Dolphin

I have heard it said that if dolphins follow your boat, it means good luck and I like to believe it is true. We were on a family vacation, near Crystal River, Florida, and having towed our boat from Ohio, our goal was to do a little offshore fishing. The place where we launched seemed suitable since our boat needed only a three-foot draw. Not to mention it was high tide when we made our slow and careful way out of the shallow water and into the deeper waters of the Gulf. The water was calm, the sun warm, and fluffs of beautiful white clouds spread out across a perfect blue sky.

To me, big water is great therapy. I love to shut off the boat motor and listen to the water slosh around my boat. It’s like music to my ears. The rhythm of the water moving all around me in all directions is spiritually freeing, even though in my physical state, I am limited to the boundaries of my little boat.

Our fishing gear was rigged and ready to do some serious fishing, but relaxing was the real plan. After all, this was our vacation. Just when I began to wonder if it could have gotten any better, out of the water jumped a dolphin. Then there was another. We saw more and more, and before we knew it, there was a whole pod of dolphins swimming and playing all around our boat. It was beautiful. We had our cameras out snapping pictures and video recording. Our dog sat mesmerized on the swim platform and as he watched, he would make tiny, high-pitched whining sounds. We would see dolphins surface up out of the water, roll their fins, and then swim back under. They continued swimming and surfacing for about thirty minutes, but it seemed to be over too soon. We watched them swim away, further and further out to sea, leaving us in awe.

Later, after a delightful day of fishing, it was time to go in. We didn’t have luck catching any fish, but no matter. I still felt blessed to have had the company of the dolphins, even if only briefly. Oh, did I mention that we had launched at high tide? On the way back, the tide had gone out and it was a nerve-wracking ride in. However, I can proudly say that we never bumped or disturbed any coral reefs, and while this was due partly to my husband’s good captaining skills, I tend to think the luck of the dolphins was with us as well!

As always, my opinions are completely my own. Please see disclaimer here.