Dolphin soccer
Well nearly. I went out to Sandpatches again yesterday and my favourite dolphin pod was there playing in the surf, leaping out of the water, and what appears to be hunting fish.
At one stage I thought a dolphin had caught a fish and had it in its mouth, shaking it. However when I photographed the dolphin it turned out to be a piece of seaweed. The dolphin (or maybe more than one was involved – very hard to tell) was catching it, throwing it up in the air, and chasing after it. They seemed to be having a lot of fun.
Here are some images.
The dolphin(s) was obviously playing some game with the seaweed. Very curious!
More dolphins
There was a large group of dolphins at Sandpatches today feeding on salmon. Occasionally one would get too close to shore and have to leap out of the wave to avoid being dumped on the beach.
Dolphins at Sandpatches
Dolphins often feed here chasing herring into the surf zone. They jump out of the back of the waves to avoid being dumped.
A bit of a mixture
Here is a shot of a dolphin at Three Bears this morning.
And here are some shots from yesterdays departure of the STS Leeuwin (leaving Busselton, bound for Fremantle).
The Leeuwin left the jetty under power, then turned into the wind as the sails were raised. Once under sail the Leeuwin looked graceful and in her element.