surreymusttravel
May 2022
A fantastic 4 hours!! We don’t write many reviews but felt compelled to write one for Honest Eco. The name of the company is perfect / they take things very seriously. They have a purpose built electric boat - which is great for the environment but it’s also designed for perfect dolphin watching as the front is square and high up, so you look down on the dolphins from a height and see much more. The water is crystal clear so you get to see the dolphins socialising and generally messing about - even saw one feed as it churned up sand to force out a fish and then ate it. The boat - being electric - is near silent so the dolphins are very relaxed about being around the boat. At one point 3 of them swam right underneath like they were doing a synchronised display!
Jesse and Jaclyn are trained scientists - Jaclyn is currently studying the population of dolphins in the Keys (180 identified so far) so they are delighted to answer all your questions and educate you. Jesse was aware when a dolphin wasn’t happy - apparently they blow puffs of air - and he moved away from them.
We also saw 2 turtles, shoals of tarpon.
Lion fish and more
We then found a very still part of the water for a snorkel - described by one guest as the worlds biggest swimming pool - and snorkelled for an hour. The area is a nursery for many species so we learnt a lot about what goes on under the surface
And then, to the surprise of everyone, including Jesse and Jaclyn, 3 dolphins came up close, including a Mum and calf. It is illegal to proactively swim with dolphins but if they come to you then that is their choice and ok. Mum and calf swam right under one of us - just amazing. Jesse said he’d never seen this in 7 years of running trips so we were very lucky . The whole trip would’ve been amazing without this but the encounter made it one of our best ever
Do go on this trip. Learn from the hosts and enjoy the stunning water of the Keys and the animals that call it home!! Wonderful