Dolphin Encounter

I did make it back home. For a time, anyway. I just didn’t have a spare moment to blog about the rest of my trip to Hawaii. In fact, I’m writing this from Pittsburgh.

We arrived back in Dallas, did several loads of laundry, got slammed at work with hundreds of emails and questions, and I learned I was travelling to Pittsburgh for the end of the week. From here, Steve and I will be going to Los Angeles to visit with some friends of his. (I used my accumulated frequent flier miles to go to Hawaii, so I’m trying to replenish my account.)

Steve and I agreed the best part of the trip was our underwater experiences. In addition to snorkeling in Hanauma Bay, we went snorkeling with dolphins. We made reservations with the excursion company for Thursday, and I was disheartened that the weather was at its worst during our visit that morning. Still, the money was already spent, and there was no option to reschedule, so off we went.

The boat took us to a cove off-shore that was frequently visited by local Spinner dolphins, so called for their propensity to leap out of the water and spin. We got into the water in groups of five. The shock of the water and the adrenalin made me catch my breath, and I was comforted that Steve grabbed my hand as we swam together towards the pod of dolphins.

We saw them, briefly, but they swam on and avoided the strange creatures floating at the surface gaping at them. Steve and I were both silently concerned that might be the extent of our interaction, but fortunately, our excursion team knew about another cove.

This second stop had a pod of 40-50 dolphins that swam in circles all around us. They come up for air every 7 minutes or so, and you could hear their communication of squeaks and clicks even before you saw them. It was a magical experience.