Swimming with the Dolphins !

We see dolphins quite regularly but they still bring everybody on deck to watch them.  I do not think we will ever tire of seeing them.  However, I have always wanted to swim with dolphins.  I did swim with some Hector dolphins off South Island two years ago and that was pretty amazing but they did not interact with us.

We were in for a treat however when we went out to Stephenson Island for the day.  As we were slowly motoring into the bay looking for a safe anchorage the dolphins seemed to be putting on a show for us.  A large motor boat showed up an hour later and the dolphins again put on a show.  The big kids and I loaded up the rhib to go spearfishing and the pod of dolphins swam over to check us out before we could even think about getting out the spearfishing gear.  They swam around us for at least twenty minutes.  When we would think that they were done, we would start the outboard and they would come back again ... so back into the water we would go.  It was surreal.  They would swim around us faster and faster (like a bait ball ?) within arms reach and then swim off.

Johnathan face to face with a dolphin

This old guy swam around me a few times, then flipped inverted and just stared as me for a moment.   Amazing.

Hello

A few days later we had another pod come by and say hello.

A few days later we had another group come by and say hello.

Some the dolphins seemed to be chasing the flying fish.