Anthony's Key Resort (AKR) is the home of the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences (RIMS), a complete marine laboratory and educational facility for the study of dolphins and other marine creatures. Located right on the resort property, this facility provides easy and convenient access to a wide range of dolphin experiences.

Dolphin Orientation Before snorkeling or diving with the dolphins, guests are introduced to the dolphins at the main facility, while the trainer provides a pre-dive orientation on how to behave with dolphins. Guests have an opportunity to touch, stroke and pat the animals while learning the basics of dolphin courtesy.

Dolphin Greeting When the guests arrive at the dolphin snorkeling facility, the trainer first greets the dolphins as a matter of courtesy. Each trainer is entrusted with the personal care and feeding of two specific dolphins. There are a total of 19 dolphins at AKR and each has its own name.

Dolphin Introduction Guests are introduced to the dolphins in small groups while the trainer provides positive reinforcement with a dolphin snack. Since dolphins love to eat, they associate the newly arrived guests as being a good thing.

Dolphin Snorkeling Guests have an opportunity to snorkel with the dolphins for a period of 45 minutes as they tour the snorkeling facility and observe the playful antics of these highly intelligent, creative creatures.

Dolphin at Sea The dolphin scuba dive takes place in the open sea about one-half mile from the resort. It begins with the arrival of the dolphin boat. The dolphin patiently wait on the surface as the trainer gears up in scuba and the guests dive to the sandy floor, 50 feet below.

Dolphin Play Once everyone is acquainted, the dolphin will begin to play with the trainer. It is a spontaneous interaction between dolphin and diver. Quite often the dolphin will race away, beyond the limit of visibility, and then suddenly return to resume play. This dolphin interaction continues for 30 minutes.

Dolphin Jump At the conclusion of the dolphin scuba dive, the dolphin will often make a graceful surface jump as a way of saying thank you. The dolphin enjoy the scuba dive experience just as much as do the divers.

Dolphin Discovery Camp AKR operates a Dolphin Discovery Camp for children ages 5 to 14. During a week long program, the children learn about bottlenose dolphin and have an opportunity to interact with these creatures on several occasions. As always, the interaction begins with an introduction at the institute's floating raft.

Swimming With Dolphins After introduction the children, dressed in floatation jackets, enter the water and swim with the dolphins. The kids are accompanied by a trainer who explains what the dolphins are doing and how to act with them.

Dolphin Tummy Rub The dolphin trainer has the dolphins roll over on their back, so the children can rub their tummy and learn how incredibly friendly these creatures can be.

Dolphin-speak If we could understand what these dolphin squeaks and clicks mean, we would probably learn that the dolphin is saying ''come back to AKR and play with me.''