The Day the Dolphins Gave Us the Royal Flush (Literally)
Alright, I'm about to tell you a story that's equal parts incredible, hilarious, and yes, a little bit gross.
It all happened on a seemingly ordinary dive day off the coast of Pompano Beach, Florida, with some of my usual Seasters.
We geared up, put on our Plunge Waterwear rashguards of course, and jumped into the cool embrace of the Atlantic. The visibility was decent, not crystal clear but enough to see the first reef and some of the life there.
We were following our usual underwater path, pointing out cool fish on that first shelf, and then after a bit, swimming out further to the second shelf where the mooring buoys are, snapping photos, getting some fun gopro footage, when things took a turn for the...squeaky.
It started subtle, almost like someone was clinking metal underwater? Really it's hard to describe. Then, we thought it was part of the boat engine noise filtering down, but then it came again, closer this time, a distinct "ekekekekeke" echoing through the water.
We exchanged confused glances, asked each other "do you hear that?" "What the hell is that?"
We all nodded, our ears perked for the next squeak. and then a sleek, gray shape emerged from the distance.
A dolphin! And not just one, but a whole pod, gracefully gliding towards us!!
Now, let me tell you, encountering dolphins underwater is an experience unlike any other. These majestic creatures with their playful energy and intelligent eyes can leave you breathless. We were ecstatic!
We watched (I stupidly raced towards them), mesmerized, as they swam in front of us, and circled back to check us out ... their bodies shimmering like silver arrows in the sunlight filtering through the water.
We couldn't believe it. The GoPro footage, when we play it back now, is hilarious because you can literally hear us squealing with joy and all of the muffled "Oh My God"s through our snorkels.
A we were taking it in, this INCREDIBLY magical moment...
as if it was an orchestrated event...
a cloud of not-so-sparkling particles, was everywhere!
We were in a literal dolphin poop cloud!
Yes, you read that right. The majestic creatures we were just admiring had decided to, ahem, relieve themselves right on top of us.
It was like a synchronized underwater ballet of s**t.
The initial shock quickly turned into uncontrollable laughter. We were choking on a mix of seawater, poop, and amusement. We kicked our way out of the cloud, still giggling hysterically.
The dolphins, perhaps sensing our reaction, didn't seem fazed at all. They continued their playful antics, as if nothing had happened, and then swam off.
We finished our dive, thoroughly christened by dolphin doo (yes, that's going in the dive log!), and have this story that will last a lifetime ... The Dolphin Encounter Underwater Pompano Beach that came with some poo! The swim back was filled with nonstop laughter, replaying the events in our heads.
Our hair may have smelled a little "special" for the rest of the morning, but the memory of our encounter with the "generous" dolphins remained a cherished one.
Looking back, it was one of the most bizarre and hilarious experiences I've ever had underwater. It reminded us that even the most awe-inspiring encounters in nature can have a touch of the unexpected, the messy, and the downright funny.
Sadly, we haven't been able to see them again since. The weather here in South Florida has made diving off of the coast a little iffy and hasn't aligned with my schedule as much as I would have liked. I think this has to do a lot with it being an El Nino year.
Now that summer is around the corner, I have my fingers crossed that we'll see more calm days and have more opportunities to see the dolphins again!
So next time you're out diving and hear a mysterious squeak, don't be surprised if it comes with a side of… well, let's just say a reminder that even dolphins gotta go.
Has anything like this ever happened to you? Have you seen dolphins in the wild? Drop it in the comments below, i'd love to hear your story! And as always, feel free to email me anytime with questions, comments, or for info about our incredible line of diving rashguards! Click here to send me a message anytime! ~Lisa