Christmas Gifts For Dolphin Lovers
Choosing a dolphin lover gift may not be as easy as it is for a
pet lover, but that is not to say it is not possible. In fact,
you will find quite a range of dolphin related gifts around the
internet, although in your local store it may be hit and miss as
to whether you will find anything. In my case, I received the
true, ultimate dolphin lover gift, some years ago, but more of
that later.
The demand for dolphin gifts, though, is undoubtedly high. On a
brief and unscientific survey, dolphin lover gifts are about
half as popular as cat lover gifts. If you think about it, that
is amazing. Most people will never see a dolphin in their lives,
yet we are surrounded by cats.
What is it, then, that makes dolphins so appealing? I love birds
and cats especially, but dolphins I adore. They are wonderful
and appealing creatures with a mystique that helps their
popularity. Dolphins are the stuff of sailors' tales, and true
stories, about dolphins and man. They have faces that are
expressive in a human like way, and they seem to smile. Dolphins
also seem to follow man out at sea, when men venture out in
their boats or into the water.
Dolphins are also performers, not just in captivity, but in the
wild. While they do travel at high speed and jump out of the
water in so doing, they do come across as playful, and capable
of enjoying life. So, in a way they are partly human like, and
therefore easy for us to relate to. They are also very
intelligent.
Dolphins engender excitement, and at times everyone becomes a
dolphin lover. In my country of origin, England, dolphins off
the coast have always been something of a rarity; although I
have read that large numbers of dolphins have been seen off
nearby Wales recently. While I still lived in England, though,
the appearance of a few dolphins close to shore may even have
made the television news and front pages of the newspapers. Now,
that's something cat's cannot do!
I am one of the lucky few, though. I was fortunate to be able to
live on the Dorset coastline, where a group of about 6 dolphins
had become familiar passers-by just offshore. Very rarely they
ventured into Swanage Bay, but mostly they were observed
sometimes off Durlston. But, you needed a lot of luck and
patience to see any dolphins there, even when they were known to
be in the area. I had a naturalist friend who had lived in
Swanage for 25 years, and was a frequent visitor to Durslton; he
had never, ever seen a dolphin there.
I was a member of Dolphin Watch, spending long hours on the
cliff top looking out for the dolphins to record their
movements. I had no luck ever while on duty, nor had many fellow
dolphin lovers on the watch. My luck suddenly changed, though,
when I was out walking with my daughter one Sunday afternoon, on
the cliff tops at Durlston. It was early December, and winter
and Christmas were in the air.
The grass slope was a little bit slippery, and I slipped over,
ending up on my back. After my daughter's initial concern
subsided, we both had a good laugh, and I hobbled over to a
nearby bench to get my breath back. The bench was looking out to
sea. That's when something of a miracle happened; well, at least
a major coincidence; an incredible coincidence.
As we sat down, I said: "Ok, we will sit here until we see a
dolphin, even though it may mean missing Christmas." Christmas
was 3 weeks away, so it was a rash thing to say. We looked out
to sea, and within a minute, I saw two dolphins. I was in
disbelief, but I took another look; I had my glasses on so was
not being deceived. It really was dolphins.
My daughter thought, assumed, and was sure, I was joking. Then
she saw them also, plus a third dolphin. We watched them for
about 45 minutes, walking along the coast with them, and then
back again. It was a mesmerising and unforgettable time, even
though they were so far away; those three bottle-nosed dolphins
were, to me, the ultimate dolphin lover's Christmas gift. A few
weeks early, and free, but a wonderful gift nonetheless.