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That would have just been exceptional! I still remember the excitement when a whale surfaced beside out Cat at the Whitsundays..... but that is nothing compared to what you've jusst had! Thats something you'll always remember!!!
ForumSage
SupporterI have just returned from a 3 hr paddle on Tuross Lake and as has happened every time I've been out since they became trapped, the dolphins came out to play.
Ten of them came into the lake back in the middle of August and three of them must have liked the look of the place because only seven of them went back out to sea.
Shortly after that the entrance became too shallow for them to return and for the last couple of months the mouth has been completely closed.
There are two large adults and one juvenile. Their situation is being monitored by NPWS and all the signs at the moment indicate that they are happy and healthy. The juvenile is about twice the size it was when it first arrived.
The lake seems to be large enough and the supply of fish great enough to keep them happy. In spite of the worries of some fishermen that they will deplete the fish stocks in the lake, I have to say that this morning I saw at least as many fishermen hauling in fish as I usually do.
87County asked me if I feed them. The short answer is, no. The long answer is, if you thought they needed to be fed to keep them alive, there is no need to. They seem to be doing quite well on their own. If you meant is that how I attract them to the kayak, the answer is they just come to the kayak either out of curiosity or because they want to play.
On a couple of occasions when a group of us were just sitting in a bunch ready to work out which direction we would paddle, one surfaced in the middle of the group, less than a couple of metres from the kayaks.
There is no question that they are attracted to the kayaks. Normally they circle around for several minutes. I have had one pass less than a metre in front of the bow.
This morning was really special. Normally they rise out of the water so that about half the depth of their body is visible. This morning one rose far enough that the whole depth of its body was out of the water. Then all three of them jumped about a metre out of the water. All this happened about a kayak length away from me.
Money can't buy the special feeling of an experience like that.
1973 Series III LWB 1983 - 2006
1998 300 Tdi Defender Trayback 2006 - often fitted with a Trayon slide-on camper.
Swaggie
That would have just been exceptional! I still remember the excitement when a whale surfaced beside out Cat at the Whitsundays..... but that is nothing compared to what you've jusst had! Thats something you'll always remember!!!
Cheers
Slunnie
~ Discovery II Td5 ~ Discovery 3dr V8 ~ Series IIa 6cyl ute ~ Series II V8 ute ~
Wizard
Got to see your friends on ch 10 news Vnx!
Interestingly enough they say although the Dolphins are healthy they do want to get out to sea again. Make sure you get lots of paddling in before they are gone. I'm tempted to come down myself!!!
Master
Subscriber
Wizard
Jeez Hoadie they are just dolphins.... They all look pretty similar!
Master
SubscriberI think it'd be pretty cool to see them swimming next to a kayak..not something you see every day, especially on a lake. No harm in asking
ForumSage
SupporterOriginally Posted by hoadie72
I know, but you try paddling a kayak, holding a camera without getting salt water on and being quick enough to get a good shot, all at the same time.
I would like to try it though.
1973 Series III LWB 1983 - 2006
1998 300 Tdi Defender Trayback 2006 - often fitted with a Trayon slide-on camper.
ForumSage
SupporterIn the interests of making this thread more useful, I had a go this morning at getting a few shots of the dolphins.
It wasn't easy. I had a lot of shots of a swirl in the water where a dolphin had been.
These are taken with a Sony S90 with the normal 3x optical zoom. The photos are not cropped or manipulated in any way, so you can see they really do come close to the kayak.
Unfortunately I haven't perfected the technique of predicting where the dolphins will surface or of swinging the camera quickly and stopping as I press the shutter. Consequently the quality is a bit ordinary, but the experience is still special.
Last edited by vnx205; 5th January 2009 at 10:59 AM. Reason: Typo
1973 Series III LWB 1983 - 2006
1998 300 Tdi Defender Trayback 2006 - often fitted with a Trayon slide-on camper.
Master
SubscriberThat's awesome, big thanks for the effort too!
Swaggie
well done with the pics, whats the topic for the current picture competition, backyard?, i reckon you could nearly call the lake your back yard
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