Swimming free in the sea,
the way they are meant to be.
There were many hundreds of Pacific white-sided dolphins in this pod, fishing cooperatively, and playing.
It is such a thrill to be amidst a massive pod of these intelligent creatures.
The ocean color differentiation you see below, is a result of the dolphins getting curious, and swimming closer to the boat to check us out.
The dolphins were joined by sea lions,
who were fishing too,
and just as curious about the humans in the boat!
Cheers to you from California’s splendidly free marine mammals~
They are all having fun. Beautiful photos.
They look like they play on a daily basis!
So awesome! Great images.
So happy you enjoyed the 🐬🐬!
What a wonderful experience, Cindy! Such beautiful animals, and the photos are so crisp and clear!
Ahhh, thanks much Lavinia & have a wonderful weekend!
Schöne Fotos.
Vielen dank mein lieber Freund Wolfgang!
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Beautiful!
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So beautiful! Thank you!
Lovely 🙂 Just like ‘Flipper’ 🙂
Lots of flippers out here!
Oh Cindy what a treat to see them up close and happy! Thank you so much for sharing 💜🐬🌞
Thank you much more for appreciating them!
Stunning photos of a magical experience! Wish I was there 🙂
I wish you were too!
Happy and free is the way to be. 💕 Wonderful captures Cindy!
Happy & free weekend to you dear Val <3
Wonderful photos!!!
You are a wonderful friend Charles!
Such beautiful creatures! And fantastic photos.
They are fantastic and I am happy you know this!
Wonderful photographs! It is especially good that you could take pictures of both the sea lions and the dolphins. Both are great creatures.
Agreed & thank you!
Great shots, Cindy!
Thanks much Klaus & cheers to you!
🙂 🙂
Love!!!
🐬🐬🐬 <3
Wonderful!
I agree with you, they are wonderful, and it is a thrill to see them wild & free!
Superb, intelligent, and amazingly beautiful creatures! 🙂
Yes! I love them too! Thank you~
They are beautiful and intelligent animals. The close up pictures of the sea lion make me want to reach out and pat. I know they are cute but should be no contact.
Yes, they do seem approachable but sea lions are big and wild and unpredictable!
Fabulous experience and collection of images, Cindy. So joyful.
I have been amidst pods like this maybe six or so times in my life and each time it is an absolutely thrilling experience. Thank you for knowing this Jane~
Brilliant photos 💕
Awww, thank you Charlotte~ 🐬
Beautiful shots, dear Cindy.
I love wilderness.
Mo-hugs <3
I know you do and all the wild creatures that live in it! 🐬🐬
<3 🐬🐬🐬🐬 <3
I think most all of the emojis were meant for you~
🙂
Did you received my book, Cindy? 🙂
I didn’t……
If you could give me your email address I will send it to you. My email address is lookaround_99@yahoo.ro
Beautiful photos! I love watching dolphins and the sea lions are equally fun to watch. Lucky you to live where you can see these amazing creatures.
Seeing them is always a thrill! 🐬
It would have been so tempting to leap in and join in the fun!
I have done this before, but not in open ocean, and so have my children. It was like being part of the most deserving peer group on this planet~
Good for you. I still forward to a similar experience… 🙂
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Lovely photos bringing back memories of my time living at the coast and enjoying the privilege of watching the daily show of dolphins travelling up in the morning and returning in the afternoon. With the annual humpback migration down to the Cape there was so much to see, share and feel. Nostalgia nips! 😊
Yes, I can well imagine, nostalgia bringing up a variety of feelings about these amazing creatures!
Wow! Tres’ cool.
Merci beaucoup mon ami 🐬
Beautiful photos, and cuteness overload with the seals!
Awww, if you love the unfairly maligned and hunted sea lions,I am grateful to you~
I’m grateful to you too! I just love watching sea lions and listening to the sounds they make. That was possibly my favorite part of visiting San Francisco and Santa Cruz. I miss California!
We are in perfect accord!
How lovely. You get the greatest pictures, Cindy. I think you’ve developed a reputation. The animals see you coming and all want their pictures taken.
Oh, I SOOO wish I were the Dr. Doolittle of photography! That would be heaven 🐬
Awww great photos! I love all of them!
I do too each and every one of the hundreds of them 🐬
So wonderful…freedom and life. Fabulous photographs. <3
Thank you on behalf of the dolphins, sea lions and I <3
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Wow.
Theses creatures are definitely of WOW! 🐬
They look so playful, Cindy.
Leslie
They spend soooo much time playing and it is infectious watching them!
They’re extraordinary creatures. It’s heartbreaking seeing them in captivity when they belong in the vast ocean instead. We went whale watching last summer off the coast of Victoria. I hope to go again soon. Lovely shots.
That whole area off that coast of Vancouver Island is paradise for whales and the matrilineal orca pods are truly amazing to follow and observe. I would love to go back too, soon! 🐬
You are so knowledgeable, Cindy! I’m so grateful these whales have a safe place to be. I would love to live on the island. It’s a dream.
Beautiful photos, Cindy.
How lucky you are to have the opportunity to get so close to these intelligent mammals. I’d be thrilled just watching them, let alone photographing them up close.
Every time I see wild creatures in their natural environment I am thrilled out of my gourd~ 🐬
Sea lions too! I am so jealous Cindy 🙁 But at least you shared their photos – thank you 😀
Awww, I am just happy you love them and the sea lions too! Good for you!
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You are not just a bird whisperer, you are a whisperer to every creature on the planet I think. Man you take some amazing photos my dear. Love, N 🙂 <3
“All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.”
Cecil Frances Alexander
One of my favorites as are you❣️😘
<3
Oh oh oh how beautiful. What a special experience.
Alison
Yes, our world used to be even more filled with creatures like this. Thank God some of them are still here, and seeing them never ceases to amaze. Hugs to you Alison~
So very beautiful, thank you for sharing.
Thank you more for appreciating them & cheers to you~
Wow for an amazing experience Cindy, such beautiful animals 🙂
Yes, these amazing creatures deserve WOWS and they get from me every time I am lucky enough to see them. Hugs to you and so good to hear from you! Hope you are doing well~ <3
Aww… the last last shot is so sweet.☺
Beautiful shots Cindy.👍
Thank you. Not the best photo, just the best wild face!
Isn’t it wonderful that person and creature can appreciate each other and be together in harmony? Even if it’s only for a short while, and doesn’t happen as much as it should. 🙂
YES! Wonderful. Transportive. Spiritual in the deepest way.
Admire you to sense this~ <3
Wonderful!
So happy you enjoyed!
Amazing photos. Thanks.
Very kind & most appreciated! Thank you~
More wonderful shots
Awww, you are very kind!
Fantastic shots, great to see these animals in their natural environment, must be an amazing experience.
It is amazing, and if more people experienced this, they would be far less likely to agree to confining them~
They make my heart beat faster just by looking at your photos! <3 🙂
Yes. They are thrilling to see, every time!
Happy creatures! May they always have a place to call home!
Amen to this!
Oh you lucky human and beautifully captured. All I can offer in return is from Douglas Adams, roughly:-
We think we are more intelligent than dolphins because all they do all day is swim, have fun and eat fish. They know they are more intelligent than us for exactly the same reason.
😀
Perfect and perfectly true!
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eek, eeek, icky 🙂
tee hee hee…..
Funny dolphin. 🙂
splen-di-de. Grazie ciao
Grazie mille!
Reblogged this on Musings on Life & Experience and commented:
Marvelous dolphins and sea lions swimming free in California waters.
The dolphins, sea lions, and I thank you!
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Beautiful!❤
Merci beaucoup!
How wonderful Cindy. I love dolphins, but have never been this close to a pod. Even seeing them at a distance brings me joy!
Awww, so appreciative that you care about them Brad. They and I appreciate it greatly!
Thanks Cindy!
Lovely creatures and amazing photos!
You are a kind and valued friend~
Beautiful. 🙂
Grazie mille!
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Free! The way they are supposed to be!
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Such splendid shots, Cindy!! Love the dolphins and sea lions with their whiskers. The detail here is amazing!
Ahhh, so happy you enjoyed the 🐬🐬!
Wow amazing!
Thanks much Lyn & cheers!
cheers x
Wonderful captures! Happily undisturbed as nature intended.
Exactly! <3
How wonderful! I love the curves of dolphins and the whiskers of seals.
They are such handsome and mysterious creatures……..
Absolutely splendid and heartwarming! ❤️
Hugs to you my friend & thank you too!
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Gorgeous! Love your work. 💙🐬
Reblogged this on AwarenessHelps.com.
I love your ethics and your compassion! <3
Oh,I love these two creatures. Dolphin – intelligent, graceful & playful; Sea lion – noisy, sleek & energetic. ♡ლ(-༗‿༗-)ლ♡
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. ♡ლ(-༗‿༗-)ლ♡
What an incredible experience and wonderful captures!
Thank you Sue. Seeing them in these massive pods is always a big thrill!
Such deep blue color of the water! Splash. – Oscar
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Wow Cindy! What a wonderful sight!
Yes! Encouraging to see them healthy, free and unharassed!
Cindy, just what I needed. Your images brought a sense of calm. Thanks.
Oh wonderful! Thanks for letting me know~ <3
Thank you for capturing these fabulous creatures fir us, Cindy! Je l’adore!
They love you too! <3
Oh how delightful,. And your photos are wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing. A rare treat.
Thank you more for appreciating them 🐬🐬
It’s as though they knew you were there, swimming around in all their glory for you to take these magnificent photos! <3
What a lovely thought for you to have. Hugs to you & happy week!
🙂
Dear Cindy, you captured incredible marine moments here <3
So glad & thank you!
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What fun!
They seem to incorporate fun into everything they do!
If those captures don’t make a person smile, they have a problem! 😀
Ahhh, your comment just made me smile! Thank you~
PS: Did you receive me email?
I will check…..
Oh how I’d love to be in the water with them! Simply beautiful creatures <3
Yes. Swimming with them en-mass in the wild is truly an amazing experience.
Absolutely wonderful, Cindi!
I found you in spam! So sorry and very happy you enjoyed~
Now worries, Cindy… Happens all the time! Lol
That is not okay, but impressed you don’t let it bug you~
Lol… There are more important things in life to get bugged about.
<3
About the best example you can get a freedom, beautiful images!
Yes, these creatures like birds seem to be the most free in the world.
That must have been a thrilling boat ride. I’m astonished that they were so bold, are they learning that some humans are safe?
They are fast, so you have to move fast with them, and then they want to play, in the wakes, racing and surfing with the boat, which is how all these pics were taken. I have swum with them on several occasions in the past off the island of Lanai where they were snoozing and mating and resting which was a very different experience then having them race your boat in open ocean. All experiences with these creatures in the wild are pure magic. Seeing them in pens in resorts or parks breaks my heart.
Sounds wonderfully thrilling!
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You just want to kiss that last seal, with his whiskered nose!
You are a good person, not everyone reacts this way.
You are so lucky to have seen this. I saw my first ever wild dolphins (boat trip to the Farne Islands, UK) earlier this summer and was so delighted. There is something just so uplifting about them 🙂
Everytime I see them in the wild it is a serious thrill. Captivity is just the opposite. I swam outside a sea-pen at a “swim with dolphins,” resort in Tahiti. The dolphins were like shells of themselves, totally different then the joyous, playful creatures in the wild.
How fun. Great pictures too.
Your comment was in my spam folder. Sorry I missed it and thank you!
Terrific shots, Cindy. That looks a perfect day out on the water…
Yes, the dolphins thought so too!
What amazing photos so much detail.
I am very pleased you enjoyed them & thank you Diana!
Simply awesome! 🙂
Hugs to you Ranu!
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You’re so lucky to have such beautiful creatures living so close to you! Gorgeous shots. 🙂
I am grateful for people like you who appreciate these amazing creatures. Thank you!
Now I am just green with envy. Great photos and what a wonderful experience. Wonder what happened to all the fish in the ocean that Irma churned up. 🙁 Worried about them.
Storms like Irma wreck such havoc. We were in the Caribbean right after a hurricane and there were dozens of conch shells tossed onto the beach. I took some home, but we couldn’t fit them all in the suitcases. I always worry about animals in extreme events too. I wonder what happened to the birds…..
Amazing pictures!
Ahhh, very pleased you like these awesome guys!
they are so sweet and cute!
Smart and nice too!
They take my breath away.
Ahhh, means you are a good person <3
Reblogged this on luca701.
Thank you so much for supporting these amazing creatures. They need our support!
Ciaooooo…….
<3
Reblogged this on Lyn Horner's Corner and commented:
Playful dolphins!
Thank you Lyn. It is so incredibly different to see these amazing creatures free, covering huge amount of territory, so quickly and skillfully and playing all the time, compared to seeing them depressed in tanks, performing tricks for food.
Awesome, dolphins and sea lions may be two of the more intriguing creatures of the sea…they seem to have great hearts and personalities 🙂
Yes they do have <3 and personality, all the sea mammals do. In places like Antarctica many critters haven't learned to be afraid of humans and they will come right up to you, curious. Humpbacks spy hoop and look at you with a plate sized eye, penguins pick at your coat, skuas land close to your camera, too close for a shot. They haven't haven't had enough contact with humans to learn how afraid they need to be. A Japanese whaler was there while we were and we saw it for several days, loading up the gunpowder and the harpoons, hunting minke whales that were visiting our ship. I expect by the time the Antarctic animals learn, it will be too late.
You lucky girl! They’re all so beautiful. The sealion especially has very friend eyes. The nose is shaped like a heart I think. I really love that you’ve emphasized the free’ness of these sweet and communal mammals. I never go to Water parks and don’t like when these poor creatures are made to perform for us dumb humans either. I can’t imagine their depression of being removed from their families and put in a tank with finite space. It’s horrendous. Thank you for bringing their playful nature to your Blog. I’m certain hundreds read here and maybe will sense that it’s not ok to hold them captive for any reason and not patronize parks that do. xo B
It is so not okay. I really get bugged when hotels have them in pools which I have seen in Oahu and Tahiti. I snorkeled during off hours, around a dolphin pen in Tahiti that offered swim with dolphins experiences for the tourists. The dolphins were listless, depressed and non-reactive, so entirely different then there are in the wild. They swim with the tourists for food and it makes me sad.
choke, that makes me sad too 🙁
<3
Beautiful dolphins! We hope we could meet one during one of our dives.
If you go to the island of Lanai, you can swim with large pods of spinner dolphins. It is thrilling.
Beautiful world and pictures, thank you.
Thank you for the thoughtful appreciation and be well!
Wow, what beaut pictures
So happy you enjoyed them and thanks for letting me know~
Outstandingly beautiful captures, Cindy. The swim right into ones heart. 😍
Beautifully said and so true! <3
Dolphins are such beautiful intelligent creatures. Absolutely gorgeous, Cindy 💚
They are magnificent especially, seeing them mastering the seas and playing all the time! Dolphin know how to have fun~
We can learn so much from them … ♥
Yes, if we pay attention!
WOW! By far the best pics of dolphins I’ve come across today. Amazing photography Cindy. Dolphins are such beautiful creatures with such kind and happy looks. I saw them in Watamu in my country, Kenya where I did a sea excursion and snorkeling. Check it out. Thanks.
What a thoughtful comment! Thank you. I am finally off the boat after 30 days and am catching up. Heading over to your blog now!