Tag 102 - flipped out

10.08.19

If you enter the place 'Lovina' in Google, probably 90% of the results will be related to dolphins. We couldn't resist the tourist attraction either and booked a boat tour. Our alarm rings at 05:45. We quickly get ready and join the other sleepy guests who are also going on the tour on the street, where some guides are waiting for us with a van and two scooters. Since the bus is occupied by a large family, Jonna and I ride on the scooters. We are driven the 1.5 km to the beach and walk there with our 'captain' to his boat where we take our seats.

We sail over the extremely calm water and admire the horizon and the clouds that slowly turn orange, announcing the sunrise.

After the sun rises, the driver speeds up the boat and takes us parallel to the coast in the west direction. We share the stretch of sea with about 20-30 other boats that are also on the way. After a good half an hour, the captain changes course and points to the horizon in front of us. We sharpen our eyes and can see an area where the water is strangely churned up - dolphins! As we get closer, we recognize how large the school is, from which dozens of marine mammals repeatedly jump partly meters high out of the water. The clever animals quickly notice us and dive under. We are really euphoric and grin at each other.

The captain steers the boat back to the others - a short time later we sail with all the other tourists on an area of about the size of a football field. You can always hear engines starting, then all the boats drive to the point where someone has seen dolphins come up. This procedure is repeated several times. We only recognize dorsal fins and then after half an hour we drive back to our starting point.

All in all, the last part of the excursion was a bit tedious and unpleasant (30 boats chasing a small group of dolphins), but just for the boat ride itself, the sunrise, and the 'private' encounter with the large dolphins at the beginning, it was very worth it.