THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME
I land at the airport of Kona on Big Island in Hawaii and somebody hangs a necklace of flowers round my neck. This necklace is called a lei and symbolizes the spirit of Aloha which means love, peace and hi there! as well as goodbye. Love, warmth and peace are the most powerful emotions that overwhelm me in the paradise of Kona on the south coast of Kona on Big Island.
Big Island is a vulcanic island and behind us rise the enormous vulcanoes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, approximately 4000 metres (10 000 feet) above sea level. To say the least, nature here is dramatic. The black petrified lava contrasts with the blue-turquoise shades of the ocean and this combined with the tropical vegetation makes an unforgettable impression on me. Furthermore, this island is unique in other ways since you can here find eleven of the thirteen climatic zones of the earth, more than anywhere else on the globe. I have come to this paradise to meet some of the inhabitants of the ocean, the dolphins, to swim with them in the wild and partake of their immeasurable wisdom.
In the early morning, we go out in the boat and on the way I receive a lecture in how to approach the dolphins with great care and gentleness. At night they stay out at sea to eat and in the early morning they arrive at the beaches in order to play and rest.
The first to meet us are not dolphins but humpback whales that arrive at Hawaii in January from Alaska to give birth to their young. Words fail me when I try to describe my feelings at seeing these giants surfacing to breathe, jump and then dive into the deep. My eyes fill with tears of joy and my heart is wide open with love and humbleness at this meeting with the wonders of nature.
We continue our trip and are eagerly looking for dolphins that fail to appear at the moment. After some hours we realize that they choose to not be with us today and I feel great joy at this unpredictable fact. We are there on their terms and they are the ones who decide when and if we meet. But there is so very much more in the ocean and we now concentrate on a snorkel-swim in one of the quiet bays together with mantarays and turtles.
We make another try and now what I have been waiting for actually happens. The sea is beautiful with swells perfect for the dolphins to play in, and they really do – hundreds of them! We stop the boat, the dolphins slow down and we feel invited to join them, so we slide into the water. With your head under the surface, you can hear that the water is full of communication and just the sound of the dolphins makes me happy and I cannot stop listening to their clicking crackling conversations. I can hear them approaching and suddenly a pod comes close to me to find out who I am. They are all over the place, jumping and playing around me. My concept of time disappears and I want to never return to the boat. Our gentle interplay lasts for about one and a half hours, then they leave me, this reminding me of the fact that they are wild and free and that they have chosen to be with me for a while. I leave the ocean for now and am filled with one emotion only, gratitude.
Another time we return to experience the positive energy emerging from the dolphins. We soon find them and they allow us to join them in slow journeys along the coral reefs. Today the water is crystal clear and we can see the dolphins swimming slowly and resting deep down there. They are completely silent and move gracefully through the water. We just follow them in deep admiration for their elegance when they surface to breathe. Not two occasions with the dolphins are alike and this time we experienced complete rapture.
During my days on Hawaii I also had the opportunity to swim with the dolphins by walking into the water from the beach. At Kealakekua Bay the dolphins often play and rest and several times I swim with them exactly there. The beach consists of lava and rocks but the water is clear and visibility is good and sometimes the dolphins come into very shallow water.
One female and her cub spend a long time with me and she allows the cub to come close to me before it returns to her. The female swims round me in circles and the cub plays, jumps, clicks, approaches to greet me, examining me in detail. After a while they swim on and I thank them for the time they game me.
However, my greatest experience occurs moments later together with another dolphin who, apparently alone, comes to swim beside me. He observes me carefully and it is a magical moment. I cannot hide, he looks straight through me with his entire wisdom, filled with love and insight. My first look into the eye of this dolphin will remain with me in my heart forever. My happiness and the experience are total.
I am filled with joy when I leave Big Island after some wonderful days. Joy that I have found this place on the earth and joy that I shall soon be returning. I am now convinced that the dolphins are here to teach us to just be happy and that life is such fun!
ÅSA EKMAN