35 29N 39 47W

Great Escapes Yacht Charters SY Great Escape
GEP /Phil Munday/ Ocean skipper Emily Bower
Mon 20 May 2013 16:52

Great Escapes Has Entered Dolphin Territory!

May 20th

The porpoises’ periodic visits have added a good deal of excitement to life aboard.  From time to time, usually when you least expect it, you will hear someone on deck sound the alarm ‘the dolphins are back!’  There follows a scramble to the cockpit to catch a glimpse of the playful fish.  Apart from passing cargo vessels and the occasional glimpse of Skyelark (far far behind us on the horizon) these maritime mammals have been the only signs of life we have seen.   

They never seem to stick around long.  Often our aquatic friends set off again after a stay of less than a minute.  This is not enough time to go running into the “bowels of the ship” to grab a camera.  So we are forced to drop our modern compulsion to document everything and experience the scene in the moment. 

That being said there are rumours of a video having been taken featuring between 60 and 80 dolphins ‘leaping about’ on all sides of the boat.  These rumours, however, have yet to be substantiated.  These same sources claim to have seen an orca whale jumping clear over the boat.   

The dolphins we have been seeing are smaller than your average dolphin.  They also seem to be coloured differently with a bluish belly and green-grey back. 

They are true acrobats.  We see them most often leaping from wave to wave beside the boat or skilfully navigating our bow wave.  There is a debate about whether they are simply playing, or if they are cornering fish against the hull of the boat for easy snacking.  I would say it is a bit of both.  Their aerial displays (including flips and barrel rolls) look pretty fun.

Live from dolphin country,

Evan

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