Sea Life Through Dolphin Eyes

Imagine you had 300 degree vision like a dolphin. You too would see forwards, backwards and to the sides. In other words, you get a panoramic view of a dolphin’s world above and below the sea. In fact, when you see a dolphin bow riding, they’re turning on their back and sides so as to get a good look at who is on the boat.

And when you join a WaterMaarq boat tour, you immerse yourself into the dolphin’s playground.

You slip into the warm wetsuit, put on the mask and snorkel, dive into the waters and frolic just like a dolphin leaping in the waves with the sheer joy of it. Ducking and diving and swimming amongst all of the dolphin’s friends. There’s the sea dragon sitting on the reef minding his own business. There’s the stingray gliding by like a UFO, competing for space with their frenemy, the cool and coy bottlenose dolphin. Look up to the skies and you’ll see the dolphin’s food spotters, the Australasian gannets diving like asteroids into the bait-ball in the sea. One splash and the dolphins know that it’s feeding time ahead. Meanwhile, a squid or two might look on and overcome their shyness to zoom in for their surprise reveal. The dolphin’s oyster is your world for a couple of hours. The invisible becomes visible for you to see — the flowing locks of reef, the mossy vegetation, the rippling sand floor and the emerald water itself.

Along the way, the dolphins are their own stars, lighting up the tour when they feel like coming out of their shells. At times, they’re like colourful fireworks. Other times, they’re on their own totally excellent adventure.

Unlike their playmates, dolphins are on island time — there’s no Rolex, no deadline, no schedule, just the free spirit of timeless nature. Even when they’re not present, they are always there in spirit when you are immersed in their home, the sea. And you get to see their world through their eyes and move freely as they do. Rolling to the side. Duck diving under. Looking about to see who’s showing up next. Being stress-free, playful and peaceful is the dolphin’s gift to us.

Meanwhile, a comet trail of bubbles zooms past your very eyes. Not to be outdone by the dolphins, a couple of cheeky seals arc tightly in front of you to show off their acrobatic fin skills — darting left and right, even rocketing up and out of the water to land with a galant splash. As its buddy rests, he waves his fin above the surface as if to send you back to the pier with one last happy goodbye.

It’s only natural that you want to wave back when you see that everybody else on the boat is waving and wearing a dolphin smile.

How contagious the natural joy of swimming freely like a dolphin is for all who join our small pod of ten on our boat, The Apollo. In short, the whole dolphin boat tour experience is a deepening of connection with loved ones and friends. What a difference it makes to see life through the tenderness of dolphin eyes.