Since my earliest memories I was fascinated by dolphins.  I remember as a child how I would swim during our many family vacations at different locations along the beautiful beaches of South Africa and (then) Mozambique, and fantasize about swimming with dolphins.

I clearly remember the magic of my first contact with one of these sentient beings.  I was ‘riding’ the waves when I could not believe my eyes.  A group of about 8-10 bottlenose dolphins were within reaching distance of me.  I first saw them when a big wave approached and I got ready to dive into it in order to avoid it breaking on me.  For an agonizing moment I thought they were sharks.  When I realized they were dolphins, something happened in my soul.  It was a euphoric time … an outstanding spiritual and emotional experience of my early childhood.  The dolphins interacted with me and they seemed to have reveled with obvious joy.  The salt water in my eyes made it unnecessary for my to pinch myself to make sure I was not dreaming.  They emitted high frequency sonar which I heard as a series of clicks and whistles.  Euphoric feelings of deep relaxation and bliss engulfed me.  I was hooked.

Since that day the ocean was synonymous to dolphins to me. I could not wait to get back home after the vacation to the library so that I could find books on dolphins.  I drank in every bit of knowledge I found and up to today my fascination with these beautiful beings has not stopped.