I have loved bottlenose dolphins since I was a child and the show "Flipper" aired in 1964. I fell in love with the mammals then and still love them today.
My husband and I try to never miss an opportunity to go on pontoon or small boat cruises just to view dolphins. I've seen them dozens of times and I'm still fascinated every single time.
They are the cutest critters. It looks like they are always smiling, and they seem so playful and happy.
We've taken small boat cruises from ports in Charleston, Beaufort, and Savannah for two hour dolphin sighting trips. But one of my favorites experiences was a cruise out of North Myrtle Beach.
My husband and I climbed aboard the boat that held about 50 people and was scheduled to leave the harbor and travel over 5 miles into the ocean. We were told we would definitely see dolphins.
After a while I got tired of sitting, so I stood up and went to the bow of the boat. I was standing by myself at the very front with my elbows resting on the railing.
Suddenly, I looked down and was shocked at what I saw. A half dozen or more dolphins were racing the boat. Evidently, the boat's engine was so strong that it forcedwater in a huge wave at the front of the boat. The dolphins absolutely loved it. They got themselves into the wake of the oncoming boat and let it push them along almost like surfers. They were having a ball!
I don't know how long I stood there and watched this phenomena, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Unfortunately, a few other people came up near me, saw the dolphins swimming with the current of the boat, and their noise brought more and more people to the front where I was. But for a long time I enjoyed watching these beautiful creatures playing.
But my favorite experience of all with dolphins was when some dear friends invited us to their vacation home on Lady's Island.
After dinner our host invited us to go out into the bay on his boat. It was a small boat, the day was warm, and we were enjoying the water and waves. Soon we stopped at a smaller island and went along the beach where we collected dozens of sand dollars that lined the sand. They were snowy white and looked like huge pearls.
Just when I thought the day couldn't get any better and we were heading for home, we arrived at a certain area in the small harbor when our host cut the engine off and we sat silent in the water.
Our host said he wanted to show us something and asked us to be patient.
He reached over and started banging on the side of the boat. I had no idea what was going on but my curiosity was getting the best of me.
Within seconds, a huge torpedo shaped body gently glided next to our boat. Startled, I leaned over to see what it was. It was then that this dolphin lined her body up next to the boat, rolled over on her side, and eyeballed me. She was almost as long as the boat.
There we were, just two feet apart, and staring at each other... eye to eye. I couldn't help myself and reached over to glide my hand along her back. She was so soft, light gray on her back and white on her belly. She was beautiful!
But too soon, she lost interest and swam away. Grinning, I looked up at my host and asked why the dolphin came up to us. He remarked that years ago people would bang on the sides of the boats and when the dolphins came up they would feed them. Unfortunately, the dolphins got lazy, waited for handouts, and ended up getting hurt by boat motors and jet skis.
A new ordinance was issued demanding that people stop feeding the dolphins. It was in their best interest and was implemented to save their lives, but there were still some of the older dolphins who remembered the treats, and would come if you tapped the
side of the boat.
What a day! It had been remarkable and incredible. I could see the intelligence in the eyes of that creature and longed to spend more time with her. But it was not meant to be.
Well, summer is here again, and on at least one weekend in the next few months you know where I will be... looking for Flipper.
