18/07/2026
2026 07 12
Cetacean Meditation..
Take this 6 min swim with me.. to look closely at...
Scars that tell many a tale..
When close up with these powerful sentient friends..I am always in awe of their unique and distinct scaring..
I love to film this..
Every scar tells a story.
Our wild bottlenose dolphins, the rogues of the ocean, wear the history of their lives across their bodies. The pale rake marks are often left by the teeth of other dolphins during playful sparring, displays of dominance, sexual prowess or fierce competition.
Larger scars may come from close encounters with coral reefs, sharks, or the countless challenges of life in the open ocean. As you can see on this right flank laceration..
Even the distinctive nicks along the trailing edge of each dorsal fin become a signature, allowing researchers to identify individuals year after year.
This video gives you a great insight and look at the dorsel fins of various individuals..
Dolphin skin heals with extraordinary speed, but they never live untouched.
We often think of dolphins as gentle, smiling ambassadors of the sea. The truth is far more fascinating.
They are intelligent, resilient, fiercely social predators, navigating lives filled with cooperation, conflict, adventure, and survival.
These are not perfect animals. They are survivors.
And every scar is a chapter in a story still being written beneath the waves.
They're not only gentle compassionate creatures, they're highly intelligent apex predators with complex societies, lifelong friendships, rivalries, alliances, and occasional feuds. They hunt cooperatively, protect one another fiercely, and sometimes fight just as fiercely.
It was such a joy to share this profound slow encounter and interaction with you both ..
Lulu Erasmas and Albert St Mammes Osel
Thank you Ty Jackson for your extraordinary ability to read the water ..
These cross species relationships continue to inspire my deep love and passion for these wild dolphins and this sea..
We are so blessed to be based in a Marine Protected Area, An MPA, that honours and strongly adheres to conservation and protection!
Malongane Dive Centre