Rob’s aunt & uncle, Linda and Herb, are staying in the area so  we made reservations to go out on a Cold Mil Dolphin Cruise.  Rob and I had cruised with them last year and had seen lots of dolphins so we were hoping it would be the same this year.

Cold Mil is located next to Flippers Restaurant at Bear Point on Bay La Launch Avenue (off of Canal Road). At this time of year cruises aboard their 50 foot open boats are at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. and the cost is $15 per person or $20 for the 5:00 p.m. sunset cruise. We had a $2 off coupon so for $13 per person (plus tax) we got to enjoy a 1 1/2 hour cruise on a magnificent, bright sunny day and watch dolphins surfing and playing in the wake of the boat.  This year there were enough people with reservations for two boats to go out together.

When one of the boats spotted a pod of dolphins, the two boats  would line up next to each other, putting the dolphins in between, then accelerate to a synchronized speed creating a more massive combined wake.  We learned last year that the dolphins love to surf and play in the wakes of boats, and this large wake is just irresistible to these ultra playful creatures as they frolic between and just aft of the two boats.

About 1/2 hour out, we came across the first pod – at least six dolphins were jumping and playing within 4 feet of the boat – wicked cool!  Eventually they tired of playing so the captains continued out further in Perdido bay.

A little bit later, another pod of dolphins was spotted so once again the two captains aligned their boats and speed to create a  wake.  Eight dolphins including what looked to be a youngster began surfing between the two boats. One or two individuals were even spinning and rolling as they went airborne – I think they were just showing off!

At one point we were also buzzed by an ultralite – he actually flew between the two cruise boats.  Glad that he knew what he was doing!  See the video below.

Eventually the show was over and it was time to return back to the dock. Darn!  I think we all wanted to stay out there for another few hours enjoying the day and the show! Oh well, there’s always next year!

We would definitely recommend this outfit for a good dolphin show, heck it was worth the $13 just for the boat ride!

They don’t really do justice to actually being there, but check out our videos below for a sample of the action:

More photos…