The setting shows such regard for wild creatures that it clearly echoes Judaism’s profound respect for all life. And when the mammals respond to the holy tongue, you can’t help but think of them as Jewish.
Eilat’s Dolphin Reef was a major highlight of my recent visit to Israel’s southerly resort.
After a one-hour flight or a four-hour drive through the barren Negev desert, Eilat would be welcome even if it offered only a beach and a cool drink of water.
But this booming Red Sea resort city has much more: top hotels, desert tours and wonderful ways to enjoy the sea. The best way is to dive in and swim with dolphins.
I confess that when I heard that this pastime required a snorkel, my agile imagination was interested but my middle-aged body was reluctant.
But the guides at Dolphin Reef Eilat insisted that swimmers need only be “comfortable in the water.” So they helped pour me into the required wetsuit and then sat my group down for a brief lesson.
The dolphins are not kept in man-made holding pools, we were told, but rather in a roomy area of the Red Sea where large-webbed nets set them off while maintaining a natural habitat.
Organizers describe their relationship with the dolphins as an “unconditional bond” based neither on food rewards or punishments. The mammals perform tricks in exchange for food several times during the day, but food is not withheld if the dolphins give a poor performance.
Part of the enclosed area is designated as human-free, which gives the creatures privacy.
Our group was told not pursue the dolphins, who swim very swiftly, but to wait for them to approach. Petting them was encouraged, but we were told to be careful.
We were issued flippers and taught how to wear face masks. Then the group plodded down the gravel-strewn beach, past human sun-worshippers, to the sea.
The wetsuit made it easy to move past the swimming area to the dolphins` habitat. We hovered on the surface and watched the animals through the clear water; their whistling and ticking was clearly audible.
We stroked the soft dolphins, who swam close to us and seemed to enjoy our presence.
My only problem was trying to refrain from smiling: We had been told that rearranging facial muscles lets seawater slip past the snorkel’s mouthpiece, and the water is very salty.
The Dolphin Reef is located just southwest of the city on the road to the Egyptian border, directly across from the Thai-style Orchid Hotel and down the road from the Coral World Underwater Observatory.
The complex offers a beach, a diving center with facilities for snorkeling and scuba diving, an underwater photography center, a private beach with restaurant and pub, a souvenir shop, dolphin training sessions and a theater showing nature films.
The beach is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. all year, and the entrance fee — which does not include swimming with the dolphins — is $7 for adults, $5.50 for children aged 5 to 15.
Snorkeling with dolphins is available by reservation only for those over age 10 and in groups of six with a guide, at a cost of $20 per person. Private scuba diving with an instructor is available for ages 8 and up, by reservation.
Diving equipment can be rented, and some package plans are available.