I had my first land-based observation yesterday. Standing on the hill and overlooking an extensive view of the sea was like looking at a painting with its scenery and objects in motion; dolphins and vessels entered the scene from one corner of the frame and exited through the other. It was amazing to see a dolphin emerge and soon followed by its companions, socialising and having fun. As an observer and data recorder, not a visitor to a gallery, perhaps the most challenging task was to keep track of more than one group of dolphins at the same time and any changes in their group composition.
We saw unregulated dolphin-watching boats from Tai O thoughout our observing session. One of them sped towards the spot where a few dolphins were just previously seen by another boat, which had returned to town. It was particularly amusing when Vincent commented 'do they know that the dolphins are free to swim wherever they wish?'. Perhaps these people forgot that unlikely dolphins in captivity, wild ones enjoy freedom and the right not to be approached, especially by irresponsible boat drivers.
When we returned to town at the end of the day, we walked past someone working for a boat company who asked whether we wanted to take a ride and watch dolphins. It felt so different from when I was in Tai O last year as a tourist, now that I have become aware of these unregulated dolphin-watching activities and their potential impact on the dolphins.
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