Dolphin Reef — Attraction in Eilat

Dive with dolphins: Great experience, for kids (from age 8) and adults alike!

We brought two of our kids, aged 10 and 8, for a guided dive with dolphins, which they thoroughly enjoyed! No prior experience is required, and they allow children from age 8 to undertake this activity (you have to show proof of age if the child's age is borderline). It's not cheap (US$80 per child, or $90 for adults, from age 15; people not diving have to pay an entrance fee as well), but I believe you get your money's worth. After fitting you with a wetsuit and fins and giving a brief explanation of the basics you need to know, each diver is accompanied at all times by a guide/instructor. They take you into the water and put on your fins and arrange the Scuba gear, before you start swimming in.

It's of interest to note that the dolphins you'll see here (there are 5 at the time of writing this review) are not restricted to an enclosed area -- they are free to come and go (out to the sea) as they please, but they decide to make their home in this area (and are fed regularly, which I guess contributes to their decision to stay!).

In any case, they're pretty much always around and are always curious to see all the new visitors to "their home" (especially children), and from the moment you start getting ready in the shallow water, they're right there with you -- and you'll see them swimming around and coming up to you at many points throughout the dive.

You're not supposed to touch them, even if they come up very close to you (which they normally do), but if they decide to swim up and brush up against you, that's of course up to them -- and that's exactly what happened with my kids: both of them got brushed up against by a dolphin, and one got a gentle nudge from behind. Needless to say, they were thrilled!

The actual dive part takes about half an hour, after about half an hour of preparations (so about an hour, all in all).

I highly recommend getting a video/pictures done. You can't take in your own camera, but for a fee, they'll have a professional photographer accompany you and make a 10-min or 20-min video (with 15 or 30 stills, respectively), for $75 or $95, respectively. Not cheap, but it makes for a very nice souvenir of the dive! You get the video/photos on a flash drive (and they keep a copy backed up for at least a month, on the off chance you arrive home and find that the drive is corrupted or got lost...).

After the dive, you can sit on the private beach and enjoy the sun or go swimming. And if you work up an appetite during the dive, they have a place where you can get a salad, pasta, or pizza -- which are surprisingly good!

In summary: it makes for a bit of an expensive outing (especially if more than one person is diving), but it definitely gives you a very positive experience...

Dolphin Reef was one of the best places to visit in Eilat, especially with kids. There is a small bay for swimming seprated by net from dolphins and diving area. Dolphins were friendly, and we saw 4 of them pretty close from pier, a few metres, several times. They came closer during feeding time. Then we came second time days later, and our second entrance was free by showing previous tickets, actually we forgot to take them, but they found our previous fee by looking through card payments history. So we took the diving with dolphins option (children age of eight and older are allowed). I must say it brought me through the most emotional moments in the whole trip. The beauty of underwater world and dolphin circling around and closer was definitely worth it. Diving is about half an hour and instructor holds your hand most of the time, but it feels as much longer time. The depth is up to 6 metres, and first five minutes my eardrums were aching adjusting to increased pressure, but then pain went away completely. It was my first diving experience, and it turned out to be easy and very pleasant and relaxing experience. Be prepared to be offered video footage of your dive costing about the same as diving itself. It is worth it, as you'll have very nice edit of video footage ready within 40 minutes after the dive. The shooting is done on GoPro camera by instructor the dive. The place has bungalow type of buildings, which resembles South Eastern Asia a bit; for a brief I thought I'm in Thailand :) There were roaming peacocks and an exotic type of rooster, and some cats begging and hunting for food in restaurant. It took just 3 seconds for them to steal 2 nuggets from the plate on table, so be careful, or order some extra from the very beginning :) Our trip was in January. Water temperature in sea was still pleasant, about 22C, but air can be chilling at night or, if wind arises, also during the day. It never rains in Eilat, so sunshine was all over the place the whole week during those short...

A wonderful and more humane “Swim with Dolphins” experience.

A great place to snorkel or scuba with dolphins, or even just watch them up close from dockside. No touching or riding dolphins here, and they are living in open water, which is all as it should be. This is not the case almost anywhere else dolphin experiences are offered, which is why facilities in the Carribean and elsewhere are often targeted by animal rights activists. But I believe this place takes a more acceptable approach.

Did the snorkeling with dolphins, which was great. Three of us swam with a guide, who pointed out various excellent coral formations, and alerted us when the dolphin repeatedly did swim-bys to check us out. They even have goggles that correct for near-sightedness, which was a real blessing for me.

The facility is beautiful, with a separate area for general swimming, plenty of shade, and a system of docks and platforms featuring tons of places to sit in the shade, relax, and soak everything in.

Yes, it’s pricey to snorkel or scuba. But simple entry is more affordable, and you still get a lot of up-close time with the dolphins from the docks, as staff explainers greet and feed them. My wife even did the relaxation pools option, which she, surprisingly, loved.

Overall, a high point of our trip to Eilat, and an item to cross off my...