back to previous page Finding Flipper: dolphin swim, Melbourne, Australia
With the announcement that dredging is to go ahead Chris Ord remembers a swim with at risk dolphins in Port Philip Bay and wonders if it they'll survive for another encounter.
Dolphins have long been associated with miracles. And it just so happened that I was in desperate need of one. Suffering a swollen brain, dehydration and severe nausea, I wondered if an underwater appointment with these gentle creatures would cure my Saturday morning malaise. After all, they’ve been credited with a whole range of psychological and physiological healings. In one famous case, an eight-year-old British boy who suffered brain damage at birth spoke for the first time after swimming with tame dolphins in Florida.
Rather than the claustrophobic confines of an amusement park, my weekend remedial therapy was slated for the open waters of Port Phillip Bay, the natural but increasingly threatened habitat of over 100 wild Bottlenose dolphins. Or Tursiops truncates for those with a biological bent.
The blustery morning’s tour group gathered at Sorrento’s main pier on the Morninton Peninsula and amid excited chatter donned full-body wet suits, readying themselves for the punch of Port Phillip’s chilly waters.
industry. It was to Polperro that the local dolphins were first attracted back in the early eighties, their curiosity aroused by the long distance swimmer that the boat was pacing at the time, owner and now tour operator Judy Muir.
Fascinated by the sublime sea mammals and increasingly worried for their future, Judy decided that education was the only way to preserve both the dolphins and their environment. So in 1986 she and her family established the multi-award winning Polperro Dolphin Swims and to this day their unwavering commitment to the dolphin cause shines through like sun-glare off a first-sighted fin.
“If there’s one thing you take away from today’s adventure – apart from a fantastic encounter – it’s that you’ll never use plastic bags again,” said
Motoring to the middle of the bay, Polperro approached a colony of fur seals, the so-called ‘dogs of the sea’, lazing on a navigation platform. Slipping off the back of the boat for our first marine encounter, the water was as clear as it was cold. The harem and its slick-furred pimp looked grandly down on us before plunging in, keen to show off their underwater prowess. It wasn’t hard to be both exhilarated and intimidated by the mischievous mammals as a 300 kilogram, two-metre adult male glided beneath watching protectively over two pups playing a game of chase only metres away. Leaving the seal circus behind, Captain Troy Muir pointed Polperro’s bow towards Queenscliff, expertly handling the helm in his well-practiced search for a dolphin pod. To the cheers of all on board, it wasn’t long before fins sliced the water on the port side and we were back in the water, hanging off buoyed mermaid ropes.
We’d been well-versed in dolphin swim etiquette. “Don’t feed or reach out to them. They’re naturally inquisitive and will
come to you,” Judy instructed noting that on occasion they can come so close “you could just about pucker up and kiss them.” “They usually respond to playful excitement and children in particular.” Apparently they don’t mind a good tune either; quite an ask with a snorkel in your mouth.
And so we hummed away as the dolphins glided effortlessly and within puckering distance underneath. Known to do their fair share of ‘singing’ to each other, dolphins also ‘introduce’ themselves by clicking and whistling, sounds which some believe are a sophisticated form of language.
Dolphins are highly social animals and Judy believes not only do they have their own names, but also distinctive personalities. “There are playful dolphins, shy dolphins, cheeky dolphins and serious dolphins, just like there are humans,” she says. “But as wild animals, it’s important not to anthropomorphise them too much.”
As we watch two large dolphins cavort on the bow wave on the return journey, it’s hard not to feel some sense of connection to the creatures, human or not. As they put on an acrobatic display, one twists to its side - matching the
boat’s speed with barely a flutter of its tail - and peers up at us. I could swear it mouthed something, winked at me and then resumed to looping and twisting playfully around it mate. Just how intelligent dolphins are is still a contentious topic among experts, but their extraordinary sensory capacities are well known. A dolphin’s hearing is estimated to be 30 times better than humans and they use a highly sophisticated method of underwater echo for orientation.
“Their sonar is quite incredible,” says Judy. “If you’re lucky enough to have them direct it at you, it feels like you’re about to burst with energy. There’s no other feeling like it on earth.”
Whether or not dolphins have the power to heal - by sonar or otherwise - remains debatable, but a close-quarters swimming encounter definitely mends the weary soul and energizes a smile for the rest of the day.
And it does wonders for a hangover.
UPDATE ON THE DOLPHINS' FATE
Watch:
To learn more visit www.bluewedges.org
DETAILS
Departs Sorrento Pier daily at 8.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. (weather permitting), and other times by arrangement. Bookings are essential.
Trip Duration: 3 - 4 hours.
Season: October to April.
Polperro Dolphin Swims
Phone: +61 (0) 3 5988 8437
Fax: +61 (0) 3 5988 8734
Mobile: +61 (0) 428 174 160
Email: crew@polperro.com.au
Web: www.polperro.com.au
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