Oh those perfect days where the water is clear and the sun shines right through it! After months of watching and learning how to behave around dolphins I reached a point where I felt we could read one another’s body language. They could tell I was not a threat and came closer to me, inspecting me with curious eyes and playful demeanors. Before moving to Hawaii, I had never imagined I could go so many days seeing more dolphins than people. Among all the days I’ve encountered them underwater, moments of light like this remain some of my favorite experiences.
Who knew air could be optional, and that time spent without it could be optimal? Enter the world of freediving. In this sport, time expands and lungs contract. The mind reaches a point of stillness and your body suspends in a vast bubble of blue. Here, I trailed alongside these two dolphins at the ocean floor and steadily glided up beside them, silently knowing there was no rush to the surface and enjoying the last few seconds beneath the surface before the three of us would breathe deeply, preparing to extend our dive times on the next round.
One of my favorite views in Hawaii is the way the light rays dance across a dolphins body in clear pelagic waters. Conditions need to align from a variety of angles to witness this spectacle. As the dolphin glides through the water the light rapidly adjusts is expression on the skin. Changing depending on the depth and orientation of the dolphins the sunlight continues to streak down into the bottomless blue water offering its luminance for the occasion.
