gail811]

Two points. First of all, don't worry Linda...you will be fine! This was a dream for my sister......she suffered a major stroke at 44 (2 years ago) and this trip was a celebration of her still being with us! Her left side was affected; no use of her arm, but she can walk but swinging her hip and "throwing" her leg forward. Anyway....we signed up for the Royal because she saw my video from last year and really wanted to try. The staff at first was hesitant to let her, but she insisted and they relented. I so wish that I could transfer the video for you to watch! She could not do the pull because of her left hand, but when the dolphins did the foot push she came up and out of the water with her right arm over her head with the biggest grin on her face! My mom, sister, nieces and myself burst into tears....it was the most awesome moment on so many levels! The staff was so impressed that they let her do it again!

As for the weight issue.....my other sister is a "large" woman and they had no problems getting her up and out of the water. If I had to guess her weight, I would guess over 220....buy that is just a guess.

[SingingPixie]

Another person jumping in to say it's a lot easier than you think. My friend Zac was in slightly in the wrong position for the foot push, and he said he actually felt the dolphins adjusting him so they could get the right leverage. They really are amazing!