Dancing dolphins

   Whenever I’m on a boat, either fishing in the UK or exploring the Mediterranean, there is always the chance of an encounter with a school of dolphins, which jump and play in the water around the boat. Watching them swimming alongside the vessel, chattering and squealing as they leap out of the water and land in front of the boat, never disappoints.

   When I was very young, I had the pleasure of swimming on the back of a dolphin at an aquapark in Mexico. Captivated animals are not my preferred contact with nature, but these dolphins showed me such friendliness and seemed to take pleasure in giving an 8-year-old boy a thrilling joyride.