slowbell
10th September 2012, 09:49 AM
The kind that just make you appreciate life so much? One that you just will never forget that moment?
I was out at sea and relieved the captain from wheelhouse watch for a time. It was a great learning experience actually, being offshore, at the helm. As I relieved him, I checked the radar for other ships, monitored the radio, our nav computer system to ensure we remained on course. Adjusted the auto pilot, scanned the horizon, just soaked in the moment as the bow of the boat would rise peaceful over each wave. The conditions were very calm, and the water had a very rich color to it, that you only see when out in deep water.
As I was scanning the horizon, I caught a very large splash from far out. I watched, and then saw a large whale leap completely out of the water and crash back down, causing an eruption of spray on the surface of the water. His whole body was airborne. I saw the whale leap again, and then again...he launched out of the water 10 times. I finally grabbed the binoculars, and saw him playing on the surface, and then his giant fluke raised out of the water as he dove into the deep. I imagined being right next to him, and the force and power of such a large animal.
I lowered the binoculars, speechless, as if there was anyone with me to appreciate that moment anyway...I then saw the dolphins coming. Must have been over a hundred of them, all in a line, like a skirmish line, jumping out of the water. This line of dolphins was racing right at the boat, like a charging army. The line must have been over a 1/4 mile long, all dolphins. Again speechless, I stepped out of the wheel house, stood by the rail, and watch all these dolphins surround the boat. I could hear them breath as they surfaced and jumped.
It's experiences like that that I think about how amazing life really is. How under appreciated it can be as well. How small we really are in God's creation. How many folks are sweating numbers each day on Wall Street that never get to see something like that? The banks, corruption, stress, status, fakeness, in life, harming others, the dolphins don't care about that, as they play around a boat at sea, just being alive, being dolphins.
Amazing, really.
I was out at sea and relieved the captain from wheelhouse watch for a time. It was a great learning experience actually, being offshore, at the helm. As I relieved him, I checked the radar for other ships, monitored the radio, our nav computer system to ensure we remained on course. Adjusted the auto pilot, scanned the horizon, just soaked in the moment as the bow of the boat would rise peaceful over each wave. The conditions were very calm, and the water had a very rich color to it, that you only see when out in deep water.
As I was scanning the horizon, I caught a very large splash from far out. I watched, and then saw a large whale leap completely out of the water and crash back down, causing an eruption of spray on the surface of the water. His whole body was airborne. I saw the whale leap again, and then again...he launched out of the water 10 times. I finally grabbed the binoculars, and saw him playing on the surface, and then his giant fluke raised out of the water as he dove into the deep. I imagined being right next to him, and the force and power of such a large animal.
I lowered the binoculars, speechless, as if there was anyone with me to appreciate that moment anyway...I then saw the dolphins coming. Must have been over a hundred of them, all in a line, like a skirmish line, jumping out of the water. This line of dolphins was racing right at the boat, like a charging army. The line must have been over a 1/4 mile long, all dolphins. Again speechless, I stepped out of the wheel house, stood by the rail, and watch all these dolphins surround the boat. I could hear them breath as they surfaced and jumped.
It's experiences like that that I think about how amazing life really is. How under appreciated it can be as well. How small we really are in God's creation. How many folks are sweating numbers each day on Wall Street that never get to see something like that? The banks, corruption, stress, status, fakeness, in life, harming others, the dolphins don't care about that, as they play around a boat at sea, just being alive, being dolphins.
Amazing, really.