Stories

Two days before Christmas in 2020, I was planning to see the Australian Surf Movie Festival with a friend. I’d been looking forward to it for weeks, so I was pretty disappointed when, just a few days before the screening, the event was cancelled. I tried to arrange a plan B, but something came up for my friend, and I ended up with no plans at all that day.

Cape Byron is the easternmost point of the Australian mainland - a place of striking beauty, where the headland meets the Pacific in sweeping, dramatic views. I’ve been coming here for years, and no matter how many times I visit, the place never loses its magic. There’s something in the air – a quiet energy, a certain vibe – that always lifts me up.

It started like any other quiet summer afternoon at Bronte Beach - blue sky, a soft breeze, and that unmistakable stillness in the air. But then, something strange appeared on the horizon: tiny, tentacle-like clouds, dangling low over the sea. From past experience, I knew this was no ordinary weather shift. Something was coming.

Dolphins are remarkable communicators, capable of producing a wide range of sounds using specialized nasal air sacs just below their blowholes. These sounds fall into three main categories: whistles, burst-pulsed sounds, and echolocation clicks. Whistles are used for social interaction and are made by vibrating tissue in a way that’s somewhat similar to how human vocal cords work.

Among the most well-known members of the dolphin family are the bottlenose dolphins. There are two closely related types: the common bottlenose (Tursiops truncatus) and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose, often referred to as the inshore bottlenose dolphin. At first glance, they look nearly identical. But there are subtle differences.

Dolphins can feel even the slightest movements of currents around their bodies, and being propelled along by a wave is a special thrill for them. Boats also generate pressure waves ahead of them, similar to ocean swells. These man-made waves are just as appealing to playful dolphins,

There are currently 40 recognized dolphin species, ranging from the small and lightweight Māui dolphin (1.7 meters long, 50 kilograms) to the powerful killer whale (orca), which can grow up to 9.5 meters and weigh around 10 tonnes. Some dolphin species can reach speeds of up to 29 km/h and leap as high as 9 meters.

It was another beautiful morning on board the Dolphin Swim Australia vessel. We were halfway out of the bay, heading toward the open ocean, just as the sun reached the horizon. Our destination was clear: to find our beloved common dolphins in the Port Stephens - Great Lakes Marine Park.

Bioluminescence is one of nature’s most breathtaking light shows. Caused by living organisms that emit light when disturbed, it’s a form of chemiluminescence. This spectacle occurs widely among marine creatures, but the most commonly seen light producers are microscopic algae called dinoflagellates. When large numbers of these algae accumulate, they can form what’s known as a Red Tide, visible during the day as discoloured patches in the water.

19th of March 2020, The memory of this day will stay with me forever. The whole world was in a panic mode, shaking in fear and uncertainty under the shadows of the dark clouds that the Coronavirus had brought over us. People on the street were looking at each other with suspicious eyes, keeping their distance…