Just recently, myself and others in the gated Puerto Aventuras community had the unique privilege of witnessing the birth of baby dolphins.  This year, three new additions were made to the approximately 30 dolphins that already reside in Dolphin Discovery, located inside of the Puerto Aventuras Marina.

In anticipation of the new arrivals, locals and tourists alike literally camped out for hours on end, not wanting to miss this once-in-a-lifetime event.  According to the local trainers, the poor expectant mothers can be in labor for up to three days.  By the time I met my wife and son, who had spent all-day watching the second expectant mother, a crowd of nearly one hundred people had gathered.  Together, we watched as the tail came out first.  Just minutes later, with one great push, out came the rest of the baby dolphin to a huge applause from the audience.  The little guy must have ready to come out, because right away, he was swimming next to his mother, coming up to breathe in a normal rhythmic fashion.  I looked down at my three-month old son, then up to my wife and asked her, "Could you imagine if that was our son?  It would be like you were in labor for days, then he the came out of womb and immediately started running around the delivery room."

For now, it appears as if all three dolphins that were born are healthy.  Trainers will monitor their breathing cycles around the clock for approximately three months before they can be sure that there are not any complications.  Looking back on this incredible experience, how many people on Earth get the chance to see a dolphin give birth?  Even better, how many people live under one hundred steps from where it takes place?  Ask around, I'll bet not many.  I feel pretty blessed to be able to call Puerto Aventuras real estate my home, and consider all of its mammalian residents a part of my family.