Swimming with Dolphins

Five years ago, when I was in New Zealand after my first time on the ice, I went swimming with the dusky dolphins in Kaikoura, a coastal town in the northeast of the South Island. Though, the weather was ugly and I suffered from a bit of sea sickness, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing these special marine mammals. I knew that Michiel would enjoy it as much as I did, so we made arrangements for him to swim with the dolphins and for me to observe from the boat (and take photos).

We were too late to obtain a regular swimmer position for Michiel, since the company had already booked 13 people to swim (the maximum allowed in the water at any time) so he was offered a "shared swim" opportunity. For a reduced rate, he would be allowed in the water only if someone got out. If he didn't get his shot at swimming, the company would refund the difference between the shared swim rate and the observer rate. Good deal, right? Right!


Michiel got his wet suit, flippers and snorkel and and our group watched a video explaining how to swim with the dolphins, including how to attract them to you (diving and making squeeky noises) and how to keep them entertained while they are swimming with you (swim in circles and they will follow you and look into your eyes).


After traveling in the boat for about 20 minutes, we spotted a sizable pod of the small, dark gray and white dolphins. They are very playful and curious and love to show off by doing flips, twists, somersaults and tricks. We had a tremendous show and the best part was that a young lady decided after 2 minutes that she was too cold in the water. Michiel got a full tour's worth of swimming and I got to watch him transform into a dusky dolphin!





And here's a video of the dolphins.



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