Swimming with dolphins

Lifelong ambition: Tick! I have just returned from one of the coolest things I've ever done; swimming with wild dolphins on an absolutely beautiful day. I'm very glad it was worthwhile, considering I was awake at 5:30 this morning in order to catch the coach down to Rockingham, a place I've only visited once before on the shore day of my dive course a few weeks ago. After a 45-minute drive, parking up and wandering down to the little jetty, I hopped onboard with the other 40 odd participants and couldn't help noticing there were hardly any Australians; everyone was either English, Scottish or Asian! I guess a touristy thing like swimming with dolphins isn't something a lot of locals go for... but they should.

The boat took us to a sheltered spot where dolphins are known to gather between the mainland and Garden Island (not to be confused with Rottnest Island, aka Quokka land)

First up was an on-board safety briefing and wetsuit fitting from the crew of stereotypically blonde-haired surfers. We were split into teams of 8 and each team was given an instructor, who'd be leading the train of snorkellers in the water with a water scooter, a propeller-powered device that reaches the giddy heights of 5km/h. They quickly skimmed over the fact that a few people in the water would be wearing Electronic Shark Defence Systems, or ESDSs, strapped to their ankles at all times. It was all hunky-dory as they explained that these produce signals on a wavelength that deters the sharks' electrical sensory systems, but what I'd learnt (and decided against sharing) from diving is that these devices were necessary because the vibration of the scooters attracts sharks. On another note, it shocks me how pathetically irrational a lot of people are; some didn't know how to snorkel (What have you been doing with your life? Have you never been on holiday?) or were terrified of the water (Did you not stop to consider that booking a swimming with dolphins trip may involved the ocean?), particularly those from the UK. No wonder Aussies think we're all wimps, come on guys!

The boat set off and after only five minutes of searching (apparently it normally takes an hour), the captain shouted and pointed overboard; we were right in the middle of a huge group of dolphins playing in the waves. This was our signal to slide quietly into the water in our groups, forming a weird, jagged snake by holding onto the waist belt of the person in front of us. One of the instructors wasn't attached to anyone and had the pretty awesome job of free diving with a scooter down to the seabed and playing with the dolphins so that they'd swim up and among us all as we lay with our faces in the water. I can't even begin to describe how amazing being in the water with them was; they came so close and weren't the slightest bit bothered by our presence. Over the course of the morning, we visited four different sites and saw dolphins at every one, which the crew said was quite rare. At one point we were alone with a mother and calf and another time there were over 20 swimming around us; it was awesome! I took my camera into the water on the final swim and was lucky enough to get some underwater footage.

Weird human centipedes

After our experience, we had lunch on the boat and headed to calmer waters (it was pretty windy) to swim and snorkel as we pleased, before heading back to shore. On the ride back, the driver put the engines on full and created a huge surge in the wake of the boat, which the dolphins were leaping out of the water to surf on. They are so like humans in that they do things just for fun and not survival, which I guess is why we feel such a connection to them. We were back by midday and I spent the afternoon sipping ciders in the sun with a friend from diving. Add to this incredible day the fact that it's only Friday, meaning there are two full days of freedom and frolicking to follow, and I'm one happy bunny! These next few weeks are going to be absolutely top-notch; Candice will be Perth-bound for a long overdue catch up, we have Jess' birthday, the end of Jess' exams and Sian handing in her thesis to celebrate, the office christmas barbecue is quickly approaching and I'm seeing Jack Johnson and the incredible Passenger, all before I head down to Dunsborough for the christmas break, where all kinds of other festivities (London Grammar, anyone?) await. Yippee for Australia!

The tour company also published some photos and did a much better job of it than me; take a look here.