Sailing with a burly, white-bearded captain named Butler on the Gemini Galaxsea, the plan was to swim with wild dolphins on a sunny Saturday morning. Though he couldn't guarantee the sightings, hopes were high as we sailed from Tauranga, past Mount Maunganui and out to sea.
Excitement peaked when after about two hours, Butler and his crew spotted our prize. About 10 grey and yellow-striped dolphins gliding through the clear blue water.
JACKPOT!!
But before I could dive head first into the cool water (I didn't even want to waste time putting on a wetsuit), we spotted them -- tiny babies swimming along side their protective mothers. That sight, though quite beautiful, meant no swimming for the tourists. (It's a protection thing for both parties.)
We followed or were followed by the dolphins for over an hour. I could hear the high pitch squeals and even felt the water on my feet as they jumped about, but that was as close as I got. It was a cool experience, but I'm not going to lie, it was a little disappointing.
I did get a chance to get into the water, I even jumped off the roof of the boat, but by then, the dolphins were long gone.
No comments:
Post a Comment