The Pod

The gentle rocking of the pleasure craft and the cool ocean spray of the Pacific Ocean set the scene for a miraculous sight. Just a few miles off the coast of Southern California is a pod of dolphins dancing in the water, the sun reflecting off their backs dazzles the eyes, there are thousands. Thousands of cresting dorsal fins break the surface in sporadic, undulating, rolling waves, creating a hypnotic effect as far as the eye can see. The journey began slowly, plodding through the water in search of whales, nothing but seagulls and clear blue sky, the smell of diesel fumes in the air. A small voice cries out “Mommy look, a dolphin!”. Heads turn toward the sound, a small hand pointing towards the waves, sure enough it was there, a dolphin cresting the water rhythmically, turning its body in the air, catching the sun perfectly. “There’s another one!” an older voice calls. Heads turn again, towards the starboard side, another sleek animal gliding through the water, cutting through the ocean’s surface like butter. Suddenly they are everywhere, hundreds of fins are slicing through the waves, leaping out of the water, inspiring awe with every jump. It’s truly an unbelievable sight, hands are gripping the railing, pointing, clasping over mouths, shouting, exclaiming, taking in this sight. Even the crew of the boat is surprised, evidently they weren’t expecting this pod to surface around them today, they’re gawking at the sight like the rest of us. Where did they come from? How did they manage to sneak up on us? I guess most people were apathetic to the whole thing from the jump, not many people are too excited about a whale watching tour. Now it’s impossible not to be excited, this is something most people would never get a chance to see, nature in its full glory, humans finally not in control. For close to 15 minutes the dolphins swam with us, leaping into the air, frolicking, putting on a show SeaWorld could only dream of. Then almost as suddenly as it began the fins disappear, sprays of water dissipate, tails return below the surface. Off towards the warmer waters close to the equator, their performance has concluded, but the effect of their waltz will last a lifetime.