Dance of the Dolphins

Acrobatics, dolphin style (click to enlarge)

We saw no whales on our boat trip this past summer, but some of their smaller cousins put on a surprise performance for us on one very memorable morning.

We were anchored in Tenedos Bay, a popular spot in Desolation Sound—a place we would never have expected to see whales or dolphins. So you can imagine our excitement as we spotted a pod of about 20 Pacific White-sided dolphins entering the bay and heading our way. To our delight, they cruised directly over to the part of the bay where we were moored.

They were obviously ready for a meal, and the bay must have been well-stocked with fish. Chasing their prey back and forth along the shoreline, the hunters darted around each other, leaping, diving, churning up great sprays of foam—each dolphin a veritable speed demon.

For the next ten minutes they delivered an amazing, awe-inspiring show of speed, acrobatics and unfettered energy. Then quite suddenly the frenzy stopped, calm was restored, and the whole pod cruised quietly out of the bay.