Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely! One of the most special features of Blue Lagoon island is that all of our guests, regardless of which program they have booked, are welcome to explore the marine park and watch our dolphins and sea lions in their all-natural habitats. 

No. Dolphin Encounters Ltd. is a private, family-owned and operated company and has no affiliation with any of the hotels. You may find this webpage useful in finding a Hotel: Nassau Paradise Island, Bahamas Where to Stay

Water temperatures range from 72° F (22° C) in the winter to 85° F (30° C) in the summer.

Blue Lagoon Island has it’s own hyper-local Weatherstem weather station so you can see what the weather forecast is for our island specifically ahead of your visit.

Mean daily temperatures (in Fahrenheit) are as follows:

• Jan - 69.9°
• Feb - 70.0°
• Mar - 72.0°
• Apr - 74.2°
• May - 77.5°
• Jun - 80.4°
• Jul - 82.3°
• Aug - 82.2°
• Sept - 81.1°
• Oct - 78.7°
• Nov - 74.9°
• Dec - 71.4°

The Bahamas became independent in 1973 and is a member of the British Commonwealth. English is the official language.

Smoking is permitted in designated areas on the beach side of the island only. This is for the safety and comfort of our guests, staff and animals.

Smoking is NOT permitted on any of Blue Lagoon Island’s ferries.

Metal detectors are not allowed on Blue Lagoon Island.

Drone cameras are not allowed to be flown from or over Blue Lagoon Island.

It depends on the day. Our standard departure times are 8am, 10am and noon, but we encourage you to check for times on your desired day in our booking engine.

Blue Lagoon Island has contracts with most major cruise lines so when you book through your ship, you can rest assured that your excursion times will align with your ship’s arrival in port at departure from Nassau.

If you are interested in leaving Blue Lagoon Island earlier or later than your designated departure time, please check with the Guest Services desk to inquire about availability.

Blue Lagoon Island is home to Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins, California Sea Lions, Southern Stingrays and Bahamian Nurse Sharks. We also have three rescued raccoons - Left Foot, Right Foot and Barefoot. 

There are lots of wild animals as well. In our lagoon and in the reefs off the northern shore you will see many different types of fish. Our natural coppice forest which liest on the southern end of the island is home to more than 70 different species of birds - earning us the title of a designated Important Bird Area (IBA) as well as various native lizards and hermit crabs.

Blue Lagoon Island accepts all major credit cards including Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express. You can also use Apple Pay and Google Pay. We also accept cash - the Bahamian dollar is on par with the US dollar and you can use both currencies equally on Blue Lagoon Island. Please note that Blue Lagoon Island does not accept cruise or hotel room cards as a form of payment.

You should bring a towel, sunscreen, change of clothing, jacket or windbreaker for the boat ride (during the winter time) and cash/credit card for souvenirs and food and beverages. If you are visiting via cruise ship, please bring a form of identification and your ship card as anyone over the age of 18 must present both in order to re-enter Nassau Cruise Port. Please bring all necessary medications with you.

Please note that Blue Lagoon Island will not be held responsible for any lost or misplaced personal effects.

Do not bring valuable jewelry with you as you will need to remove it in order to participate in any animal programs. We do not allow outside food and drink on Blue Lagoon Island. If you need to bring something due to a medical condition, please speak with our Reservations Team ahead of your excursion. Please do not bring drones, metal detectors or SCUBA equipment as those items are not permitted on the island.

Yes, all items found are given to a Guest Services representative who reports it to security . The item is documented and held with security until the owner is notified or reaches out.

During your animal program there are small lockers available to hold any valuables. We do have changing rooms and fresh water showers located near both gift shops.

Absolutely - many programs include our standard buffet lunch served in the Shifting Tides dining pavilion. Adults Only Beach Day guests enjoy an upgraded buffet situated at their private beach area. Shifting Tides offers an a la carte menu and there are also some food trucks located at the rear of the Bahamian Village and light snacks available for purchase at the Dolphin Bar in the marine park. Both gift shops also sell a variety of snacks and beverages. There are a number of bars located throughout the island offering full bar service.

There are several options for persons with food allergies including gluten free, peanut free, dairy free and vegan options. Be sure to ask our servers when purchasing lunch. 

You sure can! Both gift shops have a variety of Blue Lagoon Island and Bahamas souvenirs and our Bahamian Village is where you can find authentically Bahamian made gifts to take home including pepper sauces, rum cakes, rum and straw items.

All over the island on beaches and in palm groves you will find lounge chairs available on a first come, first served basis. Be sure to keep walking as there are often lots of empty chairs that haven’t yet been claimed just around the corner! Umbrellas are also located throughout the beach areas, but please note that they are available only when weather permits.

While there are some areas restricted to employees only or to guests participating in certain tours, there are lots of areas for every guest to explore.

Head on over to the palm grove just off the pathway headed towards Shifting Tides and you will see a number of double hammocks just waiting for you to enjoy.

Life vests are available for all programs in the cooler months. Some programs require the use of life vests for all participants. The Dolphin Encounter requires them only for participants under the age of 18.

For safety reasons, all guests must wear a life vest in order to use the inflatable aquapark. Life vests, which are included with the aquapark admission, can be obtained from the Water Sports Shack.

The views from the top of our historic and iconic entrance tower are reserved for guests participating in our Eco Nature Walking Tour.

You can rent snorkel equipment from the Water Sports Shack or feel free to bring your own.

Paddleboards and kayaks are available to rent from the Water Sports Shack and can be used within the lagoon.

If you have booked directly with Blue Lagoon Island, all programs include beach access and access to the marine park. All programs booked directly include lunch except for the Sip n Paint program. The ferry ride to and from Blue Lagoon Island is included with all programs. Lounge chairs and umbrellas are included (based on availability)

Each animal program includes a variety of fun and educational behaviors with the animals. Please note that Blue Lagoon island/Dolphin Encounters Ltd reserves the right, under certain circumstances, to omit or substitute specific behaviors or interactions from an animal program.

The water is 10-25 feet deep in the Dolphin Swim program.

In the Dolphin Swim, you are completely immersed in water with life vests, while in the Dolphin Encounter you interact with dolphins from a special waist-deep platform. The Dolphin Swim has additional behaviors and more interaction time than the Dolphin Encounter but both programs bring you face-to-face with dolphins in a fun, educational interaction. Guests of all ages can participate in the Dolphin Encounter, but the minimum age to participate in the Dolphin Swim is 6.

The maximum allowed in each Dolphin Swim and Sea Lion Encounter is ten persons and the maximum for the Dolphin Encounter is 30 persons although only ten people at a time are in the water interacting with the dolphins.

For the safety of our animals, guests and trainers, we do not allow guests to take any sort of camera, phone or other recording device into the water during an encounter or swim. We do have a team of photographers on hand to capture these special moments and following your program you are invited to visit the Photo and Video Lab to purchase the photos and videos you’d like to have emailed to you.

Blue Lagoon Island (Dolphin Encounters, Ltd) makes every effort to capture the photos and video of your animal interactions. The photos are a separate charge and are not a part of the interaction itself. In the event your program images are not available due to technical issues regardless of cause, Blue Lagoon Island (Dolphin Encounters, Ltd) will not refund any part of the price of the interaction.

Dolphin Swim

Guests age 5 or younger are not allowed in this program. Guests ages 6 to 12 must be accompanied (in the water) by a participating paying adult (parent or guardian must be at least 18 years of age).Guests age 13 to 17 must be accompanied by an adult (Observer ticket is accepted) who needs to sign the liability waiver.

Dolphin Encounter

Guests age 3 or younger receive free admission if accompanied in the program by a participating paying adult (parent or guardian at least 18 years of age).Guests ages 4 to 12 pay normal price and must be accompanied (in the water) by a participating paying adult.

Sea Lion Encounter

Guests 8 years of age or 48 inches tall may participate in the program. Guests 8 – 12 must be accompanied by a responsible, paying adult (parent or guardian of at least 18 years of age), with a ticket for the Sea Lion Encounter. Guests age 13 to 17 must be accompanied by an adult (with any paid ticket) to sign the liability waiver.

Stingray Encounter

Guests 10 years of age or older may participate in the Stingray Encounter. Guests 10-12 must be accompanied by a responsible, paying adult (parent or guardian of at least 18 years of age), with a ticket for the Stingray Encounter. Guests age 13-17 must be accompanied by an adult (with any paid ticket) to sign the liability waiver.

Shark Encounter

Guests 10 years of age or older may participate in the Shark Encounter. Guests 10-12 must be accompanied by a responsible, paying adult (parent or guardian of at least 18 years of age), with a ticket for the Shark Encounter. Guests age 13-17 must be accompanied by an adult (with any paid ticket) to sign the liability waiver.

Adults Only Beach Day

Guests must be 18 or older to participate in the Adults Only Beach Day.

Beach Day

Guests of all ages are welcome to enjoy our Beach Day program.

You can participate in the Dolphin Encounter, but not in the Dolphin Swim or the Sea Lion, Stingray or Shark Encounter programs.

You do not need to be a swimmer to participate and enjoy the animal programs – we make sure that you may also realize your dream of meeting and interacting safely with our dolphins, sea lions, stingrays or sharks. You will be wearing a life-vest in the Swim Program as well as in the Sea Lion, Stingray and Shark Encounters. However, we strongly recommend that you have at least basic swimming skills for the Dolphin Swim Program.

A maximum of 30 people are allowed on the Dolphin Encounter platform but only ten people at a time will be in the water interacting with the dolphins during the program, and a maximum of 10 people are allowed on the Dolphin Swim and Sea Lion Encounter platforms and in the water with the animals. For the Stingray Encounter and the Shark Encounter, the maximum number of guests allowed in the water at a time is 18.

For the Dolphin Swim program, you should inquire about reservations 3-6 months in advance. Our schedule is released in 6 month intervals about 3 months in advance. For example, reservations for January through June 2026 will be open for booking by September 2025. Please remember that the “Dolphin Swim” and “Sea Lion Encounter” program can be sold out weeks in advance, especially around U.S. holidays or during busy Spring and Summer seasons. The “Dolphin Encounter” program can be booked upon arrival in Nassau, but for short visits to Nassau we do recommend advanced reservations. It sells out an average of 1-3 days in advance.

We do not maintain a waiting list, however you can come to the Welcome Center at check in time to see if there are any last minute cancellations or no shows that open up a spot.

We accept both US and Bahamian cash as well as all major credit and debit cards – Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. The Bahamian dollar B$ is on par with the US $ and both are accepted in The Bahamas.

No, we are an independent company and do not accept hotel or cruise ship charge cards for reservations or for purchases on the island.

Any combination of 10 “Swims” and/or 15 “Encounters” is considered a group. You should contact our Sales & Marketing department if you have a group.

Yes. We offer private platforms. The cost of the private Swim platform is $1,650. To book a private Encounter platform please contact the Sales & Marketing Department for price and availability. 

You must check-in at the Paradise Island Ferry Terminal. It is the only building between the two bridges on Paradise Island. We recommend that you arrive 30-minutes before your boat departure time. This gives you enough time to check-in at the Welcome Center and get your wristband.

The schedule changes from day to day, so please be sure to check your confirmation information. If we have to make a change on our end, we will reach out via telephone and email.

Yes. The Paradise Island Ferry Terminal is located directly across the street from Atlantis by the Marina Village and Marina. Our Welcome Center is located closer to most of the lobbies than some of the hotel’s own attractions. We are only a five minute walk from the Coral, Beach and Royal Towers lobbies.

The boat ride to Blue Lagoon Island from the Paradise Island Ferry Terminal is approximately 25-minutes. Land is always in sight as the ferry passes around Paradise Island and surrounding cays on the way to Blue Lagoon Island.

Yes.

We operate a fleet of ferries. We have several large, double-decker, high-speed catamarans that are made to hold more than 100 people each. We also have a few single deck ferries that are rated for a smaller number of guests. Due to enhanced safety protocols, we restrict the number of guests on each ferry. Each boat has life vests for the number of guests onboard and is overseen by a licensed captain and mate (or mates depending on the vessel size), and a guest services representative. All of the vessels in our fleet are fully licensed and inspected.

Yes. We conduct a thorough safety briefing at the start of each voyage and ask all passengers whether they would like to wear a life vest for the duration of the voyage.

Upon request, we can arrange for a privately owned bus service to pick you up at your hotel. The pick-up time for all Cable Beach hotel guests is one hour prior to boat departure. For Paradise Island, it is 15-minutes prior to your boat departure.

Yes, our lifeguards are rigorously trained and certified by StarGuard ELITE Lifeguard Certification, an international leader in water safety. In addition, the entire boating and guest services teams are StarGuard ELITE-certified for water rescue, as well as Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), thereby exceeding industry standards.

Yes. The Company provides ongoing training, on a regular basis, regarding Boat Safety and Emergency Procedures, Personal Safety and Social Responsibility, and Crisis Management.