Dolphin Watching Cruise

* I forgot to mention that the Captain met his wife of 15 years on one of his cruises - she was with her parents. How sweet is that?!?

Probably my favorite part of my recent trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama was a Dolphin Watching Cruise. Actually in nearby Orange Beach, we set sail with Captain Ritchie of Dolphins Express.




What was particularly cool about this cruise is that our Captain would pop up the front of the boat and speed up to create a lot of wake. This brought all the dolphins a' swimming! They came right up to the back of the boat, within just a couple of feet, where they would swim along like they were racing us. Then, they would jump up in to the air, oftentimes in near unison, and twist and dive back down to the water. It was so much fun to watch them play over and over!

It was tricky getting these playful and swift dolphins on camera - my brain-to-finger reaction time is not on dolphin time - but I did manage to catch a few good shots with which to remember the afternoon.

The weather was primo, too. We all were just hanging out on the boat underneath the clear blue sky with a cool wind blowing ... just chilling to the groovy music ... hanging with the dolphins.




Now, there was a situation where Captain Ritchie needed someone with nimble thinking skills and an uncanny sensory perception of the water to navigate the boat through treacherous conditions. I humbly stepped in and ensured the safety of all my fellow passengers and the pod of high-value dolphins we were escorting. ;)