One of the most amazing things we did on our trip to Florida...come to think of it, it's pretty high up there as one of the most amazing things I've done in my life...was to go on a dolphin boat tour with Captain Mark and First Mate Terresa. Totally worth every penny we spent. Even those of us who are not madly in love with dolphins would agree.
I know I've briefly mentioned before my slight obsession with dolphins. Some of you may have heard how I've thought several times that if I ever went back to school, I'd probably have to major in Marine Biology so I could work with dolphins. But now I have an even better plan. Maybe in several years, Captain Mark and Terresa will be ready to take a break from their job, and Andrew and I can take over. We can buy a boat and just drive it around all day with really fun people, looking for dolphins who know us and recognize our boat, and who like us enough to swim up in the wake of the boat and just play...day after day after day. Sometimes we'll take a break to go find some really cool shells and eat some yummy fish tacos, but mostly we'll just play with those dolphins. Did you know that dolphins (at least these) love Bob Marley? They swim away from the Beach Boys, but when Bob Marley is on, they come on over. Did you know that when dolphins are happy or excited, their tummy turns pink? They are attracted to bright colors and to a rhythmic beat, which Terresa accomplished by waving a colored bandanna and banging on the side of the boat to the beat of the music.
This explains a bit more why the dolphins came to play with us (besides us being so cool and all!):
Most species of dolphins are attracted to the pressure wave created by moving boats. This common behavior is often seen with dolphins riding on the bow wave or stern wave of a boat. It is believed that this behavior is undertaken by the animals for pure enjoyment or a free ride, much like body surfing in humans.
The pictures and videos won't really come close to explaining how cool it was, I was too busy being THRILLED to really worry about what direction the camera was facing, but they'll give you an idea anyway. And you might want to turn your volume down. It's mostly just an embarrassing display of me yelling "Oh My Gosh!" over and over again. Really doesn't add much to your viewing enjoyment. In the second video you might be able to tell that the dolphins were close enough to actually splash my face (after that happens, there's not really much left, so you can just skip the end of the video clip).
See the pink underside of the dolphin?
6 comments:
That looks amazing!!! Where in Florida did you go? We go to Florida every year to visit Derek's parents but we haven't done anything like that yet, how fun!
THAT's SO AWESOME!!! I'm right there with you. So cool!
Rosie, we were in Naples (Bonita Beach). If you are anywhere close, you should totally do this. It was so much fun...for adults and it would be with kids too.
Looks like you had so much fun Rebecca!! I LOVE dolphins as well and am totally entranced by them! They are such beautiful creatures and have such a beautiful enery!! If you ever get a chance, you should try swimming with them also~ Shawn and I swam with some dolphins in the Bahamas before we had children and it was so amazing!!
What amazing pictures!
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