Surf’s UP - Master of the Waves

 Did you ever try to imagine what it was like to be an expert surfer riding the biggest waves in the world? I spent hours watching surfers sift in and out of the waves at Surf Riders Beach in Malibu taking note of their every movement trying to capture in words what it must be like for them to ride the waves.

Clark Little’s incredible photography allowed me to be with him in the belly of thirty foot waves on the north shore of Oahu where he lives. He has mastered the fine art of capturing the dynamic energy of the waves with his camera. He rolls in the surf dangerously close to the crushing monsters to get the best shot.

If you look closely at this iconic shot you will see King Kamehameha the Great standing on the tip of the curl with his crested Helmut and sword in his hand. In my novel Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawaii, I describe the royals skittering across the waves on long koa boards. Wai-nani swims with her dolphin friend Eku and rides the waves with him, as well as her lover Makaha. Clarke’s award winning images inspired and excited my imagination. He took me as close to the shimmering heart of the waves as I ever will be.

Clark opened a second gallery on the mainland in Laguna Beach a year ago. Go to his site www.ClarkLittlePhotography.com

to view his gallery and receive notices of future events.

True Friendships on Valentine's Day

There's nothing on this earth to be prized more than true frienships. Even when that friendship is between a dolphin and a dog.

Let's be friends! If they can do it, then so can we.

My Valentine - The Healing Power of Dolphins

People who swim with dolphins often talk about the acceptance in the globelike eye of the Dolphin. They feel a sense of a non-judge mental intelligence, even unconditional love.

Great results from dolphin therapy with children who suffer from Down ’s syndrome, people with neurological disorders, autism, pain relief from spinal injuries, muscular paralysis and depression have been reported. Dolphin Therapy started in the early seventies. Dolphin therapy is not a cure, but it seems to help alleviate symptoms.

Children are asked to swim, touch, feed or pat the animals. It is a happy playful time that produces a change in hormones, endorphins and enzymes. Sonar pulses from the dolphins help bring both sides of the brain into sync creating a heightened awareness and increased learning ability.

Results noticed are:
Strong Emotional Change
Children calm down
Improved communication
Increased attention span
Increased confidence and self esteem
Improved gross motor skills
Better co-ordination
Better eye contact, smiling, laughing, touching
Better immune system

There are about a dozen dolphin therapy centers around the globe. Florida and Hawaii have the most but they are also located in England, New Zealand and Israel. They are not cheap about $2000 a week, and results are not guaranteed. Still it is an exciting alternative medical approach to serious problems.

This video shows how a young boy in Brazil received good results from being with a pink Amazon River Dolphin

February is Dolphin Love Month – Being Part of the Pod

One of the most exciting incidents in my life took place in the Sea of Cortez. I was kayaking up a deep, narrow channel when a pod of at least 100 dolphins came up behind me and swam all around me. The chuffing air puffing rhythmically from their blow holes as the arced with powerful grace in synchronicity all around me for about fifteen minutes was incredibly exciting. For a few fleeting moments I was a part of the pod. It gave me the real sense of a connection with the natural world. They soon were gone and off to a party I wasn’t invited to, but I will always cherish that incident.

There is a big difference in swimming with captive trained dolphins then an encounter with those in the wild. In captive situations with dolphins that are trained and used to interacting with humans people enjoy a much more intimate contact. At the Kiwalo Basin Marine Lab in Hawaii, Lou Herman has been training and testing dolphins for decades. He has learned that they are great mimics. If you roll over in the water they will. Even if you are not in the water they will take directions by imitating your movements. He has not broken the Rosetta code of their language, of clicks and bleats, but he is definitely communicating with them with hand and verbal signals.

He has found that dolphins are highly adaptable and clever. They will admire themselves in mirrors indicating self-awareness. They can understand numerous hand and voice signals and have cognitive skills that are much more advanced than even the chimp. There are 2,000 different sentences that they understand and will respond too. They also have their own language! Bleeps, whistles, clicks make up a constant conversation they have with one another. Each dolphin has his own identifying whistle, just as we have a name. Their language is not just made of words it is made of touch and they intuit a good deal in their tribal interactions.

Giving Thanks!

It is time to count our blessings and say thanks to those who have supported us. You know who you are and I want you to know how much I appreciate you. May you enjoy the bounty of the season! November is a special time to get outdoors in Southern California.

I will be hiking my turkey off with friends. If you are in L.A. don’t forget to look at my L.A. Outdoor Travel Examiner.com column for the Great Outdoor roadmaps I have provided for you to enjoy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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I walk in beauty on the good red road.

Linda Ballou

http://www.lindaballouauthor.com/