Friday morning was cool, overcast and gloomy, and the coast at Three Mile was deserted. Due to the high high tide, Rus and I had to make a long paddle out to the point from the nearest available strip of sand. He outpaced me with his webbed gloves and longer board, and I found myself pulling steadily alone across murky green-blue water punctuated by the odd kelp plant, da dum, da dum theme music playing in my head. And then - a fin! It broke the surface between me and my distant buddy and was gone. Rapid-fire mental fin identification pegged it as dolphin (right? I hope?!), which Rus confirmed when I reached him at the lineup. Whew. Friend, not foe.
And some time ago there was the magical day at Linda Mar that prompted this soliloquy:
And some time ago there was the magical day at Linda Mar that prompted this soliloquy:
Dawn at the beach. Air almost 50 degrees, water slightly warmer. Full moon hanging over the ocean, sun rising from the hills. Swell gently lifting my surfboard a little closer to the sky as it passes by on its way to touch the beach. Icy water trickling down the front of my wetsuit. Feet going numb from the cold despite neoprene booties and thermal socks. Two dolphins in the lineup chase silver fish, who leap into the air in a swirling mass, sparkling in the first rays of the sun. Then "pwwwfff!" as another dolphin surfaces and exhales not a dozen feet from me, before gracefully sliding back under the water. What a great way to start the day!
If you've likewise enjoyed the companionship of wild dolphins while surfing, you should see this movie, which I watched on the flight to Sydney. Check out the trailer below and get more info here.
I know I should watch these types of movies, but I get so upset that often I just don't. There is so much of this stuff going on - which cause do you choose? Humans ars the worst kind of animal.
ReplyDeleteIt's not too much upsetting. Sure, they show some evil stuff, but there's also a lot on the nature of dolphins - I thought I knew quite a bit but I learned some things. And it's very interesting that the man who trained Flipper is now working against keeping any dolphins in captivity.
ReplyDeleteCool. I might take a look.
ReplyDelete