Dolphin Dream

The Dolphin Dream provides a premier liveaboard experience in the Bahamas, specializing in shark diving and dolphin snorkeling at Bimini and Tiger Beach. The 86' x 26' (26 x 8m) ocean expedition trawler yacht is designed with comfort and safety in mind, and has been refitted to offer easy, safe, and fun ocean encounters in the Caribbean. It operates out of South Florida, this obviating the need for international flights to the Bahamas.

The liveaboard offers a comfortable and relaxing way of life, where you can unwind and enjoy stress-free days surrounded by breathtaking nature. They create a fun and exciting atmosphere on trips that are scheduled during the year for the best tiger shark and great hammerhead encounters. Captain Scott, with over 40 years of experience in scuba diving and snorkeling in the area, leads the Dolphin Dream crew, who are known for their knowledge, professionalism, and enjoyable times. Being an owner-operated vessel, Captain Scott spends more time on the boat than on land, and he ensures that the boat is always clean, well-maintained, and stocked with the finest food.

There are 6 cabins on board, accommodating a maximum of just 12 guests; they are located on the lower deck, the most stable location on the boat. Additionally, there are 2 shared bathrooms with showers for guests on the main deck, an outside shower and ample fresh water. The indoor saloon is located on the main deck, providing entertainment options such as a TV, DVD, stereo, book and video library. It has benches and chairs surrounding 2 dining tables. A separate drinks counter is equipped with a refrigerator, ice maker, and coffee pots. There is plenty of room for electric devices such as cameras, computers, and chargers. The upper deck has an open area for sunbathing, and a covered section to stay out of the sun. The fore deck is another great place to relax and enjoy the expansive, beautiful ocean.

Dolphin Dream also receives special attention in terms of maintenance and service. Safety is of utmost importance, and the liveaboard is equipped well above the safety standards required for a vessel of its size. The boat is equipped with twins or backups of major equipment, air conditioning, safety chase boat, and other redundant to ensure reliability and safety. The liveaboard also has a steel hull.

The dive deck has tables for cameras and benches for seating, a fresh water rinse bin, and shelves for storage of personal items. The large built-in dive platform is where the scuba tanks are stored ready to donning, while the water is just a short distance away, with a ladder to climb out on. Captain Scott loves the ocean and everything in it, it has been his only way of life and he loves to show it to those that board. The guests that join, many of whom are repeaters, they come because they want the very best in shark diving and dolphin snorkeling in the Bahamas, and they know that they will find it all with the Dolphin Dream liveaboard.

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Notes: Age restriction: Minimum age for shark diving is 18 years old.

Dive experience: Divers must be advanced open water certified and experienced; these shark diving trips are not for inexperienced or novice divers. All passengers must be able to climb a flight of stairs, and divers must be physically capable of performing a giant stride entry and of boarding the vessel after a dive with all dive gear intact, including but not limited to: mask, fins, BCD with cylinder, and weights.
Shark diving: the use of a dark full length wetsuit, hoods and gloves (no bright colours) are required, not only for warmth and protection but also to appear darker and less attractive to the other creatures in the area.
All divers must notify us in advance of any medical conditions that are contraindicative to diving and provide proof of medical clearance.

Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinking water, soft drinks, hot drinks, port and park fees, dives (as detailed in the trips above), experienced English-speaking divemaster(s) (2 in-water guides for Tiger Beach, elsewhere 1 guide), 80 cu ft / 11 liter tanks, weights and weightbelt, all taxes.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment rental (per week: regulator set: US$ 75, BCD: US$ 75, wetsuit: US$ 75, mask/snorkel/fins: US$ 25), dive computer, and safety sausage, diving insurance. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash in USD or travelers checks, or PayPal).

Optional extras: Alcoholic drinks (beer only), torch: US$ 10 per dive, 15 liter (100 cu ft) tanks: US$ 60 per week. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival. Note: prices of items purchased onboard are subject to change.

How to get there: The Dolphin Dream departs from Blue Heron Docks, 389 East Blue Heron Blvd, Riviera Beach, Florida, USA. This is in the West Palm Beach Florida area. The nearest airport is Palm Beach International (PBI), about 20 minutes from dock; Fort Lauderdale (FLL) is the next closest airport, being about 1 hour from the dock, and largest airport is Miami (MIA), about 2 hours from the dock. There are many direct flights from across North, Central and South America, as well as from the Caribbean and Europe.
Boarding time is 3-7 pm on the start date (dinner is provided) and the boat departs for the Bahamas around 10 pm. Recomendations for ground transport assitance are provided upon booking. Immigration procedures in the Bahamas are handled by the crew in Grand Bahama on the first morning of the trip. On cruise end date, disembarkation is around 10:30 am, after US Immigration and Customs clearance. Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving. Divers must be mindful of when their flights are and stop diving accordingly. We will dive as much as possible the penultimate day, however, the latest out of the water would be at 3-4 pm.

Non-diver rate: None.

Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional - solo travelers may choose to share a cabin or pay for a single cabin, or pay a supplement of 80% of the normal published price.

Dive clubs and group discounts: Pay for 8 guests and 1 additional person can join the cruise in the Standard cabin free of charge (total 9 or more guests).

Whole boat charter rate (per night): Pay for 16 guests and 2 additional persons can join in the Standard cabin free of charge (total 18 guests).

There are 6 cabins on the lower deck, accommodating a maximum of 12 guests, 5 of which have full-size upper and lower single bunk beds, and one cabin with a double bed. All cabins share 2 bathrooms.

All the cabins have: No. of bathrooms / showers - 2 / 2 - hot water