Swimming with Dolphins

Finally!

I took a break and headed to Queensland for Christmas. Getting in the water with some local wildlife was something I couldn't say no to. Man it was cool, they are like big water dogs, smart as and really cheeky. And I'm pretty sure I think I was smiling from ear to ear for much of the day.

But the experience was not cheap. That's the downside I guess, you get to play but you have to pay... 

Seeing a dolphin up close in the wild is a rare thing. I've seen them in the surf at Byron, which was also pretty cool but they were physically disconnected, like grey torpedoes doing their thing. Don't get me wrong, they were awesome to watch but it just wasn't personal. 

At Sea World you get to swim with them, you slide your hand down their flanks and over their bellies as they glide past. You hear their clicks and whistles and feel the whoosh of air from their blowhole. All very organic, particularly the rubbery, slick meaty feel of their skin. 

But while you take in the grown-up senses and observations the weird thing was I felt like a kid with a new puppy, I think I was actually giggling at one point, and watching the dolphin looking back at me was more like "dude stop thinking, the water's warm and there's fun to be had".

All things considered, the experience is well worth checking out, if you have the chance, and the coin.

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