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My Surprise
Sandy Dickson

     My arrival to my cousin’s house in Indianapolis always promises to be a nice visit just because I love my cousin Ellie so much. It never matters to me if we do anything special at all, but she always manages to haul me around to do fun things anyway. And this last trip was no exception, only this time she really outdid herself.

     She told me when I arrived Thursday night that she had a special surprise for me on Saturday, but she wasn’t going to tell me what it was. She said she did, however, want to stop by the Indianapolis zoo first, where she is a zoo booster, so she could see the new Oceans building. On Saturday morning, for time constraints, we skipped the errand we had at a building supply store and instead, went right to the zoo. We wandered through the new edifice, marveling at the many brightly colored fish, the cute but petite sea horses, the lethargic polar bear, playful seals and sea lions, portly walruses and sea elephants and of course the loveable penguins. Both Ellie and I adore penguins so they are a species we always look forward most too seeing. 

     The Oceans building continued down a hallway which leads visitors to a huge dome-shaped aquarium, around which only the dolphins live. We both love them too. The construction of the dome is under water, so, allows visitors to be surrounded by water on all sides outside the glass. It affords viewers a good look at the dolphins on all sides—that is, on all their sides from all the sides of the dome. Even the top of the dome was covered with about 10 feet of water so that the dolphins could swim above us and we could see their white bellies. When we looked through the floor, we saw their backs as they zoomed by. They appear to have so much fun in life, always playing and grinning!

     When we left the dolphin area, she took me down into a waiting area outside an office and told me she had to meet someone down there. Okay, so I waited in one of the few chairs and thumbed through a magazine. There were about four other people down there waiting for something too.

     A lady soon came out with her clipboard and the others walked over to her. Me, not knowing what was going on, continued to sit in the chair. The lady said to them, “Are you in the participation program?” They said they were. I thought, Great. We’re going to get to go play with the penguins!  Ellie went over and spoke softly to her, but I didn’t hear what they said. Then Ellie turned to me and said, “You might as well know what’s going on. I have signed you up to get in the water with the dolphins!”

     Wow--how fabulous! She knows how they have always fascinated me. It could be because when we were in Hilton Head, I voiced my desire to try to get to the ones who appeared in early morning outside our hotel room along the shore, but they were always gone by the time we got down there and they had probably been farther out than they had appeared from our hotel balcony anyway.

     Then it hit me as I sat there in my sweatshirt and velour slacks, and I said, “What am I going to wear?”

     She smiled and handed me a bag. “I borrowed a swimming suit from someone your size, but besides that, they will give you a lycra body suit to put on over it.”

     First we were taken into a training class where we were told what to do and not to do. Like: don’t put your fingers in the water because they might think they are little fish and try to eat them.” We were led to the large bleachered arena where the dolphin show was to take place for anyone at the zoo who cared to see it. From it, the glass dome in which we had just been was visible under their water, but the people inside were too far down into it to be seen.

     The show consisted of three dolphins, Chemo, Nova and Indy, all Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphins. Each trainer had the dolphin closest perform the same trick so that varied areas of the crowd could better see. The dolphins responded to hand signals and were rewarded with a fish. One of the most amazing things to me was that when those huge mammals leap into the air, they are able to turn and re-enter the water in almost the same place, rather than creating a wide arc.

     With the show over, the small group participating, was led to a changing room to change to our lycra suits and reemerge to be taken to the pool.

     Once at poolside, Meg, the trainer, told us we would have interaction with all three dolphins, each used interchangeably with us as other dolphin trainers entertained the ones not with us at the other end of the pool. One by one, Meg showed each of us a special hand signal that would cause the dolphin to do a certain thing. Each dolphin waited close by in front of us, watching, concentrating on whatever the person closest to him would tell him to do. For the hand signal that told her to make the chirping noise, Nova decided it would be more fun to make her clicking noise. It took three times before she decided to acquiesce, only because she thought it was funny to do whatever she chose to do instead. Meg said that’s an example of their totally different personalities, and Nova is fun-loving and whimsical, often choosing to do her own bidding instead, and finding it amusing at the same time. She is a tease. (We thought it was funny too.) Then she stays in the water watching our reaction, anticipating her reward with her mouth open. (Okay, where’s my fish?) We were each given a fish to toss them as their reward.

     We learned that dolphins swallow their food whole. They only use their 90 to 100 cone-shaped teeth to catch their prey, but it’s interesting that each tooth has rings inside just like a tree so that the age of the dolphin could be ascertained if one could see the inside. They can hold their breath for six to 8 minutes, but generally breathe about every two or three minutes, and the sounds they make come out of their blowhole: their squeal means they want to play. They make the clicking sound to find their way through murky water. They have a signature whistle unique to each dolphin to help mothers and babies find each other.  They shed their skin every two to four hours and that keeps any bacteria from growing on them. The placement of their eyes allows them to see in all directions except behind them.  Males are typically about 500 pounds, while females are only 400. Their diet is purely fish, but they get sick if they ingest any salt water, so their mouths are constructed in such a way as to allow any salt water to get out, and by that mouth configuration, it looks like they are smiling. (I still feel sure these gleeful animals are smiling and having fun.)  The fish they eat are processed in their body and through a complicated chemical process, the salt water in the fish is turned to fresh water, which gives the dolphin needed sustenance. Their average lifespan is about 30 years. One of the obvious differences in porpoises and dolphins is that porpoises re smaller and have a different-looking dorsal fin.

     Now we stepped into the water and cupped our hands for the dolphin to rest his chin so we could put our head down onto the dolphin’s head and have a picture taken. Just that much contact with these brilliant and sweet animals was a very special moment. Meg also had each of us stroke the back of one to allow us to feel the texture of their skin: smooth and soft, yet stretched over a firm strength under it. The dolphin flipped over upside down for us and allowed us to do the same on its belly, which proved to be even softer. Meg said they love to be rubbed and are ticklish under their fins, so, enjoyed being stroked there too.

     We didn’t get to swim with them, which would have been a thrill, but probably quite shocking for the people in the dome. (Hey, Mom, what’s that?) Still, with not having had that opportunity, I am absolutely thrilled to have had this experience and would be up for it on a daily basis. Sadly, they wouldn’t let me take one home. Ellie just got a small car and it wouldn’t fit. But I have my picture on paper, and those locked in my mind and those are memory enough. What a neat surprise. Much better than going to the home building supply store!


    

Copyright © 2007 Sandy Dickson. All rights reserved.