But today's experience can not wait. I must share while I am still high from the activities of the day.
Yesterday we booked an overnight trip from Auckland to Paihia, in the north of the north island, to go on some kind of dolphin tour. After much deliberation and doubt "Ok, how close do you REALLY get to the dolphins? Those pictures must be photoshopped or something.", I decided on a "swim with the dolphins" tour. I got on a boat with about 20 other people, excited to see dolphins and even more excited at the prospect of being in the water with them. Keep in mind that I was never one of those girls that went through a pony/dolphin phase. I really never thought much about dolphins or got excited at the thought or mention of them...
We were told under no circumstances should we get in the water unless we were fast and strong swimmers because we had to follow the dolphins around. They wouldn't just come to us. Btw bottlenose dolphins swim at an average of 3-7 mph. Average pool sprinters swim at 3.7 mph. Average regular people in a strong ocean current battling snorkels and each other...not so much. So I'm thinking, "We're gonna get into the water and the dolphins are going to swim away from us while we fight the currents like floppy imbeciles, and not see a damn thing but a few fins, racing away from us" But then I thought, "I should just trust what the experienced crew tells us and believe that we will get amazingly close to dolphins."
So they got us geared up and put us on standby to jump (quietly, no splashing or "woo hoo"-ing) in to the water when we got to a spot where a pod of dolphins were hanging out and playing. They also advised us not the clap the water like they do at Sea World but to talk to them, ask them where they're from, tell them where we're from (as you do with dolphins), and do duck dives to keep them engaged as they get bored easily.
The skipper quickly found a good pod (whatever that means), stopped the boat and we were promptly sent into the water, SAWT team style: "Ok, ready? Go go go go go go go go!!" Suddenly 12 people were in the water, chasing bottlenose dolphins this way and that, not quite knowing which direction to swim to. From the slight shock of the cold of the water (which was promptly forgotten as soon as a dolphin swam by) and the excitement of the situation, I was slightly hyperventilating. But crap, dolphins were swimming by! So I started in their direction. But just as quickly as they appeared, they were gone again. A quick look up to the crew who were pointing where they could see the dolphins and I followed their fingers in the opposite direction, fighting the other swimmers who were just as eager as me.
After I made myself take a few deep breaths to prevent myself from passing out, I decided to do the silly thing and take the crew's advice by talking to the dolphins to attract their attention. So in my best high-pitched voice that I usually save for my cats and stray dogs who want nothing to do with me, I asked the dolphins how they were, their favorite fish and if they came to this part of the bay often.
And do you know what? It bloody worked! I could hear some of the high-pitched frequency they emit, and 2 seconds later, a dolphin swam right under me, followed by another one. I tried it again just to check my theory and sure enough, every time I talked to them, a few dolphins came by and said hello. They swam close enough so I could touch them, if that was allowed. I was flipping amazed and excited beyond words. This was the most amazing wildlife experience I had have yet.
Eventually this pod grew bored with us and swam away. We visited two other sites that were equally as exciting.
The last site we visited was in a more shallow area where we could see the bottom of the bay, so if the dolphins swam under us, we could still see where they were going. We all got in the habit of talking (well, I was still talking and I didn't care who heard me) and flipping around and doing duck dives to maintain their attention. Sometimes, they would come toward us and play with us. Sometimes they were playing with each other (in a very adult way....yes, I saw two dolphins having sex.) They weren't necessarily mating because, as you know, like humans, they have sex for pleasure and not just to make babies.
I felt like I should look away at this point. Maybe they saw me and decided they wanted more privacy. In any case, they eventually swam away, possibly gained their composure again and came back a few times more. Or maybe it was some other dolphins. I really don't know, nor do I care. There were 3 meter long dolphins there with me, swimming with me, interacting with me. Possibly talking to me.
Playing with me.
I was as happy as a clam on the bay floor.
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| For those requiring explanation, I was holding on for dear life to this total stranger cause if i let go, I would have flown back into the water, taking the girl behind me with me. |
