Dolphins

Trip Start May 31, 2006

Trip End Oct 14, 2006

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Flag of Tanzania Zanzibar and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
Thursday, August 31, 2006

29th August, started even earlier and we headed in a minibus down through the island (me asleep half the way) to the Southern Tip where we met our boat and our crew (one guy with elephantitis...which was the first time I'd seen it, and it didn't seem to bother him much). The crew were lovely and as they were driving us out in the boat a little rain storm started so we are all there in our swim stuff huddling to try and keep dry...as soon as the rain abated we spotted our first dolphin and the crew were shouting 'jump in now'. So having huddled to try and keep dry we were now quickly donning our masks and flippers and hurtling ourselves in the water. The first attempt the Dolphins had swam away before we got in, so we piled back out again and the boat motored on until we spotted them again and this time, already ready we all piled back into the water...success...I put my head under the water and within a foot of me was the face of a bottlenose dolphin. He was beautiful, and looked at me and I looked at him for a few moments before he swam on

On Southern Shores of Zanzibar

. I was hooked...this was great...so out of the water again, we motored on again this time joined by a couple of other boats and when we spotted them I was straight in the water, this time I wasn't quite so close, but I could see one in the water about a metre below me so I followed him and tracked him for a few minutes before I lost him...this time I had my camera with me but I wasn't close enough to catch him on camera...always the way! We tried again a couple of times, but there were now 6 boats around and although we were getting fairly close to them we were all getting tired and cold, so we parted from the Dolphins and headed to a snorkel sight. James and Chloe were first in and said there wasn't much fish so the rest of us just enjoyed the views around and then we headed back to the Island for a beautiful King Fish lunch with Rice and a tomato sauce. With lunch over we headed back up the island, via the Joenzi Forest, where we saw the Red Colobus monkeys, only found there, and an amazing mangrove forest, before heading back past Stone Town to the Northern extent of the Island to join the others...we went and sat on the beach and not long after saw the others pass to go to a bar for the sunset, so we joined them and acquainted each other with our day apart, then went for a group meal, and a beach bar with hammocks, a tree house and logs by an open fire and spent the rest of the evening there...this is the life! The following day we had our complimentary breakfast overlooking the water and passed the morning sitting and walking along the water and the afternoon, doing a little souvenir shopping, walking to the little local village and sitting by the water...those who had arrived in the northern beaches first departed after sunset at the bar, and Tamara, Chloe, Sara and myself went for dinner together and for internet in the town before an early night. The following morning we headed back to StoneTown and had enough time for a little postcard shopping and a smoothie before heading for the ferry for a slightly rougher crossing. We met Ronnie, Peter, the truck and 3 new passengers from Colombine, Colorado - Edward 18, his mum Heather and her friend Jamie. We then headed back to the campsite where Tracey, Dee, Heather and myself cooked the dinner of King Fish with Vegetable Stew...our first meal for 19 but deemed a success...before going to the bar to all get acquainted and an early night for an early start.