Day 246 Swimming with the Dolphins 8 October 2012

The reason we are out here in Kaikoura was for Martijn’s birthday gift- a swim with the dolphins!

Here we are in full wetsuit gear- wetsuit socks, wetsuit body leotard, wetsuit jacket, wetsuit gloves and wetsuit hat.

Fins and snorkel gear added a very stylish touch!

We headed out and were lucky to have perfect weather- a storm rolled in when we were back on dry land!

We came upon a pod of about 6 dusky dolphins. Excited we went into the freezing cold water 11C/51F! We were glad to have all that wetsuit gear! We were told to make a lot of sound to attract the curious and playful dolphins the size of Ana. They came so close we could practically touch them!

 

We were called back to the boat and were taken to another pod of dolphins that was spotted. Here we were in for an incredible treat- it was a pod of 300 to 400 dusky dolphins!!

 

 

 

We also had an Albatross encounter! These birds have a wingspan of minimum one Martijn and maximum two Martijns (3.7meters/12feet). And they bring good luck to all who see them.