Bunny Day!..... aka Easter… aka Chocolate Breakfast Lunch
and Dinner Day… aka…. Sugar high for all Day! Yes, the bunny found us all the
way down here… which is pretty amazing since most days it is hard for us to
remember where we are it has been such a busy holiday. Taking advantage of having a decent kitchen we
went all out and had a scrummy breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon before we
drove down to the harbour for our 1pm adventure….. call us crazy but we were
beside ourselves with excitement as we signed up for a dolphin and seal swim in
the middle of the freezing cold Port Phillip Bay!
It was the first time that the boys had ever had full length wetsuits on and it was hilarious seeing them squirm and worm as they tried to squeeze their way into the tight suits. Once we all had flippers, snorkel and suits on the boat departed and headed straight out to Chinaman’s Hat which is where a colony of seals lives. It was all very rushed as we were trying to beat the tide. Those of us who felt confident jumped in off the boom net and drifted round to long ropes on the back of the boat to join the others who had got in from the back of the boat. The ropes were then set free and people were meant to kick together so that the rope could be attached to the pontoon where the seals were. The only problem was that all but 4 of us on our rope couldn’t really swim and so we soon found ourselves drifting fast in the current in the opposite direction to the seals (and a secure tie off point!). We were quite relieved when the guides swam over and took over so those of us who could swim could cut loose and swim over to the secured line. At first it was just amazing to be so close to such wild animals as they fought and whooped at each other, but it got 100 times better when they starting diving in around us and swimming up close and eyeballing us… FANTASTIC. At one stage I had about 6 around me, twirling and whirling… I was entranced totally until they came so close I could touch them and then a bit of panic set in (only slightly alleviated by bringing my hands in close to my side so they didn’t think they were little fish fingers!!!!). The whole event, from diving in to absolutely freezing water to being surrounded by seals (and the occasional floating mass of seal poo), to swimming hard against the very strong current was an intense physical experience.
Once back on board the boat we warmed up with beanies on our heads and warm milo in our bellies. We then went looking for dolphins, dodging the large shipping vessels as we went and playing in the wake of the Spirit of Tasmania! Mariah (one of the guides) spotted a pod of dolphins and we set off in that direction. Once we got close, Bryn and I were one of the first to get towed off ropes hanging off the boom net and got to actually swim with about 4 dolphins – with the help of our mask and snorkel, we could look down and see them criss crossing and playing under and in front of us – again, so close you could see them looking at you and just about close enough to touch.
While others were having their turns, we sat on the bow of the boat and indulged as dolphins came to ‘race’ the boat and dive in and out of the bow wave. Almost in response to the boat engines revving, dolphins were slapping their tails on the water and then speeding in to play. At one stage three dolphins dived out of the water all at once – it was a Seaworld Kodak moment for sure but oh, SO much better as these dolphins are in their natural habitat and completely wild.
Once everyone had been given the opportunity to swim alongside the dolphins, it was time for a ride on the boom net and some people (including Khi and Bryn) had a turn at being dragged along on the tow lines while the boat was going fast… trying to do spins, swish from side to side and ‘dive like a dolphin’.
Once we had reached a good snorkelling spot and the boat was stationary, people got to jump off the top of the boat into the water… not so many people wanted to do that so Khi and Bryn got to have about 4 goes each. Many people then snorkelled but Mark and I chose not to as we were both too warm to want to get back in the cold water (and we figured that it wasn’t really going to compare to some of the other sites we have been like the Barrier Reef or Fiji)! - but the boys did… crazy things that they are – so the honour of the family name was suitably upheld!
We had intended to catch up with Dean, Learne and Tanner for dinner
but we were all so exhausted when we got back we got in touch with them and
agreed to just meet up in the morning as we were surely going to be not so
great company being so sapped! After nice warm showers we didn’t even want to
venture out for dinner – not even to get takeaway – so instead we had a dinner
of ham rolls and crackers with our yummo Apostle Whey cheeses before snuggling
into bed. It was the first time that the boys had ever had full length wetsuits on and it was hilarious seeing them squirm and worm as they tried to squeeze their way into the tight suits. Once we all had flippers, snorkel and suits on the boat departed and headed straight out to Chinaman’s Hat which is where a colony of seals lives. It was all very rushed as we were trying to beat the tide. Those of us who felt confident jumped in off the boom net and drifted round to long ropes on the back of the boat to join the others who had got in from the back of the boat. The ropes were then set free and people were meant to kick together so that the rope could be attached to the pontoon where the seals were. The only problem was that all but 4 of us on our rope couldn’t really swim and so we soon found ourselves drifting fast in the current in the opposite direction to the seals (and a secure tie off point!). We were quite relieved when the guides swam over and took over so those of us who could swim could cut loose and swim over to the secured line. At first it was just amazing to be so close to such wild animals as they fought and whooped at each other, but it got 100 times better when they starting diving in around us and swimming up close and eyeballing us… FANTASTIC. At one stage I had about 6 around me, twirling and whirling… I was entranced totally until they came so close I could touch them and then a bit of panic set in (only slightly alleviated by bringing my hands in close to my side so they didn’t think they were little fish fingers!!!!). The whole event, from diving in to absolutely freezing water to being surrounded by seals (and the occasional floating mass of seal poo), to swimming hard against the very strong current was an intense physical experience.
Once back on board the boat we warmed up with beanies on our heads and warm milo in our bellies. We then went looking for dolphins, dodging the large shipping vessels as we went and playing in the wake of the Spirit of Tasmania! Mariah (one of the guides) spotted a pod of dolphins and we set off in that direction. Once we got close, Bryn and I were one of the first to get towed off ropes hanging off the boom net and got to actually swim with about 4 dolphins – with the help of our mask and snorkel, we could look down and see them criss crossing and playing under and in front of us – again, so close you could see them looking at you and just about close enough to touch.
While others were having their turns, we sat on the bow of the boat and indulged as dolphins came to ‘race’ the boat and dive in and out of the bow wave. Almost in response to the boat engines revving, dolphins were slapping their tails on the water and then speeding in to play. At one stage three dolphins dived out of the water all at once – it was a Seaworld Kodak moment for sure but oh, SO much better as these dolphins are in their natural habitat and completely wild.
Once everyone had been given the opportunity to swim alongside the dolphins, it was time for a ride on the boom net and some people (including Khi and Bryn) had a turn at being dragged along on the tow lines while the boat was going fast… trying to do spins, swish from side to side and ‘dive like a dolphin’.
Once we had reached a good snorkelling spot and the boat was stationary, people got to jump off the top of the boat into the water… not so many people wanted to do that so Khi and Bryn got to have about 4 goes each. Many people then snorkelled but Mark and I chose not to as we were both too warm to want to get back in the cold water (and we figured that it wasn’t really going to compare to some of the other sites we have been like the Barrier Reef or Fiji)! - but the boys did… crazy things that they are – so the honour of the family name was suitably upheld!
Unfortunately most of our pics were taken on the waterproof camera which we forgot to bring the download cable for... but here are a few taken on our phone...
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