Dolphins Everywhere!!

                                                          February 27, 2013 (8:07 P.M.)

 Hello everyone! So for the first time in over 48 hours, the internet has decided to start working again. It’s a frustrating feeling to know all means of communication to anyone outside South Africa rely on the internet. I wish there was another way, but for the time being, it seems as though I am at its mercy.

 It was a long, but fun start of the week so far. We saw 12 Great Whites on Monday and five more on Tuesday. On Tuesday we saw one well over four meters long. We really did need a bigger boat. I had the chance the bait rope for the first time; it didn’t go so well. About 25 minutes in, I was distracted talking to the Captain when a large female Great White swam from underneath the boat and stole my tuna head. The platform on the stern of the boat in which we bait rope from has three metal bars separating us from the sharks, but it never seems like enough protection. It’s quite an interesting sight to look down and see the mouth – and teeth – of a full grown Great White staring right back at you only a couple of inches from your face.

Once the shark grabs the bait, the battle has been lost. There’s nothing you can do but watch the massive shark tear the tuna head from the rope and splash water in every which direction. A feeling of defeat sweeps over you and the next person then steps up to the plate. It was really cool to be that close to the shark though. I was so close I could have reached out my arm and patted his tongue. They really do roll their eyes back right before they attack too. It’s a creepy sight to watch the eyes turn white as the teeth appear and the mouth opens. I love it though.

Today, Shannon would have been in heaven. I went on Sea Dolphin to track dolphin migrations and 15 minutes into the trip was surrounded with hundreds of dolphins. Every direction you looked, there were dolphins. They swam under the boat, around the boat and in front of the boat. They breached the water, slapped their tails and made all sorts of noises. We stayed with the large pod for over two hours before continuing our search.

The water had a visibility of more than 6 meters so we could see every movement of every dolphin. They were a little different than the sharks. The dolphins seemed to do exactly what we wanted. We didn’t have to go to them, they came to us. It’s an amazing feeling when you start to get tired of seeing hundreds of dolphins flying through the ocean. That’s when you know you’re living the dream.

Tomorrow is the last day for February’s interns. We have a goodbye barbecue prepared and then everyone leaves Friday morning. It’s a little sad that everyone is leaving, but it’s always exciting to meet new people. I’m sure I will have just as much fun as this month. Plus there is a welcome barbecue on Friday; not a bad deal.