Swimming with the dolphins in Makaha
28 Aug
Leaving Wainae harbor
We didn’t have an underwater camera, so our underwater journey remained undocumented, but in a way I am glad- It keeps the image of the dolphins fresh and vivid in my mind. It’s an image I hope to preserve and remember for years to come, and when it fades I’ll just have to come back to Oahu and call up Tori.
Tori Cullins, the captain of our boat is a marine biologist, and has been studying behaviors of dolphins and whales in Oahu since the 90′s. She works with Wild Dolphin Foundation and Cascadia Research. Tori is beautiful and a bit rugged- sporting a perma tan, wearing a large hat and face hugging sunglasses. It must be a nice way to make a living- taking people out into an open ocean and providing them with an incredible, unforgettable experience. But like any other jealousy inducing occupation, it can get old. “We’ve been taking people since 1996, and I love it” Tori says. I believe her- it feels as if she is as passionate and excited about her “day job” as she was in 96. Her company- Wild Side is definitely a labor of love, as becomes even more evident by the homemade sandwiches she feeds us later that day. Wild side gives a portion of proceeds from the tours to the Wild Dolphin Foundation for conservation efforts. And the boat is environmentally friendly, using low-sulfur diesel fuel, and having lots of other “green” upgrades.
Tori tells us the details of the day’s trip, including some instructions on how to be polite to the dolphins. “Swim with them, not at them, do not touch them, and try to be intuitive- observe and mimic their behavior”.
"There they are!"
We sail past the beautiful green mountains rising against the blue sky. The color of the ocean in Oahu is unlike anything i’ve ever seen before - it is royal blue- a rare shade. Barbara, a marine biologist and our marine guide for the day tells us that our first stop is a “turtle cleaning station”. Ha? Well, it’s a large reef where turtles come to get cleaned by little fish. Turtles grow algae on their shells, which can slow them down, and the kind fishies are happy to help, eating the unwanted algae of the turtles. We swim out to the reef, find the turtles and the fish that love to clean them. It is fascinating to see nature’s perfect design first hand- and see these creatures take care of each other. There are schools of fish swimming by, blue and yellow and white. But not an overwhelming amount of busy fish like in some popular snorkeling spots. Just a few here, a few there, and a bunch here, all really different sizes and shapes, all pretty bright. Calm and serene…
Picture perfect day
Sailing by...
Back on the boat, Barbara tells us about raising turtles that have been separated from their mothers, and teaching them how to swim on their own. She is volunteering on turtle beach in North Shore, educating people about turtle behaviors. She has been working with turtles and educating people about them on Nieves for decades, and has recently moved to Oahu to do more of that. Pretty cool job I’d say. I get distracted from Barbara’s story because we see the dolphins swimming in pods all around the boat. We get in the water and swim towards them, catch a pod and swim with them for a while until they swim away. Then another pod, and one more after that. I see a mother with the baby attached to her- the baby is nursing. It is the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. I follow that pod for a bit, there are two more babies in the pod, and as the mother comes up for air, so does the baby- very clumsily. There is the strong vibrational sound of dolphin’s sonar. I am smiling under water the whole time.
Dolphin pod near the boat
And one really near!
When it’s time to go back to the boat I am filled with quiet joy. It is an honor to swim with these amazing creatures, and I feel very lucky having experienced it. We sail in silence for a bit, everyone pondering their experience, or just wanting to savor it as long as possible. And then it’s lunch time- we are served sandwiches with hummus, blueberries and sprouts. A very creative and delicious combination. There are also chips with homemade mango salsa, all kinds of wholesome nut and fruit bars, and iced cappucino. I am thinking that if Tori’s family was out on a boat trip they would get the same exact sandwiches and snacks. Looking at Tori and Barbara words “salt of the earth” come to mind, and I feel grattitude. For this amazing day, for having this rare experience, for the baby dolphins, and for having met these women. And for knowing that there are people with passion and purpose that are out there every day observing and studying marine behaviors, and looking out for our wild life.
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