Baby Bella's Blog: May 2015

Sunday, May 31, 2015

Saturday, May 30, 2015

The family was up and out early for our final day in paradise. We started our day by heading out for a dolphin cruise aboard the Calusa Spirit. Having enjoyed dolphin cruises in Amelia, Savannah and Pensacola - our expectations were high. Oh my, were we in for a treat.

We spotted our first dolphin pod in a stretch of waters that was surrounded by mangroves on both sides. They seemed to enjoy us as much as we enjoyed them. They swam around, under and on both sides of our vessel.

Dancing Dolphins

Did I mention we were in for a treat? As we prepared to continue on our journey away from this dolphin pod, the captain suggested we move to the back of the boat and keep an eye on the dolphins.

He explained that the Atlantic Bottle Nose Dolphin is a special ocean inhabitant. They do not just survive, they have a life. In fact, they have personalities and love to play. Occasionally, they are in the mood to follow the boat and jump through the boat's wake. To our amazement, this was such an occasion.

They followed us for about ten minutes, jumping over and over again. Then one of them decided to show off and start jumping sideways through the wake. (I think he was the teenager in the pod.)

A Three Hour Tour...

We were surprised when our captain began pulling the Calusa Spirit up to a deserted beach on the south side of Cape Romano Island. We looked at each other and began singing the theme to Giligan's Island.

Turns out this beach in the middle of the ocean has a name - Morgan's Beach. Nothing short of Paradise. We were able to walk out away from shore and the water was so clear you could see the ocean floor. We enjoyed watching a baby manatee lumber by and a large sting ray paid us a visit at a safe distance.

Paradise found! We weren't castaways but we almost volunteered to be.