Swimming with Dolphins

We drove from Christchurch to Kaikoura in the morning, arriving around noon. It was a beautiful drive along the coast, mirroring the route taken by the scenic TranzCoastal railway. I was a bit anxious during the ride, though, as we kept running late, eventually having to stop so that a person we had left behind could catch up. Despite my misapprehensions, however, we did arrive in time for the orientation for the dolphin swim.

Due to its unique geography, the coastal town of Kaikoura is home to an astonishing range of marine life, from Orcas to sperm whales to dusky dolphins. The dolphins swim wild in large pods and naturally travel up and down the coast each day. Because they are wild animals, they are basically consenting to have people swim with them. They could easily move away if they found their interactions with people threatening or uninteresting. In this vein, we were told, the dolphins are not there to entertain us. We are there to entertain the dolphins.

First we needed to suit up against the cold water (although at 16 deg C it was actually fairly tolerable). We were each given a 2 piece 5 mil wetsuit with booties, a hood, flippers, and a mask and snorkel. We put on the wet suits on land and wore them through the information session and bus ride to the boats, of which there were two. The ride out to find the dolphin pod was lovely (except for the fact I was on a boat, of course). The sun reflected off the turquoise sea and set off the surrounding mountain ranges.

After about 20 minutes, we spotted a large pod of dolphins swimming, jumping, and travelling together. The whistle blew and we all pushed ourselves off the back of the boat into the water. Despite the forewarning, getting into the water nearly took my breath away. It seemed difficult to breathe, and my hands, the only part of my body not protected from the water, immediately went numb. My initial thought was that this experience was not going to be the incredible ride I was anticipating.

Time and patience proved me wrong, of course. Both my lungs and body acclimated themselves to the water and breathing became much easier. I began to work on my dolphin entertainment skills: to attract a dolphin, you must behave like a dolphin. This involves keeping the arms by the sides and moving through dolphin kicks, diving down into the water to encourage dolphins to follow you, and best of all, making ridiculous noises through your snorkel. Imagine a group of about 20 people in wetsuits all dolphin kicking on the surface of the water while an utter cacophony of nonsense drifts up from their masks. No doubt the spectators on the boats found this utter hilarious. But it worked!!

Dolphins surged above us, below us, and all around us. They were frequently close enough to touch, although we were not allowed to. Their blowholes and any variations or blemishes on their smooth skin were immediately evident. The power of these sleek creatures is overwhelming. Frequently I would attract a dolphin's interest, and he or she would begin to swim in circles around me, as if daring me to keep up. Well who on earth can keep up with a dolphin in water, let alone me? I did my best, but the constant swimming in circles did make me feel quite queasy, despite the grandeur of the day and my carefully consumed anti-nausea medication. Ah well.

Once out of the water and in dry clothes, we were able to observe the dolphins from the comfort of our boat, and what a show they put on for us. The pod would surge all around the boat, frequently swimming under us and emerging at the other side. Dolphins cruised just at the water's surface, their dorsal fins evident in sharp relief against the smooth sea. The most energetic dolphins turned cartwheels and somersaults out of the water, sometimes 5 or 6 in a row.

Perhaps I am prone to anthropomorphize them, but dolphins truly seem to exhibit a joy and a lust for life. They are one of the animal species which seems most capable of having fun. They swam with us because they wanted to, not because they were under any obligation. And they leap for the joy of it; this behavior doesn't help them secure food or pass their genes on to the next generation.

I felt very privileged to have had this experience, even though it proved once again that I am a hopeless landlubber :)