Dolphin Address 37
August 31th 2005
Since a leading Dutch newspaper (the NRC) in the early nineties proclaimed the 'Blue Wave', a dazzling score of blessings has been attributed to dolphins. Regular visitors of these pages will have noticed that I shy to partake in imposing the supernatural on my observations. My angle in this respect is to close-up reality as true Nature easily outwits any fabrication of human fancy. At least mine is not exited by the claims that dolphins would originate from Sirius (now seriously) and the proposition that Dusty has chosen the Boathouse bay to alarm the public on cattle breeders slurry dumping only has its merit as a environmental conservationist strategy.
Nine years ago I entered the literary realm with a Dutch-tongued booklet entitled 'Fungi, de Dingle Dolfijn'. There I parodied the supernatural circus by suggesting Fungi had chosen Sladeen, the mouth of the Dingle inlet, as his home stage for the veins of crystal that run through the cliffs. I assumed he wielded their transitory power to communicate with other star systems. Much to my dismay this hahahypothesis was nicked by a countryman who also claims to cure cattle over the telephone. In his testimony he presents my satire as actually true and insisted on it even after I revealed to him the double barrel of my explanation.
True magic I rather seek in the actual experience than in armchair dream weaving. And true magic it was this afternoon in the swell at 'Two-Bottle Island'. The major part of it was washed over by what may well have been the tail end of this Katerine hurricane. Dolphins are known to ride the bow waves of boats, but in this situation the rocks were standing still while the water was doing all the moves. My former approaches of the island in stormy weather had been halted by the fizzy viz at the lee side. Trillions of tiny air bubbles blind the view down to less than 5 cms and outrages the sane mind to venture into the turbulence over a maze of razor sharp rock edges.
But my dear old friend and dolphin inspiration Horace Dobbs reveals in one of his enlightening tales that he was shown by a dolphin not to fear the impact of turbulence as the same water that throws you towards a rock will also cushion you as long as it can't wash past it. With this in mind I chose the side where the clear waves were storming in so at least I could see from what I had to steer clear of. By streamlining myself head-on into a wave I lose little 'ground' and its backdrop enables me to keep my distance from the gnawing rocks.
Dusty seemed in seventh heaven to share these rollercoaster's with me. She flew around me in tight circles and frequently launched herself on the power of the swell. The turmoil made it hard to focus the camera and my own safety being at stake made it only harder. Moreover I sometimes feel like an aqua paparazzo when I hold the camera between us, thereby drawing on our friendship. She seems to acknowledge and even begrudge this in a clip where she nudges away in a grunt and spins into an easy elegant barrel roll. This and other unique footage will soon be viewable on video on this website. Meanwhile I shut down the camcorder and join her in sheer joy as our friendship goes beyond any way of capture.
Jan Ploeg, Meadow Fanore, August 31th 2005
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