Sunday, November 27, 2005
Happy Birthday to You...
Off to Moreton Island today, to stay at Tangalooma Dolphin Resort. Unfortunately for Sarah, she had to get up in good time to get the transfer to the island. Anyway, off we went by launch on a beautiful morning. Yet again, no sign of the forecast rain. We found our room, with its beautiful views over the palm trees, white sandy beach and blue Pacific Ocean, and settled in. Given the limited time available, we booked quad biking (which Sarah decided she would miss out, opting to spend the time on the beach with a book - birthday privilege) and dolphin feeding.
Things started to look a bit dodgy on the weather front after lunch, with some cloud approaching from the west, and by the time our quad biking was due to start it had started to rain. We could see lightning out at sea as well, so thought we'd walk down to check if the quad bikes would go out in that sort of weather. Big Mistake. We got to the quad bikes just as the sky darkened and it started to rain heavily. Happily, they rescheduled our trip, and we dashed for shelter. By the time we got there we were soaked.
We sat and watched the birthday pyrotechnics for quite a while, marvelling at the people willing to walk along the beach holding big umbrellas with a spike on the top as well as the fantastic lightning. It was a great storm. About half way through, we decided to make a run for some more shelter that served coffee, but underestimated the distance, so were soaked again by the time we got there. The cafe was splashing about in a couple of inches of water, but still serving, so this time we watched the spectacle with warm drinks.
We made it back to our room when it cleared, and were rewarded with rather a good sunset. Dolphin feeding time was at 7, so we donned our swimming gear and went down to the beach, where the dolphins were already playing about in the shallow water. They've been coming for years, and turn up pretty much every night. They originally came to feed on the fish around the jetty, but then someone threw them some fish, and so the hand feeding started to become the tourist attraction it is today. They're pretty careful about it, and only feed 10-20% of a dolphin's daily intake so that they still have to hunt. There are lots of things you have to do and not do, for example, you must wash your hands in disinfectant before feeding so that you don't pass on infections to the dolphins, and you're not allowed to feed if you have a respiratory infection or a cold.
Anyway, all that taken on board, in we went with our chaperones. The dolphins come right up and pluck the fish out of your fingers incredibly gently. When they do, there's an almost overwhelming urge to stroke them, they're so cute, but it's a big no-no. We were lucky - because of the weather there weren't that many people feeding them (still a lot, though) so we got to feed quite a few fish. I guess it's obvious, really, but they're incredibly agile in the water. They were getting washed backwards & forwards by the waves, because we were so close to the beach, but never once did they bump into us. I kept backing away, or trying to avoid them, but I was very slow & clumsy about it, and in any case, it was completely unnecessary. Max & Erin were very good with them, too, with no real fear about getting so close to something so unfamiliar.
After the combination of euphoria and mild hypothermia, we headed off for dinner, to celebrate Sarah's birthday with a bottle of fizz. A bit of a mixed day in many ways, but I think it turned out OK.
Things started to look a bit dodgy on the weather front after lunch, with some cloud approaching from the west, and by the time our quad biking was due to start it had started to rain. We could see lightning out at sea as well, so thought we'd walk down to check if the quad bikes would go out in that sort of weather. Big Mistake. We got to the quad bikes just as the sky darkened and it started to rain heavily. Happily, they rescheduled our trip, and we dashed for shelter. By the time we got there we were soaked.
We sat and watched the birthday pyrotechnics for quite a while, marvelling at the people willing to walk along the beach holding big umbrellas with a spike on the top as well as the fantastic lightning. It was a great storm. About half way through, we decided to make a run for some more shelter that served coffee, but underestimated the distance, so were soaked again by the time we got there. The cafe was splashing about in a couple of inches of water, but still serving, so this time we watched the spectacle with warm drinks.
We made it back to our room when it cleared, and were rewarded with rather a good sunset. Dolphin feeding time was at 7, so we donned our swimming gear and went down to the beach, where the dolphins were already playing about in the shallow water. They've been coming for years, and turn up pretty much every night. They originally came to feed on the fish around the jetty, but then someone threw them some fish, and so the hand feeding started to become the tourist attraction it is today. They're pretty careful about it, and only feed 10-20% of a dolphin's daily intake so that they still have to hunt. There are lots of things you have to do and not do, for example, you must wash your hands in disinfectant before feeding so that you don't pass on infections to the dolphins, and you're not allowed to feed if you have a respiratory infection or a cold.
Anyway, all that taken on board, in we went with our chaperones. The dolphins come right up and pluck the fish out of your fingers incredibly gently. When they do, there's an almost overwhelming urge to stroke them, they're so cute, but it's a big no-no. We were lucky - because of the weather there weren't that many people feeding them (still a lot, though) so we got to feed quite a few fish. I guess it's obvious, really, but they're incredibly agile in the water. They were getting washed backwards & forwards by the waves, because we were so close to the beach, but never once did they bump into us. I kept backing away, or trying to avoid them, but I was very slow & clumsy about it, and in any case, it was completely unnecessary. Max & Erin were very good with them, too, with no real fear about getting so close to something so unfamiliar.
After the combination of euphoria and mild hypothermia, we headed off for dinner, to celebrate Sarah's birthday with a bottle of fizz. A bit of a mixed day in many ways, but I think it turned out OK.
// posted by Chrisl @ 9:24 PM 
