Aquatica and Discovery Cove for the Non-Swimmer

[jpharrisjr]

Since I am horrible swimmer, basically a non swimmer, can I still enjoy Aquatica and Discovery Cove? What can I do and Not Do At each place?

Thanks,

JPH

 

[Tinks1984]

I'll give the DC one a shot for you, but as I've never been to Aquatica (yet!) I can't comment on things to do there.

But, DC...

Firstly, you can eat! There's a lovely breakfast on arrival, then throughout the day the menu changes to lunch, and there's plenty to offer! And as it's all-inclusive you can head back as many times as you like. There are also drinks carts dotted about too, which offer soft drinks and certain alcohol. These are also inclusive, so you can grab one from an attendant whenever you're thirsty!

Then, there's the overall beauty of the place, it's a wonderful place of discovery (hence the name, I imagine!). You'll be able to go to the bird aviery, where you'll find many different birds and deer which you can feed with the food provided by the DC keepers. They'll happily chat about the various birds too, they're lovely.

You can also view the dolphin swims from the side too, which are great fun to watch. Even if you're not going to swim with them, you can still sit and watch. It's fun to watch everyone interact with the dolphins, they're adorable. You can also view the area where you can swim with the rays, many of which you can still view from the side. Infact, if you're not overly scared of water, up to about knee height, then you'll be able to go in this pool, as it never goes much deeper than that. You'll get to touch and feed the rays in here and it's always supervised by staff, so if you do get into any distress, they'll help you out of the pool.

The only place I wouldn't recommend would be the reef, where you can snorkel with the rays and fish. If you're not a confident swimmer, then I would recommend to miss this entirely! It's very deep and cold, so probably wouldn't suit you from what you mentioned.

I'm sure you'd still have a great day here though, there's plenty sun loungers too if you get there early enough. The place is lovely, so sitting by and people watching may also be fun for a while.

Hope that helps...

Hope you get some answers on Aquatica!

 

[connorsgram]

I agree with Tinks 1984, but if you feel comfortable swimming in a life vest you can go in the coral reef. Lots of people had on life vests, so they could just float around and look at the fish and sting rays. I even wore my vest on the lazy river, so I didn't have to swim when it changed to deep water. You can even do the dolphin swim. They will let you have a shallow water ride if you can't go out to the deep. Go for it--it's a wonderful park.

 

[TanCharLeo]

I myself do not know how to swim well but I have done almost everything at both parks...even the snorkeling reef at Discovery Cove with the help of my hubby holding my hand and keeping me up when I got scared by the huge stingrays! Play with the barking deer at the Aviary they are my favorite. I want to take one home with me but I think they would notice . I personally think you can do everything at Aquatica as the pools are mainly 3-4 feet deep at the drop offs. I would not do the raging river there though if I was not comfortable in fast moving water with people flying by and of course I would not pass 3 feet at the wave pool. Take a float with you at Discovery Cove. There are also life vests available at Aquatica.

 

[cswtmom]

I went to Aquatica in April of this year and I too can't swim! I did enjoy the Raging River , I did wear a life jacket and I could of stayed there all day. The only problem was I am a small, slender women and I had a hard time getting out of the river do to the current and not being very strong so my son would have to pull me out. Ok to tell the truth a few times I wouldn't let him grab my arms so I could go around the river again, I told you I could of stayed there all day LOL. The lazy river was fun to but I was in a party of 5 and getting the tubes for that many people was hard. I have not been to Discovery Cove yet. But My son surprised my daughter and I with a trip to Discovery Cove for April 2009. I am VERY bless to have a wonderful son and I thank god everyday for him! I am so happy, I have always wanted to swim with the dolphins and I will be able to. I would suggest that you wear a life jacket, and don't worry about what other people think. This trip is for you and you should enjoy it. Have a great time on your trip!!