Eilat Dolphin Reef - The great barrier-less reef
By: AVIVA BAR-AM

When the staff at Eilat's Dolphin Reef opened a brand- new pier in 2002, they held their collective breath and waited anxiously to see what would happen.
This would be the first time in reef history that visitors would have unimpeded access to the frolicking dolphins all day long. And worried personnel at the reef wondered if people would throw food, or anger the dolphins. Would they force themselves upon the dolphins, or try to hurt them in any way? Would they frighten the only wild animal on earth that has established an unconditional bond with humans?
To the delight of everyone concerned, reports reef representative Paula Levin, adults and children alike respond wonderfully to the new arrangements. And so do the dolphins, who come close enough to touch (if they like the cut of your jib). They also leap into the air, do a great backstroke, and stand up in the water without any encouragement at all from Dolphin Reef trainers.
My family calls Eilat 'hutz la'aretz' (a foreign country), and after a day at Dolphin Reef I am inclined to agree. Indeed, I can think of nothing more relaxing, more removed from the constant stress of life in this country, than the dolphin experience - on the beach watching them play, swimming right along with the dolphins, or lounging on the deck waiting for them to approach.
Located three kilometers south of the city on the Red Sea coast, Dolphin Reef was founded by marine biologist Roni Zilber in 1990. He dreamed of creating an ideal environment for dolphins in which mutual respect and unconditional goodwill would be paramount. In such an atmosphere, he believed, dolphins and humans could enjoy and benefit from one another.
The setting was to be non-restrictive and non- coercive: dolphins were never to be compelled to perform for their dinner or forcibly restricted to their new home. When they wanted safety and the comfort of their families, dolphins could live in a secure 10,000 enclosed square meters in the sea.
But when they craved adventure, they could move through a passageway and into the open waters, just as humans walk in and out of doors.
And that's exactly the way it was - at least until recently. A Dolphin Watch, manned by volunteers and personnel from the reef, patrolled the beaches and the bay. They removed dangerous obstacles, and tried to enforce directives forbidding people to feed, chase or harass the dolphins. But as the dolphins felt more secure and lowered their guards, a few boorish boaters and sunbathers on beaches where the dolphins stopped to visit utterly disregarded the law. Feeding the dolphins was their worst offense, for doing so can disrupt feeding patterns and alter behavior. A few of the dolphins reacted by flicking their tormenters with their tails.
Until regulations protecting the dolphins are implemented by the authorities, all 12 of the reef's bottle-nosed dolphins are living in the reef's giant enclosure. And, after some early confusion when they found the open seas out of bounds, they seem to be having a great time. The morning I was at the reef, calling softly to the dolphins, Cindy and Luna were the first to approach.
The Don Juan of Dolphin Reef, 32-year-old Cinderella, Cindy for short, weighs 350 kilograms and despite the name fathered each and every baby calf born at the reef. His daughter Luna was born nearly three years ago on a night when the full moon shone gloriously over the sea. She was named for the Roman goddess of the moon. Another of Cindy's progeny, nine-year-old Pashosh, has already mothered baby Mica.
Each dolphin has its own distinct appearance. The markings on Cindy's face are the reason for his name; bossy Dana has only one eye and lacks part of a fin; Domino's back fin is marked with a white dot, and she has beautiful stripes around her eyes.
Not only do they look different from one another, but every dolphin has its own special signature whistle as well. When picking his signature, the dolphin uses part of his mother's whistle and adds something of his own.
One dolphin was easy to identify. Well, he wasn't actually a dolphin - he was a dog named Joker, a sandy terrier adopted by the affectionate dolphins.
He swims with them, rides on their backs, and loves them dearly.
Human beings would benefit from copying a number of dolphin habits.
Truly gentle and non-violent animals, dolphins have no natural enemies (except for man). Males and females travel as a group and even among themselves are wholly non- aggressive. Indeed, dolphins seem to experience no jealously at all. Dolphin sex lives are quite active, they enjoy all kinds of varied positions, and have sex with whoever they want whenever they are in the mood. Cindy loves to swim sensually alongside the females of the species.
My daughter and I were so enamored with the dolphins that we decided to go for the ultimate experience: we would swim with them underwater. We hoped they would be in the right mood, and get close enough to touch. But, if not, we would watch them glide here and there, carrying on their daily activities.
I hadn't dived with dolphins in almost a decade, and had forgotten how glorious the sensation could be. But it all came back as, breathing slowly and deeply into a snorkel tube, gently moving our flippers, my reef guide and I moved leisurely all the way down to the ocean floor.
Once there, I was entranced by the coral and other sea creatures we encountered. And, since I had visited Eilat's Underwater Observatory the day before, I remembered all kinds of details about them. I even recognized some of the fish, and knew what they were doing and why! But the highlight of the swim was, of course, the natural view I had of dolphin life. I watched them go by in small groups, above my head, coming directly towards me, swimming under my tummy, playing gaily or moving purposefully from one place to the next. Time simply stood still, and I was shocked when the dive was over.
Then, as if I weren't relaxed enough already, I spent part of the evening with my husband at the Reef's Nirvana Pools: three stress-reducing heated pools filled with sea water, shallow rain water and salt water. Tranquility seems to seep into your very bones as you listen to underwater music and feel your troubles floating away. If you like (and we did!) one of the staff moves you gently through the water.
When not in the pools, guests sip wine and nibble on light refreshments. We especially enjoyed lounging on a terrace high above the dark sea, hearing the splash of the dolphins as they played in the water.

Discovering the deep
Did you know that the most poisonous frogs in the world live in the fresh waters of the Amazon River? Small and brightly colored, they carry enough poison on their skin to kill eight people. Yet when their eggs hatch, the potentially lethal male carries his baby tadpoles on his back one by one to a special plant and drops them gently into its shelter. He then watches them grow in safety until they are independent enough to fend for themselves. Wondrous are the ways of nature!
Poisonous frogs, carnivorous turtles, and sparkler- covered piranhas are among dozens of creatures unique to the Amazon and on display at Eilat's famous Underwater Observatory. Also featured are baby alligators and a female anaconda snake which, when it unwinds, is five times longer than the male.
The completely new Amazon exhibit joins the Oceanarium, a simulative movie theater whose seats move up and down, tilting backwards and forwards to make you feel like you are traveling through the ocean. My favorite part of the 'journey' was the close-up view of a female seal giving birth on the beach.
Over the past 28 years we have watched the Underwater Observatory develop from a modest (albeit wonderful) Red Sea establishment into one of the world's most exciting marine parks. Besides the Amazon exhibit and the Oceanarium, the park boasts two underwater halls, a rare- fish museum, shark, turtle, and stingray pools, and a delightful coral reef tank.
On the morning before diving at the Dolphin Reef my daughter and I spent several hours at the marine park. We used the park's personal Electronic Guides to match all kinds of living creatures with pictures in a pamphlet, and then listened with wonder to riveting explanations of their habits.
At the circular Reef Tank, where corals grow wild in a life-size replica of a Red Sea coral reef, we heard all about the disc coral. Prominent among the corals, it was brown, green and yellow and shaped like a cabbage.
According to the guide, it shelters young fish in its large 'leaves' and can grow up to 1.5 meters in diameter! It was tough leaving the Aquarium Museum, whose 38 different aquariums house more than 500 fascinating species of Red Sea corals, fish, sea sponges, and marine invertebrates. I was captivated by the stone fish, which look exactly like colored pebbles. Because they are lousy swimmers, they crawl around on pincers. A large dark aquarium features the stunning flashlight fish.
The shark tank was mesmerizing, and we enjoyed watching the sharks' constant movement as they breathed oxygen through the water that poured into their gills. One shark, however, doesn't move at all: the sand shark sits immobile on the ocean floor - looking, for all the world, like a piece of plastic! Don't miss the feeding sessions, when guides talk about the sharks, turtles, stingrays, and fish as you watch them devour their meals. And, before you leave, stop in the Discovery Room. Here Eilat's school children rehabilitate broken corals and breed clown, anemone, and razor fish. As a result of their efforts, last year they were able to return 600 sea horses to the ocean.

GETTING THERE:
Bus no. 15 from Eilat brings you both to Dolphin Reef and to the Underwater Observatory. Both sites have wheelchair-accessible restrooms and restaurants that are open seven days a week.

DOLPHIN REEF:
The pier is wheelchair accessible, there are suitable restrooms.
People confined to wheelchairs can dive with the dolphins! The Reef has special facilities for scuba diving and snorkeling, but you must call ahead to make arrangements.
Hours: 7 days a week: 9:00-17:00.
Phone: (08) 637-1846

UNDERWATER OBSERVATORY MARINE PARK: Almost completely wheelchair accessible: wheelchair available for use at the site.
Hours: Sat-Thursday 8:30 until 16:00. On Fridays and holiday eves, the park is open until 15:00.
Phone: (08) 636-4200. 1-800-233266