Meeting the dolphins

Tucked away in my cottage, sitting on the couch with a plate with fresh bread and Cornish cheddar cheese and a beer from Tintagel brewery, I watch the valley disappear behind a veil of white and grey. Shortly before the sun was still out, now rainshowers hide the landscape. Amused I think of my day. Cloudy when I was at sea, back in the harbour the sun came out, cloudy again when I took a swim at the beach and now the weather makes you want to hide away indoors. At the coast, it changes by the hour if not minute, or so it seems.

The ribs take up speed and we quickly see the coast disappear. Out onto the open sea, where we'll have a chance of meeting dolphins. Sure enough, as soon as the boats slow down, a whole group of dolphins appear within no time. They swim around the boats, examining them, going from one to the other. It's a wonderful sight. The grey, white-bellied dolphins dive up and down, surprising us with where they show up next. We even spot a youngster.

Honestly I didn't expect to see any. It goes beyond my understanding that the dolphins freely come to check out boats and humans. They can feel the vibrations of the boats probably over a distance of many miles and I believed they would prefer to go where the sea is not constantly disturbed by the vibrations of motorboats. Yet they seem to consider it fun to meet humans in boats. What's in our vibration that makes them reach out?

I venture out on the beach further up where the harbour meets the sea. Backed by cliffs, it looks stunning. It's clouded and the water is cold. Such a difference with yesterday, when the water actually felt warmer than the air. I'm not one for dipping in more than a toe if the water is cold. Yet yesterday my sea swim was such a delight that I want to experience it again. I give it a second try. Looking at the skies, I see my chances to take a sunbath afterwards are zero. I so dislike being cold and wet together. Then I kick my ass and dive in. Embrace the cold I keep telling myself and keep swimming, movement makes warm. To my surprise, it really does and within minutes I don't want to come out anymore. I'm so proud of myself! When I get back to my wind sheltered spot at the bottom of the cliffs, I find out that the rocks radiate warmth that they have stored. Smiling, I stretch out on my beach towel, being warmed by the sand and the rocks and dried by the air.

When I'm nearly dry, raindrops start to fall. Not fancying getting wet again, nor wanting to leave the beach, I'm considering my options. Then I spot a tiny cave just a few metres from my hideaway. I wrap the towel around me and squeeze myself and my bag into the cave. It's perfect, here I can wait for the rain to pass. Some people walking by see me and smile, commenting on the cleverness of it all. After the rain has moved on, I do some dancing on the beach and find myself a great spot to sit on the cliffs to take in the beauty of this place.