Swimming with the dolphins

Trip Start Sep 10, 2007
1
43
68
Trip End Ongoing


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow

Flag of New Zealand  ,
Friday, January 25, 2008

Pick an indigenous language and you will find words that mean something in Finnish. Kaikoura literally means "maybefist". Mapuche, Basque and Incas had lots and lots of these too.

After I learned to breathe through my mouth and that I did not have to tread water to stay afloat in the open sea (the wet suit was a lot more buoyant than I am used to) and I changed my leaking mask, swimming with the dolphins was a truly exhilarating experience. The wild dolphins would swim really close (and two even touched me), they circled around us and seemed to enjoy my singing (I have finally found my audience!). They especially liked "Mina olen pikku poika posteljoon".

There were hundreds of these beautiful, intelligent creatures - we did our best to entertain them and swim like dolphins to attract their interest and keep them there for those extra seconds.

After the swim, I saw my breakfast for the second time. Then came up the previous night's chips and stomach acids. Not sure whether it was the stormy sea or swallowing sea water but it was nasty. Luckily Simon took some pictures and enjoyed the free hot chocolate.

A porridge and a power shower later I felt stable enough  and we headed off with our silly camper van.

Simon says: The best thing ever. Much better than sky diving. Just looking into the eye of a dolphin as it swam around me six times was amazing.
Print this entry Kaikoura hotels