Dolphin show off the Goa coast

Dolphin search  

"Saab, I promise to show you the dolphins. If you don't see the dolphins this evening, I will take you again tomorrow morning at no extra cost. Pukka!" the boatman assured us.
"Look, we don't want to see just one dolphin. You have to show us many of them! I hope you don't have one of your friends dressed up as a dolphin and simply bobbing his head up and down in the water!" I added, trying hard to cut a joke.
"Saab, you take the ride and see. Pay me only if you like it," the boatman pleaded.

So here we were, 16 of us, 8 adults and 8 children... all aboard this motor boat. I have never seen a more ordinary boat, minimalistic to the core- just a few wooden planks for sitting and no other frills-  not even a few tyres hanging off the sides or a tarpaulin sheet for cover!

The life-jackets were fastened. For some, the buckles didn't exactly click and the straps had to be taken around the waist and knotted by hand. "I hope we don't have to use it!" someone commented as the boatman yanked the lever to jumpstart the boat. After a few false starts, like an autorickshaw... it suddenly sprung to life!

The sun was just over the horizon... a good one-hour to sunset. The boat sliced through the water and headed for the sun. Soon, we were well and truly in the middle of the sea- buffeted by the waves. Rajbagh beach, the Lalit, the coconut groves, the hills.... were miniature images pasted against a distant horizon.

"Look there!" the boatman pointed a hundred metres away where a few birds skimmed the surface of the water. "Where? Where?" people shouted. It was tough to discern anything peculiar amidst the waves. "Don't stand up now and topple the boat in your excitement! Even if you don't see this blessed dolphin, it will be perfectly fine!" a paranoid adult commented. "I don't see anything at all!" a child complained and was reprimanded for being impatient.

All of a sudden, just like a feature on the Discovery Channel, a dolphin leapt out of the water completely, followed this exquisite arc and swooped back into the waves! Truly stunning! "Saab, even I have never it so clearly" the boatman's attendant confided.
"I couldn't see anything. Can I sit on the other side?" my daughter was distraught. "Don't keep complaining. You're not looking in the right direction! Even I can't see anything more than you! Be patient!" was my irritated response.

The boatman switched the motor off. Silence....except the sound of the waves lashing against the boat and rocking it precariously. Soon, many dolphins were seen, swimming in twos, fighting in groups...they were suddenly everywhere...or the eyes learnt to spot them. A fin here, a snout there, a bit of the tail..everyone caught a part of them and extrapolated the rest.
It would now supply enough text for later conversation; the experience magnified several times with each narration!


Dolphin ... or is it the Loch Ness Monster!?



The children were elated, the adults satisfied... the boatman relieved! Paisa vasool! 

A most beautiful sunset brought the day to a climactic close!