delfin daze

Went on a 7:30 am dolphin, whale and tortuga tour with Italian divers Lorenzo and Francesca and Andreas the Mexican captain.

I was told by Lorenzo that I was on a very special tour as I was the only tourist.

Both Lorenzo and fetching Francesca look as the dream team of European cool. Perfectly sculpted bodies, abs, barefoot, tanned. Slightly grizzled but hauling heavy equipment down to the beach like swaying, sexy Marines.

They threw the fins, snorkels and drinking water into a large canvas bag tossed then into the boat.

 I was still quite sick two days ago but jumped into the launcha, without troubles.

Capitan Andreas set off for the sea.

What do you want to see  Lorenzo asked earlier, smoking, like only it Italians can driving his truck barefoot.  Whales? Dolphins?

I told him I had very good whale Karma having seen very many whales in Newfoundland and Baja Mexico very close.

Ah he said, if to work in Baja, there you can charge very much.

In the launcha I said I wanted to see dolphins. I have never seen dolphins in their sea.

We go to find dolphins but must go far out he said.

We drove for what felt like an hour although it was probably 20 minutes.

Suddenly  Lorenzo loses his mind telling Andreas to steer port as he and Francesca take turns roping themselves to the bow looking in the far distance.

Lorenzo yells, look, look Beth! See the dolphins by the boats..

A few small boats are gathered near birds, then I see black shapes flying and flipping in the air.

Dolphins. Not just two or three, but hundreds and hundreds of dolphins.

The dolphins are suddenly everywhere flipping right by the boat racing through the ocean. Lorenzo and Francesca are ecstatic pulling out cameras with beautiful lens climbing on the boat like  monkeys to get a shot.

They get me to climb to the bow to look down and ahead.  The whole ocean is at least 300 dolphins all around jumping, racing throwing themselves 10 feet in the air. For every dolphin we see says Lorenzo 5 times that under the waters

Below me the ocean is like glass and I am racing with 8 dolphins in front of or beside me. On every side hundreds of dolphins jumping and flipping.

Lorenzo and Francesca and I are laughing, whooping and pointing out and sharing best dolphin jumps. She just jump 15 feet I think yells Francesca! Look at this one! I yell.

Suddenly something changes and the dolphins begin racing and we have to go top speed to try and keep up.  Lorenzo is ecstatic.  See! They have seen something and all are chasing!

We see tuna jumping everywhere like the dolphins. They chase the Tunas who chase the sardines.  The tuna want the sardines but so do the tunas. The Tunas tell them where the food is. The Tunas are the best hunters Lorenzo says.

Lorenzo and Francesca pull out cigarette after cigarette smoking like tanned Vogue models while they snap photos of dolphins so fast and massed and focused and we in the midst of this frenetic hunt.

I am laughing and we are all still going Look!  Look! There! There now!

We see all these babies leaping with their Moms, little flippers touching her. The babies always just with Mom.

I am so awed by it all.  And then I started weeping.

A profound despair in bright sunlight.

Such a beautiful brilliant complex and astounding planet we live on. Such a patrimony. Things our children will need.

Lorenzo says to me. I have told Francesca this, I am tired of diving, but I will never tire of the ocean.

He takes another drag of his cigarette, looks out. I look at the tanned, worn feet of Andreas and Lorenzo and think about all our lives.