Close-Up With Dolphins

What a fantastic dolphin encounter we had yesterday! We had gone kayaking from Cove Rd. to 'Hole in the Wall', which is a keyhole saltwater lake off the St. Lucie Inlet. We had never done this trip before, so it was a fun new experience. At times we had to paddle like crazy against the current, but then it turned around and it was like running the rapids. The lake itself is bordered by the St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park that I have previously posted about. We beached the yaks and walked the sandspit to where the walking trail that we took before, ended (sorry no photos). We had checked Google Earth to see what backwaters we could use to get to the inlet, to stay off the Intracoastal as much as possible. There is a large lagoon we kayaked through, and Dave noticed a couple of dolphins in the distance, heading our way. I decided to slap my paddle on the surface of the water to try and draw their attention and it worked! One went right under Dave on its way to me. Taking photos of dolphins is pretty hard because they surface and go back down so fast. This is a photo of both of them and I don't know if I caught the spray from their exhale or it is just a spot on the camera lens.

You can see how their speed lifts the water and leaves a wake. Nice fin! Good thing it was only a dolphin. 😉 

Off they go, leading us the whole way out to the ICW and across the channel. 

This certainly was a great experience that we will remember for a long time!

😎