Dolphins or Die or Both?!

Per a certain person's request, I have removed them from the picture:)

Do I look like I'm enjoying myself in this picture?  Well I'm not.  I may be kind of smiling but it was for the sake of the photo only.  I mean, look at my hair.   Look at my body language.  I don't particularly care for swimming or being in the same bodies of water with dolphins.  This photo was taken about five years ago in the Bahamas.  I have politely declined every offer to swim with dolphins since....until now.

When the subject of swimming with dolphins was brought up for our Hawaii trip a few months ago, I immediately said no thank you.  I didn't want to be a party pooper or anything, but I didn't want to stop the others from going. I simply was not interested.  So, after two months of me consistently saying no thank you, I somehow got persuaded to go.  Thank you Natalie, revenge is all in the photo above.  

I definitely didn't like the idea of being in a pool with dolphins that were being held captive, but when I found out that the "Swimming with the Dolphins" actually consisted of me being dropped in the middle of the ocean to swim with pods of wild dolphins I felt even more uneasy about this adventure.  

The rules for getting out of the boat and into the water with the dolphins are as follows:

1. Get out of boat fast

2. Don't splash cause it scares them away

3. Don't touch or chase dolphins

4. Try not to poop your pants

5. Make sure you stay together

Friend or Foe?

How do you really know what this is when you're in the water?

So, all of a sudden, it is time for us to get in the water.  I'm kind of panicking at this boat.  The lady in charge has even said to all of us, "If you don't feel like going, then don't."  I'm relieved.  So everyone is in the water, except me.  I'm hesitating.  Then the lady who used to be on my side when she said I don't have to go is now threatening to push me in if I don't get in the water....so I jumped into the shark infested water.  I have hesitated so much that I am now no where near the group.  Terror sets in.  That no splashing rule went out the window as I frantically tried to catch up with everyone.  By the time I caught up, the people on the boat announced that it was time to get back in the boat.....apparently it was just a test run.

Philip, Kent, and Me

Candice, David, and Lindsay

David was attacked by an octopus!!

Kent, Philip, and David

No one was hurt.  It ended up being an amazing day.  There were a few touch and go moments.  For some reason, David and I were swimming together and we could not catch up with the rest of the group.  We just kept swimming and swimming....then David starting telling me how we were the slow gazelles and we started hysterically laughing which made us swim even slower.  Luckily there were no sharks nearby.

Another lucky thing is that no one in our group got seasick thanks to Candice giving us Dramamine.  After a few drops in the water with the dolphins and getting my fair share of snorkeling in, I started staying in the boat.  I'm lucky I did cause someone on the boat with us got seasick and was puking overboard in the water where the rest of our group was snorkeling in. Haahaha, it was pretty funny too watch because no one in the water realized that they were swimming in puke.

I can truly say that it was a blast and I am so glad I went through with it.