Swimming with the Dolphins

Milea & I left for Rockingham at 6am Saturday morning. It was quite the adventure because Milea just learned how to drive on the left side of the road Friday night. But she did amazingly well. We arrived at the jetty (dock) early & went to look for coffee. Australia doesn't wake up until like 9 or 10, so nothing is ever open. We did find a supermarket, but they aren't like the fab Schnucks. You can't get everything in one stop, so we ended up with carton coffee. Next we packed on the boat, climbed into extra buoyant (& extremely tight) wetsuits, & headed out into the ocean. We all wore a colored belt which indicated which team we were on. SO when the instructor yelled "GREEN" Milea, my team, & I would move to the back of the boat, get in the water, & grab on to the belt in front of us. The guides had yellow hand-held propellers that moved us around. They would then guide us to the dolphins. We did this several times, getting in & out at different stops. I think we were out on the water for 3 hours. So, the guide would move along & we would just float, holding onto a chain of people & watch the dolphins spin around us. I can't even begin to explain in words how AMAZING it was. I wanted to scream the entire time I was in the water with excitement. The dolphins literally swam right up to us. We aren't allowed to touch them because they have a layer on their skin that protects them from the sun, etc, & the oils on our fingers would destroy it. One time when we were with them, our guide was yelling, "Keep your feet up!" because the water was so shallow & they were like right under our bellies. There was even a 2 week old calf swimming around us. They are so playful & used to people that they would come near the boat & almost beg us to get in the water & play. When they would swim right up next to us, energy & excitement just shot through me. I can't explain how amazing this experience was. And, then, at the end the dolphins swam in the wake the boat made... diving & jumping around. It was unbelievable.

After that fabulous morning, Milea & I went to Penguin Island. It is a REALLY small island where these tiny penguins live. It was beautiful: had amazing caves & cliffs, pretty birds, & great views. Ah, it was insane. Afterward, we went to Woodman Point to camp out. Our spot was like a 5 by 5 & was surrounded by a highway, massive amounts of Indian children eating dinner, & the barbie. Milea had to move the car in front of the tent because the fluorescent lights for the "Woodman Point" sign made our tent glow. Anyway, after we set up we went for a walk on the beach & found tons of starfish being thrown about among the waves. We even found a few dead ones for keeps. Then we headed back to camp to cook up some chicken & drink some "Little Creatures" brews (later to find out it is brewed in Freo!) After gnawing through some tough chicken, we brought the rest of the LC's & watched the sunset on the beach. It WAS Valentine's Day so we were surrounded by couples. Even so, the sunset was AMAZING. The rest of the sky was gorgeous and the right side of the beach had the jetty with all the families fishing which was a nice touch. After watching God's amazing sky, we went back to our tent to make s'mores. The Aussies don't know about s'mores so we had to be SUPER inventive. They don't have Hersey's or graham crackers & we had to get marshmallows mixed with raspberry flavoring. Doesn't matter because they were the best ending to the best day of my life.