“Where are they?”

“Will we really find them?”

“Are they here, Or over there?”

“Who will site them first?”

Unspoken questions heard by everyone; uttered by no one.

Total silence is broken only by the chug of an engine.

Ten pair of eyes scan in all directions, straining to see the

tip of a fin above the water.

“THERE!”

“LOOK!”

The first fin is sighted. Excited voices shatter the silence. Something leaps out of the water. Our questions are answered. Yes, they are here TODAY! The Bottlenose Dolphins, in Wolf Bay, Elberta Alabama. We are aboard the “Skipper J” Dolphin Cruise boat, with Captain J and his wife, Sherrie Reas. The dolphins race with the boat. They jump in and out of the frothy wake.

Laughter and smiles over take us. We are captivated by the boundless freedom of these wild, playful creatures. Captain J tells us that the dolphins commonly follow fishing boats for a free meal. They also enjoy a “free ride” on the waves of boats even when there is no fish for them. The captain admits that he has no control over these wild creatures. He provides the waves and he hopes they’ll show up. Today we are not disappointed.

Dolphins are marine mammals belonging to the toothed whale family. They hang out together in groups from 2 to 20 called pods. Baby dolphin calves, nurse milk from their mothers until they are old enough to eat solid food. Fish and squid are a tasty meal for dolphins. Pod members work together to herd schools of fish and help each other hunt them. Not only do dolphins help each other, they help people.

Throughout history dolphins have helped people who were in trouble at sea. Stories dating back to the time of ancient Greece tell of dolphins protecting boaters and divers from shark attacks and nudging drowning swimmers to the surface. No one knows for sure why these wild ocean mammals come to the aid of humans. It’s a mystery that scientific research may never explain.

People have learned alot about dolphins because their curious and friendly natures make it easy to study them. They starred in movies. They perform in shows at places like “Sea World”. Dolphins even serve in the military! The Navy trains them to find enemy sea mines. The dolphin uses echolocation which helps it find sea mines. It does this by making clicking sounds. These sounds bounce off objects and return to the dolphin. The dolphin uses this information to locate the mine. It swims back to its handler and gives a signal, letting them know that a mine has been found.

Then the dolphin attaches a special marker to the mine so ship captains will know to steer their ships safely around it. Many ships and people have been saved from harm because dolphins have been trained to help us in this way. As I stood on the deck of the Skipper J, I thought about all the ways dolphins help and entertain us. They truly are amazing creatures.  We all owe a thank you to these friendly mammals of the sea.