I was surfing at Boneyard. I had paddled out and sat on my board watching. It was windy, choppy and noisy. Suddenly it went quiet. The wind had stopped, blocked by a large swell that rose up out of the water. I watched, wondering where it would break. Now I could here another sound, the sound of the wave rolling toward me. It looked like it was in slow motion. I could see every nuance of every facet of every constantly changing ripple on the face of the wave. The crest rose to a knife edge all along the peak. Spray blew off of the top and evaporated into the air. A voice said, "Oh shit". Another voice said, "Too late now. Turn around and surf."
I rode it to the beach and then paddled back out to the same spot. As I sat there composing the previous paragraph in my mind, I was startled by a snort. I turned and saw a dolphin sliding by not seven feet away from me. He was parallel to my board, his back exposed to the air. I heard him taking a breath through the blow hold on top of his head. It seemed as if I could feel his warm breath. He was bigger than I expected, longer than my board. Then there was another one flanking him. Then another and another. They cruised by at about five miles per hour in slow graceful arcs. I saw them surface again about 30 feet past me. This was my first dolphin experience and I was so excited I was almost hyperventilating. I was filled with awe. I knew I was a guest in their world.
