Jo Jo the Dolphin in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Jo Jo the dolphin has become a national treasure in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Imagine a relationship that began over 20 years ago in TCI.

This is a photo that John captured while Jo Jo swam alongside the boat he was out on.

Of course, the mention of these beautiful Islands leads you to picture a paradise-like location that would be the perfect backdrop to any love story. There's a twist to this story, though, and it is absolutely amazing. You see, one of the players in this story is an amazing character named Jo Jo the Dolphin.

Jo Jo is one in a million when it comes to dolphins. He actively seeks out time and attention from a Turks and Caicos resident named Dean Bernal. The two of them have been friends since 1984, and their story is the stuff that Hollywood fantasy is made of, except it's completely true.

Dean made his first trip to Turks and Caicos in 1984 and began to swim out to the reef where Jo Jo the Dolphin spent his days. This kind of contact between dolphins and humans is wonderful, but it is not unique. What happened next, though, turned a few encounters into an actual friendship between Dean and JoJo.

Dean took up residence in Turks and Caicos and began a career as a scuba instructor. It wasn't too long after their initial encounters that JoJo the Dolphin began doing something quite extraordinary.

Jo Jo began seeking Dean out and spending time with him, of his own volition. This simply does not happen often at all. Marine animal experts say that there are maybe 8 marine mammals that will relate to human beings the way that Jo Jo does.

This is nothing at all like people going out to swim with dolphins, as lovely and enchanting as those encounters can be.

This is the bell that hangs on the deck of Hemingway's Restaurant asking you to ring it if you see Jo Jo the Dolphin.

For Jo Jo to actively meet with Dean and swim with him is truly remarkable. Jo Jo became so interested in Dean that he would swim nearby where Dean was teaching his classes and actually wait for Dean to finish so they could play together.

Here's a great video of JoJo and Dean playing together.

After some time, Jo Jo even became mischievous to get Dean's attention. He would stop waiting for Dean to play and take matters into his own hands... well fins. He would snatch Dean's air hose and pull him away from classes to swim. The two of them would then explore JoJo's underwater world together.

Tourists flock from all over the world in hopes of seeing this unique relationship in person. There is no other attraction in the world where you can see the special friendship of a man named Dean and a very special dolphin, named Jo Jo.

Their relationship is so stunning that a documentary movie was made to show the world the amazing times Dean and Jo Jo the Dolphin have together.

Now that I'm living in Turks and Caicos I'm really hoping to get a glimpse of JoJo and who knows, maybe even swim with him! How cool would that be!

You can check out more about Dean and JoJo at the Marine Wildlife Foundation site.