As the Development Applications Board considers hundreds of written objections from local and overseas environmentalists today, a decision will be made on whether the controversial Bermuda Dolphin Oasis will be permitted to set up at Sinky Bay.

But Director of Planning Rudolph Hollis told yesterday, that after a lengthy inspection of the area at the former Sonesta Beach hotel, the department decided to issue a refusal recommendation to the board.

Dolphin Quest ? the Island?s only dolphin swim facility ? has also come out against its proposed new competitor.

The company wrote a long objection letter to the DAB warning that having a dolphin concession on the South Shore poses dangers to humans and dolphins in the event of a hurricane.

Dolphin Quest said dredging the bay has the potential to flush massive amounts of harmful bacteria into the waters of the area, posing dangers to both humans and animals.

In a letter written by co-owners Dr. Rae Stone and Dr. Jay Sweeney as well as local general manager Christine Mihelcic the company suggested a full report on the effects of the proposed Dolphin Oasis on the waters of Sinky Bay must be carried out.

Dolphin Oasis has submitted an animal management plan to the DAB that calls for housing up to 14 dolphins, and would include a breeding programme.

Areas of Sinky Bay would be turned into interactive, sanctuary and buffer zones of a dolphin swim park attraction. The plans also call for a significant portion of the bay to be excavated ? a risky move according to biologists, as massive amounts of peat would have to be pulled up from the seabed.

If the proposal is rejected today, business owners Lynn and Martin Hassell can appeal the decision to Environment Minister Neletha Butterfield.

Yesterday, Mr. Hollis said all objections lodged at Planning within the allowed time period would be considered by the board today.

Hundreds of emails from prominent environmental groups such as the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society and the World Society for the Protection of Animals have been filed.

Yesterday, Mr. Hollis said it was the opinion of the Planning department that the application should not be supported.

?Our studies of the area speak to the physical circumstances and the use of the natural environment,? he said. ?While the Planning department cannot determine the extent of the dredging (needed), this application does raise issues as to whether or not these uses on the foreshore are good uses.?

The Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation Services is investigating the area to fully determine the extent of dredging which would be needed, he added.

Rival Dolphin Quest, meanwhile, claimed dredging Sinky Bay would require the removal of 600 truckloads of compacted, decaying organic waste from the area.

The proposed dredging and removal of material, which ranges from four feet deep to eleven feet deep, could contaminate the shoreline with potentially lethal loads of bacteria to be released out of the thick layers of peat, potentially harming dolphins and swimmers, the company argued.

Dolphin Quest continued: ?Equally and regrettably, our comments arise from Dolphin Quest Bermuda?s own past experience of operating our dolphin interactive programme on Bermuda?s hurricane-prone South Shore, no more than two kilometres from where this application would house a collection of dolphins.?

The company said the Hassells? hurricane evacuation plan is risky and ineffective and that it would be a tragedy waiting to happen to house dolphins in 12,000 gallon pools, inside the Hasco Construction Building in Southampton.

The pools are ?undersized and inadequate for housing dolphins for more extended periods,? the company said it its letter.

Dolphin Quest said the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums requires a minimum tank size of 58,500 gallons.

Bermuda Dolphin Oasis has also not been accurate in taking water samples, according to Dolphin Quest.

?The coliform data presented in this report is from a different data set than the Bermuda Department of Health Laboratory data,? the letter said. ?We would suggest further research into the full report of the Bermuda Water Consultant?s work.

?We would recommend independent cultures for anaerobic bacteria from the Sinky Bay core samples. We recommend an independent marine engineering assessment of this proposal.?

Water quality would have to be monitored for a significant time before and after the dredging occurred, Dolphin Quest suggested.

To protect wild dolphin populations, the company urged Government look at the origins of dolphins which will be brought into Bermuda.

Certain areas of the world, such as Cuba, are under an embargo from captures by US citizens ? a law Dolphin Fantaseas of Antigua & Anguilla violated.

Until June, Lynn Hassell was the CEO of that company.

?The source of the animals used for its previous programmes as Dolphin Fantaseas should be addressed as relevant to the newly-named company?s recent record of responsible and ethical practices,? said the Dolphin Quest objection.

And the company admitted facing challenges on the South Shore several years ago during Hurricane Gert when two dolphins were lost during the evacuation.

?The hurricane evacuation plan submitted by the applicant is particularly ill-conceived,? Dolphin Quest wrote. ?Placing animals that are challenging to collect and move in normal circumstances, let alone stressful emergency situations, into the historic path of hurricanes is another tragedy waiting to happen. The Bermuda Department of Planning should reject this application for its choice of location that is unsuitable and inherently dangerous to the dolphins.?