Silver Bullet, Wildwood

My wife has been to WW for over 20 years and has enjoyed the coast and boardwalk. She introduced me to it when we first met, and we have come here for 4 years straight. Every time we come into the city, we pass this attraction, but have never stopped and investigated. Last year we saw dolphins off the coast from our hotel room, and we vowed to try it when we came back. We just returned from the trip, and what a ride! We made our reservations the day before and came to the boat about 30 minutes before our 12 noon departure time. Since it is early in the summer season, the boat was at best 1/3rd full, and there were plenty of empty seats around us. The first mate, John, was very helpful and friendly, and offered us soda, water, and snacks for a reasonable price, as well as beer for us adults if we chose. We left on time, and proceeded to slowly make our way out to the ocean. On the way, the captian, Eric, gave us a brief history of the protected wildlife preserves, fishing boats, and other landmarks. We then reached the inlet, and the captain began to throttle up the boat. It has twin engines that have 2000hp, and you can feel it in every muscle when the boat starts to cruise. The water was fairly calm, although there were some bumps and dips, but nothing extraordinary or bone-rattling. We followed the southern NJ shore, and the captain continued to give brief historical summaries of the Cape May shore and lighthouse as we passed them. It was difficult to hear him at times over the roar of the engine, and we were seated towards the front of the boat. It was not a big deal, though, because your attention is fixed to all the sights that you are passing by as the captain takes the boat to the dolphin grounds. Once at the grounds, 1st mate John found a good size group of dolphins within 2 minutes. The captain slowed, then stopped the boat to get a good look. He also turned the boat around so each side a had a good view of the dolphins as they swam north. I was able to get a good 10 minutes worth of video, including a baby dolphin that was swimming in the middle of a group. Although no dolphin got closer than 50 feet from the boat, others on the boat who had been on the trip before informed me that other times the dolphins come right up to the side of the boat and were only arms-lengh away. But we were not done. Once we left the dolphin grounds, the captain told us that we needed to hold on and move to the center of the boat if we did not want to get wet. He then proceeded to rev the engines full throttle, and white foam sprayed the entire boat. Those in the front on the sides of the boat got wet, and those in the back of the boat got DRENCHED. Laughter filled the boat once the captain throttled back, and everyone was having a great time as the captain followed the same track back to the slip. The entire trip lasted 2 hours. A few reccommendations for those of you who want to take this trip: 1) Make sure you apply sunscreen to every exposed surface of your skin. Even with clouds, the sun was strong on the open water. 2) Make sure you bring something warm to wear. You may be hot on the boat as you wait for it to leave, but once on the water the spray and wind will be chilly, even in the middle of the day. Glasses are also a good idea if you want to see without having to squint from the spray and wind. 3) If you do plan to get wet, make sure you bring something dry to wear. The ride back will be long and cold if you don't. Also, bring some money if you want snacks, drinks, beer, souveneirs, and to tip the captain and first mate as you get off the boat, which is customary. Overall, the cost was more than resonable for the ride and experience. My wife and I walked away with 10-11 minutes of good video, huge smiles on our faces, and wonderful memories of a great, shared experience, as well as a stuffed dolphin as a souvenier. Great job SilverBullet! Keep up the great work and fantastic ride!