What happened when two Pregnant Ladies and their Partners Went Swimming with wild Dolphins?

The life-changing Dolphin Adventure Story to follow can be read in detail... and all the way to the end, in my soon-to-be published book about my life-changing journeys in the wild, together with fellow travellers.

Dolphins speak to us of the rhythm of our emotions: breathing in joy before plunging into the depth and then rushing to the surface to do it all over again.

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A new party of guests arrived:

Wolf, Michael, and Shane carried the luggage for Sandy and Mel’s to the luxury tented camp, canopied under a lush coastal forest of mangrove trees. Mel is athletic in build she has flowing blonde hair, green eyes and floats up the stairs with grace, despite being three months pregnant. Michael and Sandy match each other’s lustre with dark hair and exuberant, outgoing smiles. They are shorter than Mel and Wolf so shuffle up the stairs, both sweating – Michael with the weight of Sandy’s whale-some suitcase, and Sandy bulging with new birth.

            Shane takes up the rear guard, carrying his suitcase on his head. His mop of ebony-black hair lilts down the sides of his handsome, tanned face

Multi-coloured butterflies hover around the heads of the guest-party like wind-blown confetti, eagerly giving their own greetings.

Walking in a staggered line, the ladies sidle past whilst the men curse under their breath with beads of water trickling from their taut faces.

The heat is humid. The roar of the ocean fills their ears and nostrils.

As soon as they have unpacked, they saunter into the dining room hungry from the effort. The dining room offers a magnificent view over the forest to the million miles of beach and ocean. After a quick fruit snack of sunshine-yellow streaky bananas and crisp pineapple I gather the group into the shady central lounge for an initial discussion.

Mel slumps down into a chair covered with sand-shell material, looking distant. In contrast, Wolf, Sandy, Mike and their single friend, Shane, chatter exuberantly, asking many questions. Shane admits that he did not want the dolphins to swim too close. Wolf anticipates a more spiritual experience and wants to connect intimately with the dolphins. Mike pretends to be laid back and nonchalantly utters “Whatever happens will be ok for me”.

Only Mel remains quiet.

“You seem a little down?” I query.

“Just tired”, Mel sighs.

I push a little, “Just tired?”

Mel gives me a quirky smile of acknowledgment, realizing I know deeper things are stirring, and that she can’t hide her state of mind completely, she admits, “You’re right, I am a bit down, but not ready to talk about it yet”.

Early morning the following day, before we launch to find the dolphins, I watch the sunrise spread over the ocean expanse ahead of me. The sun's warm fingertips stride towards the beach as if to wake-up the sand. In response the sand begins to smile back in lightening shades of beige blonde.

The sun had risen, and with flippers, goggles and towels attached to half-naked bodies, clad only in swim suites, they wander down the pristine stretch of sandy beach into the warm lapping water to launch the dolphin boat.

The question in everybody’s mind is, “Will we swim with the dolphins today?”

Bums bundle, without elegance, over the sides of the boat. The pregnant ladies are helped aboard first; their protruding bellies face outwards as their backs slide upwards and over the bulging sides of the boat.

With the help of Moses, our launch assistant, we land unharmed on the bottom of the boat, shake ourselves off and sit on the bloated sides. We are ready to push through the frothing, lapping waves, the boat has left the beach.

We hope to find the dolphins that frolic behind the bigger waves breaking outside the bay. We are through the first wave. Everyone is still on board, wildly bouncing through another three breakers, riding the boat like a bucking bronco.

As we slowdown in the stiller waters beyond the breakers, Mitch instructs: “You can take off your life jackets and pass them to the front”.

He looks at Sandy’s rounded belly, sitting next to the sleeker, goddess-like figure of tall, elegant, Mel, and volunteers: “You can also leave them on of course”.

It is difficult to notice that Mel is pregnant, as the foetus growing inside her stretches upward in her length, compared to the child growing in Sandy's, shorter, tummy that seems to summersault forward like a big ball.

All the life jackets are removed and stored in a special water-proof locker at the front of the boat.

“There they are!” Michael shouts, leaping into the air and making the whole boat wobble.

He is right.

Grey bodies, with recognizable pectoral fins, slice through the water towards us with up and down movements as they appear, then disappear below the surface of the water, and then reappear again a little closer.

Sandy and Mel are urgently instructed to slide gently into the water, together with Wolf and Michael. The rest of us wait a while before slipping over the sides of the boat, trying to splash as little as possible.

Dolphins tail slap in the water, making huge splashes as a sign of aggression, so we don’t want to emerge into their presence appearing violent.

Bo mystically appears as if from a watery canvas and swims purposefully towards me with a nod of recognition. Her newborn swims below her belly. She is recognizable by the three notches halfway up her sickle moon shaped pectoral fin that looks like a bottle opener, which is how she got her name. Angie giggles that they could not call her ‘bottle opener’ so her name was shortened to Bo. We enjoy a circle-swim of re-connection.

Swimming with wild, free, ocean-moving dolphins in Ponto do Ouro, Mozambique

Bo swims off linking up with another dolphin mother and her calf. They move towards Mel. After gliding together for many moments of time I tire and swim to the side of the boat and indicate to Moses I would like to be pulled back on board. Sitting on the side of the boat, I luxuriate in the exhilarated peaceful excitement flooding through my body – the aftermath of swimming with dolphins. 

Mel tearfully clambers back on board. These are happy, excited tears. We all learn what the tears are about in our reflective discussion together later on that afternoon. Soon after our chat begins Mel weeps. She feels safe to just let go as she is with her friends, in a gentle forest space, and she remembers how the dolphins were listening into exactly what she needed during the early morning dolphins swim.

Huge rivers of tears are flowing down her cheeks falling in wet lines over a broad, teethy smile. “Ok, I am ready to explain why I was so sad yesterday”, Mel splutters regaining some composure. “Eighteen months ago, I was pregnant for the first time”.

It is obvious from the blank stares and silence that no one had known this, except for Wolf.

“At three-and-a-half months I miscarried,” she winces “I could not believe the emptiness and grief I felt inside. I was devastated. The loss seemed so disproportionate to the tiny little body that disappeared, and I could not retrieve. It felt like I had known this little being for a lot longer than three-and-a-half months”.

Sandy and Wolf shift towards Mel and comfort her by giving her a hug from both sides. She continues to cry gently with intermittent sighs of relief.  

Wolf waits for Mel to relax a little and then interjects, “It was bad. Mel did not get out of bed for days. She just lay in endless blackness”.

Mel nods in agreement with a sad, soft face, “I was in a deep depression. Yesterday, when I saw Sandy again, I was amazed at how big her tummy is, she has only been pregnant two months longer than me!”

  “I am a different shape to you Mel, much shorter”, Sandy tries to soothe her friend.

“I know, but it is that critical three-and-a-half month time period again and it looks like I am not even pregnant”, Mel whines.

Realizing Mel has released much of her grief, and we all now understand why she was down, I move her forward into more positive thoughts: “It seems as if something special happened with the dolphins this morning Mel?”

“It was amazing”, Mel beams, “Two dolphin mothers and their calves swam so protectively and with such caring on each side of me. I felt like my whole body was being buzzed. Just gliding along with them I experienced a deep peace. It seemed as if they were reassuring me, that all was fine. The baby was growing well. I now can’t wait for this little one to arrive”, she smiles, tenderly rubbing her tummy. “I am so relieved. I can be excited now, not scared”.

The story of how the dolphins impact Wolf, Mel and their evolving little one does not end there, but you will have to read how the adventure unfolds when once again Mel was at risk of losing her not-yet-born child.

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