Monday, June 14, 2010

Dolphins

Dolphin

Dolphins love to chase after fast boats and play in the wake or in the bow wave ahead of the boat. I saw them twice while we were in the Galapagos. The above dolphin was not close to the boat -- he was participating in a feeding frenzy that we saw from the Islander.

On an earlier day cruise on the very fast and smaller boat Luna Azul, I saw dolphins playing in the wake. I've seen them doing this in Florida, New Zealand, and Hawaii. Also, I've seen them indirectly in the Mediterranean: that is, depicted on Greek vases in museums. In Hawaii I've even been snorkeling with dolphins all around me. In most of these experiences, I've heard their squeaky voices calling to each other or maybe to us.

Dolphins even seem willing and amused when they are captives and made to act in dolphin shows such as the one at the Baltimore Aquarium we saw last winter. But I suspect they'd rather be free to choose their playmates and jump or spin as they like (depending on which kind of dolphins they are).

2 comments:

Jeanie said...

Seeing this dolphin pic almost makes me cry, knowing that the dolphins in the gulf aren't so lucky.

Mae Travels said...

The pelicans made me feel even worse than the dolphins, Jeanie. I was thinking about that a lot when we were in such a well-protected area. Ecuador could teach the US a few things, though I'm not at all sure how well they do on the mainland, where the population is large and very poor. They definitely recognize the value of the islands. I hope no one manages to ruin it for them -- and that no future government is taken over by the kind of semi-corrupt management we have foisted on ourselves.