Adventures Down Under: Phillip Bay Adventures

On Friday, Abby and I went swimming with the dolphins. Little did we know, this was not exactly what the trip was all about. 7am we met the bus to take us to Port Phillip Bay. There was probably about ten or so people from Deakin also going on the trip. We got to the port, got into thick wet suits and went onto the boat. It was so cold and windy, and the sun was not out. Our skipper told us instructions and what exactly we would be doing. This is where we found out it was not what we signed up for. "Swimming" with the dolphins actually meant hanging onto ropes that were tied to the back of the boat and being dragged around the bay, BUT because dolphins are wild animals, we 1. Could not touch them 2. We may not see any. It turned out we saw more out of the water instead of when we were being dragged around. Being dragged did not help our body temperatures either. Because we were not physically swimming, I was shivering even in my wet suit when we were being pulled around.

After two groups went into the water, we ventured further into the bay to this octagonal platform in the middle of the water filled with male fur seals. It was explained to us that this platform only contains male seals, specifically those that could not find a mate for the season, so they called it the "bachelor pad". A fun fact about seals that not many people know is that the smell absolutely awful, not because they are not clean, but because they have a high protein diet that makes them wreak. The other two guides on the boat went on to tell us that seals are the puppies of the water and they like to play, and enjoy imitating humans. For instance, if you roll in the water, they roll. If you touch them, they will assume you want to play tag and chase after you, but being that they are more agile in the water than people, this was not safe. It was actually pretty funny to see the seals flop into the water, swim around the literally propel themselves back up into the air onto the platform. Only a few seals actually got in with us, but I was too cold and too concerned about a 600 plus pound seal falling on me. The rules for the seals were that we couldn't touch them, and to stay at least a meter away from the platform, so if they dive in, they won't dive onto you. In my mind, a meter would not prevent a seal from falling on me, especially if it was one of the 600 pounders, and if a big guy dove near me, he would cause some sort of giant wave.

Our last and final stop after the seals was a manmade marine habitat called Pope's Eye. It was created during WWI, so that if invaders came into the bay, Australian cannons could be set up onto Pope's Eye in the center of the bay and hit the ships because the bay was too wide for cannons to reach any other way. With the invention of new and improved technology, the cannons were removed and the rocks were left for a marine environment to grow. Lots of plants and fish made the rocks their home, but once again I was way too cold to enjoy it fully. Abby and I decided we had to get in at every stop though to make the most of it, and even if we decided not to go in the water, the guides would guilt us into coming for a swim.

Our final dive was over, so we got back onto the boat to head back to the harbor. On the way back we hit some choppy waves that resulted in me getting seasick for the first time ever. It was awesome. I hope you can all sense my sarcasm. Between the shivering and the seasickness, I felt great. Once parked at the harbor, we all went to warm up with a hot shower, found the bus, stopped into town for some lunch and headed back to campus. Overall, I could have saved the 95 dollars and skipped the "swim" with the dolphins.

Nothing else has been going on in Geelong besides my sicknesses slowing down, and on Thursday a bunch of us are flying up to Brisbane and the Gold Coast for the weekend. Should be a good trip that I am excited for. It is warmer up there and the beaches, I hear are some of the nicest in the world.