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My Date with a Dolphin
December 1, 2006My Favorite animal has to be the dolphin. I think, ever since I saw the movie "The Ring of Endless Light", I've been in love with them. They are very graceful and intelligent, not to mention so darn cute. I'd love to have one as a pet, but my Dad says the pond in our backyard is just not big enough.
A dolphin is one of those animals you just don't see everyday. I mean your neighbor doesn't have one. You won't find one at the local pet store and they don't seem to hang out at the same beaches that I go to. One time though, I did see some swimming along side our boat while we were on our way to Catalina Island. That was pretty cool, but seeing them from a boat is nothing like actually getting into the water and swimming with them.
And that's exactly what I got to do on a recent visit to Seaworld in San Diego.
My friends at the Dolphin Interaction Program gave me the experience of a lifetime.
First I got to see the dolphins perform some pretty amazing tricks from the front row of Dolphin Stadium. They don't call it the Soak Zone for nothing!
After the show, I went backstage to the classroom area where the trainers taught me a lot of interesting things about dolphins. Did you know that when dolphins sleep, they actually rest one half of their brain at a time? This way they can keep one eye always open. I know it sounds weird, but it protects them from preditors and it allows them to go to the surface to breathe, since most dolphins can't hold their breath very long underwater. Also, a dolphin's brain is larger than a human's and dolphins actually have their own language. They use unique signature whistles and clicks to identify themselves and talk to other dolphins.
I also learned some special hand signals that the dolphins understood. This way I could communicate with them.
With that, I was ready to put on my wet suit and take the plunge. Waiting for me in the pool was Tobey, a five year old bottle nose dolphin. Most bottle nose dolphins can live anywhere from 30-40 years. So I think Tobey & I will be good friends for a long time. The water was actually colder than I thought it would be, but Tobey didn't seem to mind.
I tried out my new commands and he knew exactly what to do. If I moved my arm around and up, he would swim in a circle and come up out of the water. If I moved my hands side to side, he would stand on his tail and wave to everyone. If I wanted him to talk to me, I'd move my index fingers up and down. We had a great conversation, but to tell you the truth, I think he understood me better than I understood him.
I rewarded him with lots of nice cold fish treats because he was so good.
I got to pet him, feed him and took him for a walk around the pool. We swam together, we danced together and we played together...it was like a dream come true.
This had to be one of my best days ever. I know I will never forget my date with Tobey the Dolphin.
