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Mauricio (the owner of Delfiniti) totally surprised us by inviting the staff (Ron, Lyssa, Yvette & Claudia) for a private swim with the dolphins in the evening after the group left (Tuesday). This swim had no trainers, no life vests. We could wear snorkel gear and have private time in the water with the dolphins. Mauricio went in first. Ron observed that it was obvious that the dolphins loved him very much. This was a positive sign, because Mauricio was the one who ultimately took them out of the wild and put them into this pool. He is a strong swimmer who stayed underwater with them for long periods. He said that Ron and I could go in also, but that Yvette and Claudia could trade places with us later. (He didn't want too many "strangers" in the pool so as not to frighten them.) Ron went in next, with his flippers and mask, and after swimming with them for a minute, he was so excited and happy that he was hyperventilating! That was really cute to watch. It took me longer to get in because I had to put the wet suit on and then the life vest. Being that I am such a poor swimmer, I wanted to interact with the dolphins and not have to worry about keeping myself above water. As soon as I got in the water, it was amazing. I moved away from the steps and 5 of the 6 dolphins immediately surrounded me in a tight circle, with just their melons and blowholes above the water, silently watching me. They closed the circle around me so tightly that I couldn't move. I just had to float with them while we had a silent communion. I could feel my heart open more widely than I've ever felt, and I had the interesting sensation of watching myself outside of myself and I noticed that there was no fear and I was totally in the moment. I was in the water with five "alien" beings surrounding me and it was a moment of utter humility and communion. They were so close that they were almost touching me, silently floating in a circle around me with their heads pointed toward me. Honestly, it felt like the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" when the aliens came and took Richard Dreyfuss into the spaceship at the end. For the first 3-4 minutes we stayed in that circle. One at a time they approached me and gently put their heads or noses under my hands, nuzzling my body, letting me pet their bellies and talking so I could feel their sound waves under my hands. They intuitively knew that I didn't swim well and they were so incredibly gentle. I totally forgot that Ron and Mauricio were in the water (on the other side of the pool) and didn't even realize that they were probably wondering where the dolphins were because most of them were with me. Then Lluvia (the largest female, 600 pounds!) slowly raised herself out of the water and floated belly-to-belly with me. Her nose (rostrum) was about 4 inches away from my face and I just floated there enjoying the connection, but wondering what she wanted me to do. Then I telepathically heard her say, "Kiss me!" To my amazement and delight she bent her head and placed her rostrum on my lips. I leaned closer too and we had a long kiss that just melted my heart. [Note: In the trained dolphin swim, the dolphins understand that humans value a "kiss" - they are trained to kiss humans but rarely do it without prompting by the trainer.] Lluvia is quite an amazing being. In that moment I felt like I could see into her heart and further - to the depths of her cosmic consciousness. About five minutes later, after Lluvia had swam around me further, she popped up again and kissed me once more for an even longer time. It was both so natural and yet so surreal. I am totally in love with Lluvia. She has an amazing depth to her being that many people in both Group A and B were able to feel. A little bit later I was silently floating and I kept feeling someone under me, poking at my feet and making me laugh. As I looked down into the water, I saw Brisa looking up at me. Her head was at my stomach level, with her body parallel to mine. She was just gazing up at me under the water and I just gazed back at her and felt her enormous heart. We floated like that for a long time and I felt such a deep love and reverence. My heart was just exploding. By this time, Mauricio saw how gentle we were with the dolphins and how happy they were, so instead of removing Ron and I from the pool, he invited Claudia and Yvette to join us. That is when I realized that the dolphins were interacting with each of us individually according to the way each of us value contact. For me, I value silence, stillness, touch, and telepathic connection - and that is what I received. Yvette valued play, and that is what she got! Once Claudia and Yvette got in the pool, things became more rowdy. Several dolphins made a sandwich with Yvette underwater and gave her an exciting ride. Then, she played Chocho's favorite game with him, not realizing at the time that it was a game that he enjoyed frequently. Claudia was giggling like a little girl. Ron was having so much fun that he could hardly breathe. Our faces nearly popped from smiling so hard! I was freezing and really didn't care. We were in the water with them for about an hour. Later, I asked Ron if he felt there was a difference swimming like that with captive dolphins versus swimming with wild ones. (I was wondering if captivity might have made connecting with them less profound.) He said absolutely not. He said the dolphins of Delfiniti have just as much joy, despite their captivity. The biggest difference was that we knew these dolphins as individuals because we had spent two weeks with them. So it was even more personal and intimate and even more of a deep bonding experience. It was so hard to leave the tank after an hour, but the gratitude we felt toward Mauricio and what he created in Ixtapa engulfed us. When we found out how rare these private swims are (if they even happen at all) we were astounded. To us, it meant that Mauricio trusted us with his precious dolphins, and furthermore, he felt our hearts and intentions while we were in Ixtapa. The energy our groups generated changed everyone, including the participants, trainers and the dolphins. This gift was generous beyond words and confirmed to us that the dolphins at Delfiniti understand the larger plan. They are not grieving their captivity, but celebrating the joy of life and sharing it with others. To find out more about the Seed of Life II workshops with the dolphins of Delfiniti, go to: www.floweroflife.org/sol2eng.htm
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