Welcoming visitors seven days a week, the Blue Lagoon Island and Dolphin Encounters teams have the pleasure of hosting friendly faces from across the globe on a daily basis. In fact, fairly regularly, a few of the world’s better-known faces stop by for a kiss from one of the pod. Last month, the Dolphin Encounters family got a visit from a new group of speedy swimmers when the Swim MAC Team Elite popped in for a dip with the Dolphin Encounters aquatic mammals.

Made up of 15 athletes – Cullen Jones, Nick Thoman, Tim Phillips, Micah Lawrence, Kara Lynn Joyce, Madison Kennedy, Roy Burch, Kathryn Saurborn, Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, Dax Hill, Katie Meili, Kelsie Hall, Kirsty Coventry, Lauren Perdue and Ryan Lochte – eight members of the Swim MAC Team Elite along with U.S. Olympic Coach David Marsh made a trip to The Bahamas to train and compete in the Bahamas Swim Federation’s time trials for the 2015 Carifta Championships. When they weren’t busy making their own splashes in the water, the swimmers took some time to host a clinic for younger Bahamian swimmers.

Knowing that it wouldn’t be a trip to The Bahamas without a bit of fun and relaxation, the Dolphin Encounters team stepped up to show the busy athletes a good time. The swimmers, who included Bahamian Olympian Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace and Olympic medalists Ryan Lochte and Cullen Jones, got a chance to meet a few other wave makers in the Sea Lion Encounter program. They made a big fan out of 21-year-old sea lion PJ, who showed a lot of love to Olympians Vanderpool-Wallace and Lochte.

Since Swim MAC’s visit, Lochte has been voted as one of the “Elite eight” in USA Swimming’s Swim Showdown. The Dolphin Encounters team wishes each Swim MAC Team Elite team member the best of luck in their competitions and in qualifying for the 2016 Olympics this year and welcomes them all back when they’re ready for another splash in the sun with the Dolphin Encounters family.