Swimming with Wild Dolphins

Mention to anyone the word Dolphin and you're almost guaranteed to raise a smile. Intelligent, friendly and charismatic are just a few of the words to describe these magnificent beings. Whether it's the eternal smile they wear or their playful personalities, Dolphins seem to have a certain magic that touches the heart of almost everyone they encounter.

Here I was in the middle of the Bahamas Banks sitting on the bow of the MV Shear Water as the late afternoon day's sun glistened upon the crystal-clear water and porcelain white sand. Dwelling on this paradise oasis along with a couple of other eager Dolphinoholics, my eyes scan the horizon for tell tale signs of these delightful creatures.

Usually found swimming in pods ranging from just a couple to well over a hundred, their gray dorsal fin can normally be seen breaking the surface of the water. At other times it is the thrilling spectacle of watching them breach completely out of the water that attracts attention. And yet there are times, as this was the case, that they seem to magically appear out of nowhere.

Looking down along the edge of where the bow's turbulent pressure wake meets the glass-like sapphire-blue water, the Dolphins image materializes. Their smooth gray skin, brushed with freckles of black, makes their identification clear - Atlantic Spotted Dolphins (Stenella Frontalis).

Swaying from side to side, they appear to effortlessly glide ahead of the boat. As they occasionally surface to breathe a thin sheet of water skims across their back capturing sparkles of the sun's reflection. Their blowhole opens with a violent expulsion of air and, just as quickly, closes as they take in a breath of air before submerging once again.

Excitement rushes through my vein like a flash flood. The smile on my face grows to exaggerated lengths. All around me everyone wears a smile. We begin to cheer, whistle and laugh like children as we attempt to elicit the Spotted Dolphins attention. They in turn appear to react with as much excitement by playfully pirouetting around each other while occasionally turning on their sides, appearing to observe us.

After a few minutes of this blissful bow dance the words I've been eager to hear since I began this adventure echo out loud. "Get ready to swim with the Dolphins!" Capt. Mike voices through the loud speaker. The boat continues to entice the Dolphin's playful personality as I don my mask, snorkel and fins.

Photo compliments of Jim Abernethy

The boat makes one final turn and slows down as the Dolphins leap off the final wave. Like a group of Penguins, one after another, we dive into the water. As I clear through the bubbles the Dolphins appear before me. Without hesitation they swim towards me in tight formation. Swimming parallel to me, they turn their heads and blast their echolocation in unison. Instantly I am engulfed in the echoes of high-pitched whistles, clicking and crackling. Like water beetles on the surface, we scatter in all directions to swim close with the group of wild Spotted Dolphins.

Diving, twisting, and turning, a burst of energy rushes through my body as I attempt to join the Dolphin pod. My frivolous attempt to swim with them is graciously rewarded with a close encounter. For what seems like an eternity, my mind appears to suspend itself in the moment. As I swim just inches between the pod of Spotted Dolphins, my mind dwells in their graceful beauty and dance. For a moment I no longer feel human. As I dive down they continue to circle me. Entranced in their curious stare I can sense that, like mine, a million thoughts fill their mind. A revelation of each Dolphin's individual personality makes itself apparent to me.

Without warning, this underwater ballet suddenly turns into an exhausting game of cat and mouse. As one of the Spotted Dolphins mouth's a piece of Sargassum seaweed - appearing to arrange it ever so carefully in its mouth - with a flick of its head she tosses it to her side. The seaweed floats in midwater as the Dolphin catches it on her pectoral fin. Suddenly she flutters her seaweed-laced flipper in an attempt to say, "Betcha' can't get it!" Racing towards her I come within inches of her flipper and the seaweed as she tauntingly swims forward. At the point of total exhaustion I finally give up. It is without doubt that the mouse is smarter than the cat at this game.

Photo compliments of Jim Abernethy

But it doesn't end there. As the Spotted Dolphin continues to glide through the water with the seaweed clutched to her flipper, it suddenly slips off. We rush in a burst of energy to grab the seaweed! Without ever looking back this same Dolphin now catches the long strand of seaweed on her fluke (tail). I can't help but laugh in amazement as I watch this clever animal taunt us.

With the game progressing, the seaweed passes from flipper to flipper many times. On a few occasions I am lucky enough to catch the seaweed and do a bit of taunting myself before releasing it and watching one of the Dolphins pick it up. Swimming alongside Capt. Mike, I watch as he picks up the seaweed and begins to swim with it. Suddenly, surprising us all, one of the Dolphins comes really close and grabs the seaweed out of Capt. Mike's hand. I can hear a burst of laughter expel through Mike's snorkel as his face illuminates in joy. What just happened isn't very common. Although the Dolphins interact with us, they have up to now never allowed physical contact or dared grab the seaweed from our hands.

This same Dolphin seems to react a little different than the others. As I swim near her with my hands tucked to my side she is just inches from coming in contact with me. Refraining from upsetting her I keep my hands tucked in. As she swims towards Anna it then becomes obvious this Dolphin is a well known friend. The Dolphin stops to allow Anna to caress her. Darby, as I later found out her name, seems to truly enjoy human contact as she flirts with everyone in the group.

At one point she dives down to about forty feet and lays in the sand, apparently enjoying the gritty texture of the powder white sand under her belly. She stays there for a while and without thinking I take in a breath of air and slowly descend down to the bottom. Lying down in the sand next to her, I watch for a few seconds as she continues to shuffle in the sand. Slowly reaching out my hand, my fingers make contact with her skin. I can feel her silky smooth body on the ends of my finger tips. Moving in closer I rest the palm of my hand against her body. Softly caressing her from side to side, she continues to lie in the sand. Seconds seem like an eternity as my mind is captured in the moment. Enveloped in this magical moment, my throat knots, my heart seems to stand still. How long I stayed down resting next to her I can not say for what I was feeling at that moment made time irrelevant. If life consists of a collection of sacred moments, it is without a doubt that the kin ship I was feeling with this beautiful and loving creature at the moment was forever etching my very existence.

Pushing with my hands off the sand, I slowly begin to ascend to the surface. Making eye contact with Anna on my ascent, her wonderful smile and her arms crossed above her heart strikes me with great joy. For then I realized that these few surreal moments were not a dream. These beautiful animals had once again shown me how truly amazing they can be. Darby, this lovely wild Dolphin had decidedly chosen to allow human contact and what she was touching was more than just the hand of everyone she met, she was reaching deep down inside and touching their hearts. There isn't a day I don't think about this special moment and long to be there again. Hopefully I'll see you again real soon, Darby.

My family, friends and the occasional date laugh when I mention to them that I'm in love with a Dolphin. I'm sure some even think I should have my head examined. But it difficult to express every single moment, every smile, and every thought that goes through my head when I am swimming with wild Dolphins - much more capturing a single moment of time in a photograph.

One such moment happened at night. After a delicious and fulfilling meal I went up to the helm of the boat where Capt. Mike sat back and enjoyed a breezy and tranquil Bahama night listening to some music. With two large flood lights casting their illumination alongside the boat, the Shearwater slowly rocked side to side while gently traveling through the dark waters of the Gulf Stream; not too far from the Bahama Banks. Sharing the day's stories with Mike, we occasionally glimpse out the side windows of the boat. Below me the fluttering iridescent reflection of a flying fish's wing creates a comet-like appearance as it flies off into the darkness.

Sharing in some good laughs, our conversation is interrupted by some visitors. Our flippered friends are back! Playful as ever and enticing us to dive in, I thoughtlessly prepare to dive into the 600 feet deep, pitch black Gulf Stream. Jimmy and Anna tell me to stay within the confines of the boat's flood lights. Jumping in the water the Dolphins appear to materialize out of total darkness. Their movements are much more energetic than during the day; constantly coming in and out of sight. Rushing through as they chase flying fish, squids or the numerous other baitfish attracted to the boat's bright lights.

Dolphin photo compliments of Jim Abernethy

I can hear the Dolphins vocalizing all around me. At times I dive down only to find a Dolphin circling around me - playful as ever. Jimmy and Anna graciously allow me to use their underwater scooter. This allows me to stay submerged much longer as it requires little effort to move through the water. Spinning, turning, flipping.. I take much delight in this noisy machinery. Luckily the Dolphins don't seem to mind it at all and instead appear to take notice of my deeper diving capabilities. As I continue to swim and play with the Dolphins, occasionally one rockets towards the deep, disappearing into the depth of darkness. Taking a deep breath, I descend further and further down as I follow the Dolphin. Suspended in the stillness of this depth, I look up to see the silhouette of Dolphins and a couple of my diving buddies swimming in the pool of light. Below me this light quickly fades to black. Mesmerized in this dreamlike moment, I watch as a Dolphin swims down towards me, probably wondering what I was doing down here.

Hours later and the battery on the scooter drained, I return to the boat and leave the scooter behind as I leap back into the water. Continuing to swim and play with the dolphins, over three hours pass when Anna comes out from inside the boat and laughingly tells me, "You can't sleep with the Dolphins, Laz!" I realize at that moment that I was all by myself. Everyone else had already called it a night. Honestly, had I had the chance, I would have stayed in the water with the Dolphins to watch the sunrise.

Happy as can be, I make my way up the boat's ladder where Anna awaits. She mentions to me to go to the bow of the boat. A couple of my dive buddies are already there awaiting the surprise. The boat's engines crank up and it slowly begins to move forward, Capt. Mike shuts off the bright lights of the boat. The star-filled night sky blankets over us as it appears to blend into the dark ocean waters below. A cool moist ocean breeze runs across my body. The boat's rocking and soothing, wave-crashing sound puts me into a dreamy spell. I can see as some of the bioluminescent creatures explode in a flash of neon green light as they crash against the boat's bow.

These lights begin to take form in front of the bow.. Their shape a very familiar one to me — Dolphins! A bioluminescent neon green outlines the Dolphins as they sway alongside the boat's bow. Occasionally I can hear the loud exhale as a Dolphin breaches out of the water to take in a breath. Oooohhh's and Aweeee's make up the conversations on deck. Watching the Dolphins playfully frolic on the boat's bow wake, I watch as a Dolphin occasionally zooms off the bow leaving a comet-trail of bioluminescence behind him. For over three miles we continue to watch in total amazement as these magnificent creatures show us the beauty of the ocean world like no other creature can.

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