dolphin glide

Monday May 13

Wow today is a day to remember and I will tell you why.

Greg and I decided (or greg decided and I said sure!) to go up north to Evans Head to go surfing this morning, it is not that far as the crow flies, but you have to go inland upon leaving yamba, then go north on the motorway for 25 miles and then head back out to the coast. Evans Head is even smaller than yamba, and not as prosperous. It is a pretty drive up there, through sugar cane fields and hillsides covered with mainly eucalyptus, and small farms. To get to the beach we surfed at we drove out to a park that is land set aside because it is spiritually important to the aboriginies. We parked the car and then walked about 20 minutes up a wide beautiful beach with basiclly no one on it. We were headed up to the headland you could see, to a point break that was up there called Snapper Rock. It was an overcast day, but not really to threatening. As we were getting dressed right out where there was maybe 6 guys surfing were the dolphins having brekky and playing in the waves. There were some fairly good size sets coming in (3-5ft), and it was a fairly gentle wave, no death defying takes off and no crowds to hassle. The dolphins were taking the biggest waves as they came by where they were eating and 6,8,10 of them would race the wave, the water is so clear you could see them in the wave even if they weren’t jumping out the front over and over and then jumping out the back. There were some young ones that were playing as well. It was so cool to see them having so much fun. I felt like they were happy to see us and were welcoming us to their playground. I remember standing there and wishing “oh I hope one surfs on a wave with me.”

I was excited to get in the water not only to play with the dolphins, but the wave looked like fun, not as death defying as Angourie had been a few days back, which I have yet to write about. The paddle out was easy, right snuggled up against the rocks and the water here is always such a pleasure to get into. So I paddled for my first wave and caught it and as I am going down the line two dolphins jumped completely out of the wave right in front of me and one definitely made eye contact with me before he slipped back into the wave. I think they jumped a couple more times before I kicked out of the wave. As I was paddling back out they were right in front of me and surprised me they were so close. I have to say that was one of the coolest things that has ever happened to me, I felt like my heart was going to burst with joy. The next wave I took off on they were surfing it with me as well, although this time I did not make eye contact with any of them. They hung around the whole 2 ½ hours we were there, never far from where we were all surfing. There was one dolphin who had a sort of broken dorsal fin on the top that I named Stubbie.

All in all it was a magical experience that I will always remember, one of those jewels when you are old and sitting in the rocking chair you take out of your heart and treasure.