Kaikoura II - The Return of the Dolphin Swimmers

Before heading off to our appointment with the Dolphins in Kaikoura we had about 800k to kill and some dirty laundry to wash. Lake Tekapo seemed to be the perfect pit stop, not because of the turquoise water that seems to contain detergent, but because of it lying almost halfway between the Fjordlands and Kaikoura.


Washing dirty laundry in public.


We had to act as laundry racks.


These are the moments when I miss home most.

Several kilometers later we found ourselves in Kaikoura, one of our favorite towns, once again. As we already spent some days and a fortune there, it was common ground for us and we knew exactly were to find a camping spot for our 4 hours of sleep before we had to get up again to swim with the dolphins in the chilly water in the early morning hours.


Coffee anyone?

All the efforts we took to finally get to swim with the dolphins were worth it. After 10 minutes of boat ride out on the see, we could already see the water darken because of the multitude of small Dusky Dolphins swirling underwater, zooming playfully along the surface and showing off their acrobatic skills, which they are particularly famous for.


The Dolphin Swim boat trailing a school of dolphins


A somersault threesome

As soon as we got into the water the Dolphins started darting past us, eyeing us
interestedly. But their attention span is short - so in order to keep them interested you mainly have to act...like a complete fool. Singing, twirling, splashing or just diving. The group of a hundret we already saw at the surface were just the tip of the iceberg, with every dive down a new bunch of Flippers seemed to emerge out of the blue. Every Dolphin Swimmer had about 5 to 10 dolphins constantly around them. And if you kept rotating in the water, the dolphins started circling you, never losing eye contact. I lost myself in the game to such an extent, that after a quarter of an hour of circling and somersaulting in the water with dolphins at an arm´s lenght distance I got really seasick (literally).


Out of the water again, we were told that we were again lucky. Keeping the dolphins attracted over the entire time of the trip, without having to catch up with the school in the boat, is what our guides called a "one hit wonder".

Again, a definite highlight of our trip around the world. More so, as the Kaikoura Dusky Dolphins are dolphins living in freedom, not in some dolphin show, which are by the way forbidden in NZL!

Lake Detergent at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephan_mittas/sets/72157614938974614/

Dusky Dolphins at Dawn: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephan_mittas/sets/72157614979043772/