Vallarta Adventures Dolphin Center — Attraction in Nayarit

I did the trainer for a day adventure with Karen leading the way for me. I was lucky, I was the only one in the adventure that day, so all of my questions were answered. Karen showed me the ropes, then left me with Veronica to help train dolphins Mila and Jojo.

That was fun - Veronica clearly explained each hand movement she made, and what the dolphins did in response to those hand movements. The training time included a belly ride with one of the dolphins, which I gladly went on. But I said no to the deep dive with a dolphin - I was a scaredy cat!

Then Karen showed me the fish room, a cold place where all the fish that the dolphins eat are prepped and kept. Later, she introduced me to Juan Carlos, who briefly explained the importance of looking at the dolphins’ behaviours instead of assuming that they have the same feelings as we humans do.

Then another fun activity - as part of their enrichment program, Karen and I lobbed ice cubes over the dolphins’ heads and had them try to find them in the water. Another task was to pour water from a pitcher over baby dolphin Yoko - I could see she loved that!

Then Karen brought me across the mangrove to the sea lions section, where I got a briefing from Melanie, and then got into the water with Marina the sea lion. She’s a huge animal but she wasn’t scary at all. Alan showed me the proper way to feed her fish from my hands, and how he trains her with hand gestures, then voice commands.

I also got to speak with Abraham, one of the vets at the center. He showed me how they do the daily physical checks for the dolphins, and how gastric, urine, fecal and blood samples are taken. Very fascinating science-y stuff!

After a filling lunch, we got back to the dolphins with four other patrons. We were all each able to get a ride with two dolphins that Karen trains, and then each of us were able to hitch a ride with one dolphin. At the end, we sat next to the pool in the splash zone to watch the dolphins give a final spectacle of swimming fast, flipping over, singing, and swimming like sharks.

That was my day being a trainer. It was very worth the price of admission. Spending time up close with these gentle and intelligent creatures was a perfect PV day!

Thanks to Karen and all the other staff for making my trainer day...

We visited in November 2025 and learned that the dolphins are not rescued as the marketing suggests. Two of the dolphins were taken from the ocean in the early 2000s and the other four were bred there in captivity. They are kept in a small pool without much stimulation and forced to do tricks for food in violation of Mexico’s July 2025 ban on using dolphins for entertainment. You also can no longer grab their fin and ride around the pool with them as the photos suggest as this has been banned. This is good because their fins and flippers can be dislocated this way. Pacific bottlenose dolphins are large (can be up to 500lb and felt almost twice our height at 5’3” to 5’9”)—it was pretty scary to get close! Before signing up for this, I did not properly research it and was alarmed to learn that dolphins have attacked and hurt humans, including children, during encounters like this one. No matter how well trained they are, they are wild animals, and there is a risk when you get close to them in a confined space, especially if they feel threatened. They are much faster and stronger than us. It’s unfortunate that these dolphins have been trained to rely on humans for food and cannot be returned back to the ocean where they belong. Additionally, there is a no sunscreen policy at this facility that was not clear to us before we came. They did not provide a wetsuit or any sun protection so if you do go, I suggest taking a long sleeve sun protecting shirt and hat. Also, as other reviews suggest, you need to pay quite a lot for photos and can’t take your own. We left feeling icky about it and I would not want to go to a forced dolphin encounter again and will instead admire these beautiful creatures in the...

A friend and I recently signed up for a "signature swim" at the VA Dolphin Center. We were impressed by the facility (clean, organized) and the staff (friendly, professional). We thoroughly enjoyed our swimming experience with the two dolphins we had the pleasure of meeting: Rocco and Kai. Their trainer, Nacho, seemed to be treating them well, and he was informative with us and other members of our group. The only concern I have about this operation is its focus on "capturing" visitors' experiences on camera and video and then charging exorbitant amounts for these images. Before the dolphin show, which took place after our swimming and interacting with the two dolphins, I went to get my phone so I could take some pictures. Our guide, Fernanda, told me I couldn't take pictures. I asked her if VA would provide pictures, and she said yes. After changing back into my street clothes, I went to the "picture center" and asked about the pictures. I was informed that VA offered different "packages" for me (and my friend). When I asked about the pictures that were included in our "experience," I was told that there were no included pictures. Visitors who came with other family members were able to take pictures from the observation deck, and I would have taken pictures of my friend while he was in the water with the dolphins, had I known about this arrangement. The VA staff should have made this clear BEFORE we got into the water. Then we would not have felt pressured to purchase a few images for $100 and more. I wish I could include a photo or two, but I didn't feel the need to pay VA even more for something that should be included in the cost...