Swimming with seals then dolphins next to boat...photos...video

Some of you may have already gone onto the blog post about kayaking with dolphins, and been disappointed to discover that there weren't actually any photos of dolphins...that's because it was very difficult to balance a phone, open it up and take photos of animals leaping out of the water at random spots next to you in the sea. This time, however, we saw LOTS of dolphins playing in the waves alongside the boat for ages. It was so exciting to see these majestic creatures surfing the waves and showing off all their slick moves as they did so. I had just spent half an hour snorkelling alongside the seals at the Farne Isles, while Sam looked from the safety of the boat. How idyllic you may think. Well, it was for me...but he wasn't overly impressed about being stuck on a freezing boat watching me swim about with seals. He was desperate to get in but adult bull seals are huge, heavy and, as with all wild animals, unpredictable. Nevertheless, after stuffing him full of hot chocolate, sweets and all manner of sugary items (always a good idea to stuff your child full of sugar when they're cocooned on a boat and are unable to run it off...), he was thrilled to see the dolphins!! Incredible. Sun setting, dolphins jumping. It was slightly alarming as everyone on the boat dashed from side to side, trying to follow the dolphins as they swam underneath from one side of the boat to the other, which of course meant the boat leaned to one side with the weight of all the people. The moment the dolphins were spotted cresting the waves, everyone shrieked and the air was thick with camera phones held aloft to capture as many photos as possible.

8 year olds are hard to please though....at the end, Sam turned to me in the car and asked "But, why was everyone so excited to see the dolphins?". I replied that it was rare to see them, and I had never in fact seen them in all my years of living up here. He shrugged and said "Dolphins live in the sea though, so of course you'll see them in there". A few months later, we went back out on the same boat, and he wanted confirmation that "we will see dolphins again though, won't we?". I'm sorry to say we didn't...I think his first boat trip may have been the peak!