Tuesday, February 4th, Kaikoura and swimming with the dolphins

During breakfast, we meet our nice landlady and her 2 daughters, River (3 years old) and Sarah (6 months old). The older one is very shy and the little one is always laughing. She reminds us a lot of Lina!

This morning, we are going on a boat tour and maybe we can swim with the dolphins as well. At the counter, we find out that we are not scheduled for swimming, but we are given the option to swim if a participant doesn't want to or can't swim anymore. We are taken to the boat by bus and then quickly head out to sea. The waves are strong, but Vomex retard helps a lot. Then the dolphins jump and swim around us and it's great to watch them. We also spot some albatrosses. The waves are strong, so swimming with fins, goggles, and snorkel is quite exhausting. The swimmers are called back to the boat again and again, and the ship looks for a new group of dolphins. Actually, one swimmer stops earlier. She is feeling quite sick. Not me (yet)! Now it's my turn to jump into the water and I find using the snorkel quite difficult, but I really want to do it! And actually, I manage to swim with the dolphins around me once. That's really amazing, but after a mouthful of saltwater, I get back on the boat as well. And then I start feeling sick too! The intense rocking after the exertion is apparently too much for Vomex as well!!! Even Reinhard gets seasick for the first time. There are some people with grayish-green faces and others who are funny and in a good mood. So, I guess I won't become a sailor after all. After resting in bed for a while to get my circulation back in balance, we take a walk through Kaikoura and I buy some salt crackers and cola for myself.

And Reinhard cancels my participation for the next day's whale watching flight with 'Wings over Whales'.