Dolphin Fin

I swam with the dolphins. Well, I swam near dolphins. Or rather, one swam near me. About twenty feet near.

My friend Wendy and I were in the salt water just after 6 a.m., full of waiting and hoping. At the teeth-chattering point an hour-and-a-half into it she spots a lone fin. The gray sail of it surfaces, glides slowly past us, disappears. Nature’s big wild stuff: always Bigger and Wilder in person. “Holy crap,” I say, then, “Heh heh, that’s a dolphin fin right?” PBS said what about sharks?

Wendy laughs, floating up a wave. “It is.”

“Well, okay,” I say. “I don’t hear a ‘Dah-dum... Dah-dum... Dah-dum, dah-dum, dah-dum.’”

“Ooh, ooh!” she points. Farther out from shore, past the breaking waves, swims the family pod. Fourteen individuals surface for air, including a bouncy little one. The slick curve of our now-definitely-a-dolphin pokes through the ocean’s surface, a sailboat fin rolling up to touch the sky, then submarines down to sea. Dolphins. And people, in the waters off Virginia Beach.

Comments

MACMAN said…
You can't blame your friend Wendy from thinking the single dolphin's fin was a shark's fin. It's easy to make that mistake. But when you see the pod of dolphins swimming along and see all the fins together, you immediately know its dolphins, which can be a sigh of relief.

I hope you spot more dolphins again!!
God Bless,
John
Anonymous said…
One could be jealous, I always dreamed of swimming with the dolphins, but never had the chance to make this dream come true.
P.L. Frederick said…
Thanks for the link to the swimming dolphin website, Croissantpark. Yes, seeing all the fins together was a big relief. If that dolphin had come closer than 20 feet it would have been an ever bigger experience, but at the time I thought that was close enough!

Flug Denpasar: If you ever get the chance, come to Virginia Beach in Virginia, USA. Get yourself in the water around 7:30-8:00 a.m. The locals say that's when the dolphins come in, every morning in the summer. Also, click on that "dolphins swimming" link above from Croissantpark. Might be something vacationy nearer you. Keep dreaming of beautiful, playful dolphins!
Anonymous said…
You know when I went swimming with dolphins in Florida they told me it was illegal to swim with wild dolphins..

Hope you weren't doing anything naughty now! :)
i have been afraid to go in the ocean ever since a little blue fish kept ramming my leg. it freaked me out totally. that was over 20 years ago. drat!

and thanks for visiting me!

smiles, bee
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P.L. Frederick said…
Freelance Guru: What if you're swimming alone and a dolphin comes up and swims next to you? Like, just to get you arrested? Also, technically, since there's only one ocean, aren't we always swimming with wild dolphins when we enter the sea? They might be 20,000 miles away but I'm saying technically. These are arguments I will make to Judge Wapner.
Jenny said…
Full of waiting and hoping just after 6 a.m.? I'm afraid I'd be asleep and would drown ... but how wonderful for you, to see the dolphins! I love dolphins.
P.L. Frederick said…
Jenny, once the cold settles into your bones and your teeth chatter hard enough you’re bound to wake up.

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