“Sometimes I just want to rest here, only exactly here; together, eye to eye, time out of time, a kind of communication that feels far and away from the roughness of words.”

Looking into the eye of a wild dolphin, I know someone is there. Someone who knows nothing of my life on land, my socioeconomic status, my level of education, what I own or control, who I was before, or who I will be later. There is only this moment; a meeting which can neither be had nor taken away on human terms; a window to another world.

“I know this young female whose eye I am lost and found in; we share a moment of recognition, a knowing beyond knowing. I see her rostrum bob gently. We take a breath together and dive. As my face accepts the cool water and my latent aquatic reflexes kick in, I feel a deep relaxation and expansion. We shape our forms to match and she leads into a delicious spiral. And then…”

“We’ve eased into a moment where listening and responding are not separate. They merge; the essence of spontaneity and creativity. Together, however briefly, we’ve made something that wasn’t there before, and that will live in our cells forever.”

I enjoy the feeling of a movement dialogue so much, slowing down and heightening my receptivity. Listening to see if the dolphin friends are accepting my invitations to connect is exhilarating and delicate. I look for cues – it’s a kind of conversation, one I’m learning more about all the time. Syncing together is bliss.

Dedicated to meeting and knowing dolphins in the wild in a non-coercive way, I have experienced a huge variety of behaviors, postures, and communications. The encounters unfold spontaneously at their will, and at our mutual abilities; a mutual offering of our time and energy to meet each other.

They show us un-ending patience and teach patience and so much more in return. Sometimes we search for hours, looking in the distance, only to find them suddenly riding the bow. I really think they have a laugh now and then! What DO these wild dolphins see in us? Why do they meet us over and over in the open ocean? Is it ever delightful for them? Do novelty, joy, connection, inspiration and awe hold a place in their world as they do in mine? I believe that they, like us, experience the immeasurables, and feel deeply. On some level, I know this and so many things to be true, and, at the same time, I embrace the mystery of their extended perceptory capacities, leaving space for even greater exchange and learning to unfold.

“I coast with her, partially arced; we circle into an upward spiral; our field is softening and widening. I know the expanding air in my lungs will effortlessly take me upward. We surface together and take a tandem breath, puffing out quick and large, and then welcoming the air in. She doesn’t need as long on the surface or as many breaths as I do. She’s playfully connecting with another and my joy grows in the witnessing. I rest in the natural exchange that is the breath. I am alive. I am alive.”

Kathleen Fisher is a Yoga Teacher, Dancer, Certified Craniosacral Therapist, Licensed Massage Therapist, amateur naturalist and Ocean Lover. 

She’s been part of the WildQuest crew since 2004.

To find out more and reserve your place visit our booking page.

To connect with Kathleen and see more of her dolphin anecdotes and photography, follow her on Instagram @biminidolphins