It seemed like another hour that passed and still no dolphins in sight. A lot of flying fish that flew so close to our boat made their good morning greeting, it was still fun spotting these unusual fish. Sometime passed and we saw the lookout boat passing by a fisherman who just finished his day’s catch.
Like you would casually ask a tricycle driver or jeepney driver about a location you’re unfamiliar with, the spotter on the other boat asked if the fisherman had seen some dolphins this morning. The nice fisherman pointed his arm to the direction going westward – further up Bobon and our favorite reef breaks.
It was as if we were going to Pujada Bay and see the Sleeping Dinosaur from the ocean though, we were still in Mayo Bay. Again, I was too excited to just still so I kept pacing from my seat and transferring to the bow of the boat where I could get my feet wet. This was the furthest I’ve ever gone and there was surprisingly such strong signal that the internet was 4G. I couldn’t believe it! Now I know if I needed a place to work, I could go to the middle of Mayo Bay. I would just need to figure out how to get a power supply running in case my laptop battery dies. I started imagining how it would be like befriending a fisherman just to be able to go on his boat to work and then if the waves at the reef looked good, surf a little before going back to work.
My daydreaming was cut a bit short because we reached this small cove where there was no sandy beach in sight. It was all jagged boulders and cliffs that the waves were crashing into. The lookout boat was already signaling that there were dolphins nearby.
The air around us seemed tense. Would we finally see dolphins in the wild? I wondered how many would we see. Would it be similar to my previous experiences of riding the Roro from Surigao to Leyte were only a handful of dolphins would swim by the vessel?
I looked around the boat and everybody was wide awake. Wanting to have the best experience ever, I moved to the front part of the boat. As we were entering the cove, our boat captain, one of the local surfers, Peter, turned off the engine. He then went on to explain what’s happening and what the rules were.
Peter said that this place is a feeding ground for spinner dolphins. Occasionally, pilot whales could also be seen in this area and down south. He added that the group will take turns having the best seats on the boat and it’s okay to get excited but we’re not allowed to jump out of the boat. The waters there aren’t identified to be safe for swimming with dolphins because of the current and its depth.
We’ve known each other for quite some time since we surf together in Dahican, I looked at him and asked again if I could try just diving in really quick just to see the dolphins from below. Iyay, also one of the local surfers, who was with us, laughingly said they’d tie me to the back if I had plans of jumping off anyway. Though, in reassurance said that maybe the next time when we have a more experienced team with diving and swimming in deep waters and equipment, we’ll do that.
Focusing back on our boat slowly entering the cove, my eyes stuck like glue on the ocean’s surface. Skimming every inch of whatever I could see for signs of dolphins. I was too excited, I had my GoPro and my phone ready to take photos from above and underwater.
Story to be continued next week! Meanwhile, check www.millennialmermaid.com for more stories!
