Swimming with Dolphins

We had a great Anzac holiday weekend with Paul and Teresa and Heather (now 6 months old) at Tangalooma, a resort on nearby Moreton Island where dolphins come nightly to be handfed by willing tourists. I had imagined myself swimming with dolphins (yes in a fantasy-like mini-movie starring Elaine) -- the reality was quite different, with long lines of tourists going down to the water like an assembly line, but it was still pretty amazing to be that close to the dolphins. We waded out with a staff member and each had a fish to place in the water. I wasn't quick enough and my young dolphin (3 yr old) nipped my fingers a bit by accident. Anya, meanwhile, was keen initially, then ended by climbing my body in fear when Storm and Silhouette were actually circling us. (I'll post the photo soon.) So David fed Anya's fish to the dolphins as well, then the staff member even gave us more fish to prolong the moment. Paul gloated afterwards that he got THREE fish to feed their dolphins -- I didn't realise it was a competitive point!

The other great activity was snorkelling the wrecks just off shore. All of us enjoy scuba diving (Paul used to be an instructor) so it was the perfect holiday activity for us, and largely fitted in with the constraints imposed by two babies and a toddler. Paul earned platinum status by looking after both Callum and Heather while Teresa and I were snorkelling -- both babies needed naps and he had to walk up and down the beach carrying them both until they fell asleep. Meanwhile, David was back at the villa waiting for Anya to finish a nap. He went snorkelling after we came back, and Paul went back with him.

From Anya's perspective, the best part was probably having four adults to talk to. I don't think she considers herself a child! She enjoyed being right on the beach with grassy areas, sandy beaches, a swimming pool and playground all within a short walking distance. It certainly was great being able to swim at a moment's notice (the family unit at Peregian Beach is a couple of blocks away from the beach).