Everyone is looking forward to this three day weekend including our locals and visitors planning to relax on the legendary Mississippi Sound, but those who were looking forward to taking a trip with Ship Islands Excursions will have to wait a while longer.
- - including locals and visitors - planning to relax on our- legendary mississippi sound, bu- as news 25's toni miles shows - us, those who were looking- forward to taking a trip with - ship islands excursions , will- have to wait a while longer.- quick!- quick!- - tom and debbie sveistrup, and - their sons jaidin and sebastian- traveled 800 miles for their- - - - first trip to mississippi.- this vacation marked a lot of - firsts for the family.- - - - tom sveistrup, tourist: "i've - never seen the ocean.
I figured- i'm almost 60 - - - - years old, i said, why not?"- a dolphin watching cruise in- gulfport lured them in.
Debbie- sveistrup, tourist: "the kids - have never seen the beach, neve- have seen dolphins, so that's - the game plan."
- the sveistrups even got to- - - - discuss the trip beforehand wit- the captain - louis skrmetta.
- captain louis skrmetta, ship- island excursions: " we started- it last year.
It's a 90-minute- cruise right along gulfport's - front beach but we also tour th- harbor, the gulfport ship - harbor, and but we go out - looking for pods of dolphins- along the gulfport ship - channel."
- toni miles, news 25: " and whil- the dolphn watching cruises hav- resumed, trips out to ship- island have been delayed at - least until june 5th."
Captain- louis skrmetta, ship island - excursions: "the national park- service - has decided not to open the - island for memorial weekend.
Of- course, we're very- disappointed with that.
We are- hopeful they'll open the island- they're saying now- june 5th, according to the- covid-19 situation.
We are very- disappointed because- memorial weekend is huge for us- we've already lost the spring - and now losing this - weekend, we've already lost,- essentially, half of our- operating season."- captain skrmetta says that- although the tour ships have- all covid-19 mitigations in - - - - place and are ready to go out t- ship island,the national park - service has - staffing issues and is not read- for large numbers of- people on the island.
- - - - so for now, these tour ships- will stay docked, but - fortunately for visitors and- families like the sveistrups, - you can still take a- quick trip out on the water and- enjoy a close encounter with- the dolphins or other marine- life on our mississippi sound.- in gulfport, toni miles, news - 25.
- - - - - we reached out to gulf islands- sea-shore, which over-sees ship- island, for comment.- they have yet to return our - call.
- we'll keep you posted.- -