If you’re lucky you’ll see them from one of Adelaide’s beaches; dolphins. Another good spot to look out for the playful animals is Port Adelaide. Take a trip down here and have a good look in the surrounding waters. But if you want an experience that is bigger than that, you go for a dolphin swim.
Via your hostel you can book the swim in advance. Early in the morning you’ll have to take the tram to Glenelg beach where a boat and lots of other excited people will be waiting. First of all come the hideous task of fitting a wetsuit. The water can be quite cold. After some photos of your very charming outfit it is time to head out to sea.
The crew of the boat gives some quick instruction. What is the emergency procedure? What is going to happen? And, under no circumstance are you allowed to touch the dolphins. Hey, they are wild animals. Good to know is that there’s a device in the water that gives off some signals to scare off the sharks. Good to know you won’t be someone’s morning tea.
When you enter the water there are two lines that are dragged behind the boat. You have to hold on to this one because the boat will continue its course. You drop into the water without making to much noise or splashing the water so the dolphins don’t get scared. You’ll get a snorkel and mask so you can look under water. Mostly you see the bottom of the sea.
If you’re lucky you see some dolphins. When I went, a pinch of luck was on my side. I saw some dolphins above the water, making happy jumps for us. At attempt two in the water I suddenly heard: “Underneath you, underneath you. Heads in the water!” I put my head underwater only to see all kinds of body parts from my fellow swimmers. But when everyone finally seemed to have settled along the lines, four dolphins swam right underneath us. I blinked my eyes and they were gone. I looked at my fellow swimmers just to find out I didn’t dream that. What an experience! How big those creatures are! Unbelievable!
We had some time left, but our luck had run out. I went into the water twice more, but by the time we had all dropped into the water, the dolphins were long gone. I felt a slight disappointment when we were told to take off the wetsuits because we were returning to shore. But then I thought about those dolphins, right there underneath me, looking me straight into the eye. A mighty experience!
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