My zodiac sign is Aquarius so I feel a deep connection and attraction to water, especially the sea. Born in the black forest in Germany, this desire could only be satisfied in my dreams and ever since I saw Luc Besson’s movie “The Big Blue”, which reflects a lifetime of dedication, I’ve been fascinated by the underwater world and the mystery of the blue eternity. Whilst my desire is more low-key I guess, it’s quite a common one as I have met so many like-minded people here in the free diving and scuba diving community. After fuelling my childhood desires through dreams, living in the UAE now allows me to dive into the big blue or get lost in the horizon of the open sea.
There are many fascinating creatures in the ocean and in the Arabian Gulf but there is one creature which stands out and warms our hearts merely sighting them in the far distance. Dolphins seem to have a mysterious bond and effect on us and they fill our hearts with joy and you can only love them. Perhaps it’s their friendly and curious behaviour reminding us of smiling kids, so pure and honest. I have been lucky enough to spot dolphins in Musandam and many times in winter off the coast of Dubai while fishing. Usually there’s not much that can draw our attention while we’re fishing but if we see dolphins, we take in the rods and hope to be able to get some company while cutting through the waves with our fishing boat. Usually this plan works out as dolphins seem to be not much different to us in that they enjoy our company as much as we do theirs. I have often driven the boat for up to 15 minutes in fairly large schools of dolphins which have got so close to the boat that you could almost touch them, but until recently, these few centimetres could not been overcome. We’ve even stopped many times and jumped in the water hoping at least one of the dolphins would not continue cutting through the waves but would allow us to swim with them or even touch them.
Sometimes I feel a little foolish and have no idea why I have this childish attraction to these creatures but it’s simply something I can’t stop and even my always controlled German temper goes crazy with excitement.
So you can imagine, when we got the invitation from Atlantis, the Palm to try their latest attraction “Diving with Dolphins” I only took a second to confirm my attendance.
After the initial excitement and sign up, I had some further thoughts about the invitation. Actually I’m not a fan of any animal being held in captivity, especially intelligent animals like dolphins. My memories went back to the movie “The Big Blue” (it’s worth watching, though it’s fairly old) and a dolphin held in a small pool which almost died in captivity, with the main characters in the movie freeing the dolphin and saving him.
Of course I had no such plans to free any dolphin from Atlantis but I was concerned that my desire to finally get close to a dolphin and physically feel this bond may not be the same in a pool with a trained animal.
I was even more afraid that the conditions could be bad and the dolphins would not be healthy and happy so that it would turn into the opposite and be a bad experience. A few days later I showed up at Atlantis, the Palm for my encounter with a new friend. When I arrived I was surprised by the size of the dolphin pool and was happy to see a really big pool; nothing comparable to the memories of the small pond in the movie. The second thing to reassure me that allowed my excitement shoot up was that Sol, the dolphin our group would dive with, was waiting for us. The trainer was outside of the water with us, and although Dolphin Bay has a volume of 26 million liters of water for Sol to swim around or hide in, rather than enjoying having the pool to himself and not sharing with the other 28 dolphins, he was
lying in the shallow water waiting for us. He seemed to be like a kid, waiting for his buddies to come and play; and I was ready to play. After we had been given instructions from the trainer and the guides 
that, in addition to the standard scuba diving signs included further signs to communicate under water, I put on all the diving gear except fins and off we went.
The dive took about half an hour in the cooled pool (a real treat in the hot summer). The team from Atlantis, the Palm was highly professional and very friendly, but of course my favourite hotel employee was Sol. Underwater and close to the dolphin, my earlier doubts vanished and I can recommend this great experience to anyone who loves dolphins. With the regulator in your mouth you’re not able to see the smile on your fellow divers’ faces but I could see it in their eyes. It’s a once in a lifetime experience which doesn’t come cheap, but it’s worth every single dirham.
Yes, I would have preferred to have had this meeting somewhere in the open ocean and with untrained dolphins, but I’m quite certain that this meeting will remain a fantasy forever although I don’t see any reason to stop dreaming. After this experience I’m even more impressed by the intelligence of dolphins and their joyful character. I’m not a dolphin shrink but Sol seems to be so healthy, happy and enjoying his job that I can’t imagine he isn’t. Whilst I think animals should be free, I also see a high importance of education for marine life and the beauty of it. I think Sol and all the dolphins at Atlantis the Palm are ambassadors for this cause to understand and appreciate the sea, its creatures and how to preserve them.
Thank you Sol,
Daniel
Published in October 2012
