Responsible behaviour and Code of Conduct

Why do we have dolphin watching rules?

When choosing the company with whom to go out with in search of dolphins, we recommend you devote some attention to your choice. Your experience and enjoyment will be the greatest if you join the company that considers your well-being but also the well-being of the dolphins and the environment in which they live.

Threats to dolphins and other sea life are varied. An example of a stressful situation is the harassment and aggressive driving behaviour of untrained individuals in the vicinity of the dolphins. Imagine walking down the sidewalk and a car approaching you and your family in a fast and erratic manner. This is a similar experience for dolphins when fast boats approach in an aggressive manner. This stress can lead dolphins to abandon their habitat, and in worst case scenarios, it may lead to their death.

The convergence of a large number of vessels around the dolphins from all sides causes stress and significantly increases the chance of injury to the animals by engine propellers. While watching dolphins, one must ensure the safety of both people and the animals. As such, our crew brings the vessel gently towards a group of dolphins. When approaching, the crew observes the animals and estimates a safe distance depending on the composition of the group and their behaviour. Recognizing the signs that dolphins send out can ensure their safety and our enjoyment.

Regardless of our gentle behaviour, the presence of the vessel is always some form of disturbance. As a result, we limit our observation time to a maximum of 30 minutes after which the vessel will slowly move away leaving the dolphins or wait quietly as the dolphins move away from us. We believe that your visit on board our vessel will be a unique experience, not only because you will see the most famous bottlenose dolphins in the Adriatic but also because you get plenty of information on how they live and the area in which they live.

We hope you will join us again! And those motivated by this experience may care to join the Blue World Institute for ten days dolphin research in our eco-volunteer programme. Join our researchers in the research station on Lošinj!