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1. Dolphin Swim Gets Thumbs Up
2. My Holiday in Egypt
3. Dolphins, Dugongs and Turtles, oh my…
4. "Being in a Sunray"
5. Val's Diary
6. The Dolphin's Story

7. Magical Encounters
8. The Dolphin Boy
9. News from the Red Sea April 2001
10. IDW founder Dr Horace Dobbs visits the Red Sea dolphins with Wild and Free
11. BBC report on positive healing effects of swimming with dolphins

My Holiday in Egypt

by Isabella de Vere Hunt

December 2003

On the 12th of December my family and I set off to Egypt. I had no idea what to expect, it was all a bit of a mystery because we were going to see dolphins, but swimming with dolphins had been banned for a bit because some silly people were treating some baby dolphins badly, but we were still up for the trip! I’m so glad we did go, because if we hadn’t, I would have missed out on the best holiday in the world!

We got there in the evening, but I was so tired, I went to bed straight away. The next morning we went snorkelling. I’ve snorkelled before, but never in my life have I seen such a mass of brightly coloured fish, and that was just a few metres off the beach into the house reef! It was simply stunning, there are not enough words to explain how amazing it is and you will just have to see for yourself. Every fish or coral imaginable is just off the beach!

The following day we went on a boat trip further out where the water would be even clearer and there would be different fish, and something I thought was impossible, there were even more fish than before! I think my favourite types of fish are the bright yellow masked butterfly fish, the regal angelfish and the Picasso fish.

The following day we went into a truck on search of the ‘Dugong’ [A Dugong is a large mammal that lives in the sea. It is a bit like a sea cow or a manatee]. It wasn’t long before we arrived at the beach where we unpacked our things and got ready to go snorkelling. I was amazed at what I saw. I couldn’t have been swimming in water more than two feet deep, and there were some really amazing fish, one type I think were the Surgeon fish. We swam around looking for the Dugong for about an hour, but all we saw were beautiful fish, so we decided to head back for lunch. On the way back we saw a pear of elegant reef sharks, perhaps a mother and a baby. It was so beautiful. They were swimming in perfect parallel, right up close touching each other. On the first day when my mummy told me there were sharks I was really scared, but by the time we got snorkelling I was dying to see a shark and it was just amazing.

After we had our lunch everybody just lay on the beach or went for walks along the beach. As my daddy, my sister and I were walking down the beach, we saw a man selling these really pretty dresses and my daddy bought us both one. When we got back to our base, Arwin, a nice lady in our group, liked the dresses so much that she went back and bought herself one!

I’ve never seen such an amazing creature before.

Over the next few days we went snorkelling to some different places where we saw many amazing creatures. We saw the most elegant looking turtle gliding around the reef which looked very old and wise, and on our last trip we saw a group of dolphins! I didn’t think we were going to see any and the boat was getting ready to set off home when they swam past our boat, I was so excited! I got in the water and went swimming with them and it was just amazing!

I had such a brilliant holiday and it couldn’t have been any better; I can’t wait until we go again!

"Being in a Sunray"
- a poem by Dilara Earle (age 11)
inspired by being in the Sinai

March 2002

Being in a sunray
Is so free, you can dance
Anywhere,
It is so right to be able to soak up in a sunray and……
Beam down in my true home which is
A thousand miles away.

Oh, you don't know how much I miss it
You know, I know, we all know we wish for something
If you really want it
Then be in a sunray
Be dropped in the tide
Be washed up on the pebbles then……

When the first star appears and the last sunray fades
When night has come
Then you can dance on and on
To make your wish come true

You'll be new forever and forever
That's what it feels like
Being in a sunray.

The Dolphin's Story.
by Tina Skinner (age 12)

October 2001

The summer passed with the two of them
Spending all their time at play.
They'd dive and swim round the coral reefs
Surrounding the sheltered bay.

But sad to say, one bright new day
Shimmering with morning sun,
Abdullah couldn't find his friend,
Fearing that she had gone.

He cried and cried when she still didn't come
Remembering the fun they'd had.
The days and weeks went slowly by,
Leaving him bereft and sad.

At last one day as he swam below,
Looking for some fish to eat.
He felt TWO dolphins grey and sleek
Nuzzling at BOTH his feet.

His dolphin friend had a baby now,
Swimming close right by her side.
So Abdullah now had two good friends
Filling him with joy and pride.

The International Federation of Aromatherapists' AGM at Regents Park in 1999 provided me with a very special opportunity. A lifelong lover of dolphins, I was delighted to find out about IDW (International Dolphin Watch) and the work being undertaken by Dr. Horace Dobbs and other like-minded people. During the course of the day I purchased several items, including a book which Horace signed for me, urging me to follow my dream to swim with dolphins in their natural, wild and free habitat.

Two years later, I have achieved my ambition which not only met, but far surpassed my expectations. Membership of IDW provides many benefits, including information on places where you can swim with dolphins anywhere in the world, from Australia and the Bahamas to Scotland and Ireland. I had been particularly interested in a Dolphin called Olin who lives by a Bedouin encampment at Nuweiba, on the Red Sea. Her story is told in a charming book, ‘The Dolphin’s Boy" by Pascale Noa Bercovitch. I was enthralled and determined that this was the dolphin I wanted to meet. Through IDW I contacted Ruth Corner of "Wild and Free" and on the 16th September, went with a friend to meet Olin and her calf, Mapsutta (which is Arabic for Happy).

Olin is an ambassador dolphin; she actively seeks human company and loves to swim with us, allowing us not only to swim with her, but caress both she and her calf, who especially loves to have her tummy rubbed - bliss both for giver and receiver. I am fairly articulate, seldom lost for words but here I am, defeated. It is impossible to explain how your heart. bursting with happiness, seems too big for your chest. How Olin can convey with just a look - pure and unconditional love - at the same time touching your soul, your higher self. You try to talk but are lost for words; tears roll down your face and you laugh with sheer joy at the same time. Euphoria, I guess. I waited before writing this, to see how long the feel-good factor lasts - it’s still with me, I doubt I shall lose it.

A lot of credit must be given to the Bedouin families who look after Olin and her calf. Abidallah, the original Dolphin’s Boy has married and moved on, his place taken by Fallah, a beautiful youth who has been swimming with Olin since the age of 5 - when Olin is around, she always comes to Fallah. The whole family are extremely protective of their gift from Allah and all possible precautions are taken to protect Olin and Mapsuttah. We, their visitors, were all welcomed in a manner which perfectly demonstrated the true tenets of Islam, hospitality and kindness - nothing was too much trouble and it was quite a wrench when the time came to leave. We were also extremely privileged as Olin was present on five out of the seven days we were at Nuweiba.. She is wild and free so there is no guarantee that she will come.

All dolphin lovers, I would urge you to join IDW (Tel: 01482 654789 or visit their website) and find out how you can follow your dolphin dream and turn it into reality. Good Luck and God Bless!!

Olin also has a special love - Fallah. Olin will appear at Fallah's side within seconds of his entering the sea. She loves to be stroked by him and with Mapsutta often perform astonishing leaps together over his head in the water. Fallah will happily take swimmers into the sea and bring Olin to them for a special experience they will never forget. A wild dolphin coming to be stroked!

Word of the friendly dolphin has spread around the world and visitors travel from all over to the little village of Mezina for the chance to swim with the dolphins. In particular, swimming with the dolphins is known to be therapeutic for sick and disabled people and can help with autism, depression, deafness and many other problems, so it is not unusual to see Fallah and his friends helping a disabled person into the sea to meet and swim with Olin and Mapsutta. The joy and delight in all the swimmers' faces when they return is wonderful to see. Many people have told me they will never forget the experience. They describe it as another world - a world of peace and joy and tranquility.

No one knows why Olin has chosen to spend her life with the Bedouin people. It may be their gentle nature matches her own and she has recognised kindred spirits. The Bedouin consider her a gift from Allah. She brings tourists to their village, and tourists bring money. For the Bedouin, money making options are few and far between and all are tourism dependent - some fishing, some camel treks, some trinket sales. The Bedouin fear that if the dolphins leave, the tourists will stop coming. In the meantime they try their best to ensure that each person makes a good connection, whilst taking care of the dolphins' needs, so Olin and Mapsutta are well loved and well protected.

Olin, the friendly wild dolphin that comes into a bay by the Bedouin village in Nuweiba, Egypt, has given birth to a female calf. Her name is Mapsutta, which means Happy, and she was born on October 1st 2000. Of course, everybody at the village is thrilled and delighted. Olin brought the baby in to show her off and introduce her to her human friends.

It is a truly remarkable situation. The Bedouin tribe in that village have an hereditary defect and some members are born deaf mutes. The dolphin followed a deaf boy home from fishing one day in 1992 and has stayed by the village ever since. The dolphin and the boy have become firm friends, swimming together almost every day of their lives. She has had a profound effect on Abidallah; his self confidence has improved as has his standing within the tribe. His hearing has also improved and he now speaks well.

No one knows why Olin has chosen to spend her life with these people. The Bedouin have a very special relationship with her. They call her 'Olin' - a gift from God. She brings tourists to their village, and tourists bring money. For the Bedouin, money making options are few and far between and all are tourism dependent - some fishing, some taxi driving, some trinket sales. The Bedouin know that when Olin goes, the tourists will stop coming. In the meantime they try their best to ensure that each person makes a good connection with her, whilst taking care of her needs. Each of the Bedouin have a very special relationship with Olin, many having grown up with her since childhood. Abidallah is now married and 14 year old Fallah has become Olin's favourite playmate, swimming with her every day.

Olin is well loved and well protected by her Bedouin friends. They have a code of conduct for swimmers, which was suggested to them by IDW. No one is allowed into the water wearing jewellery, watches or anything which may scratch her. No sun tan lotions or oils are allowed. The boys make sure each swimmer gets a fair share of Olin's company and people must not chase or touch the dolphins. Sometimes Olin or Mapsutta will come to you, in which case it is OK to gently stroke them, but not to try to hold on. The Bedouin boys are always around and any misdemeanour is noticed and the culprit banned from the water. Most visitors stay a short time, but for those who have patience swimming with Olin is a graceful and rewarding experience. I like to hang on to a boat, biding my time in the warm sea, watching coloured fish swim by, until Olin comes to me. And she always does. Olin appears to take her public duties very seriously. Her routine is to visit each person in the water and swim gently by them. She will do this happily for hours. It is normal for her to spend most of her time in the bay with swimmers, going off occasionally to feed. The Bedouin do not feed her other than to give her octopus as a treat, which she adores. She finds it difficult to dislodge octopi from the reefs herself and happily leaps out of the water to take an octopus from Fallah.

She seems to be a happy, well adjusted dolphin and recognises her human friends the instant they appear in the water. She is totally free living, coming and going as she pleases. She has twice had babies since 1992, but sadly, both died. They were males and both died before 6 months of age. Although blood tests were taken, there is no apparent reason for their deaths. There are lots of speculations and rumours. It was thought that the first baby - Jimmy- was poisoned by Olin's milk after she was stung by a ray, but blood tests did not find any cause. Her second baby - Ramadan - just died very suddenly whilst playing happily with his very favourite Bedouin children in the bay. He is buried in the desert sand amongst his human family. We do not know why the calves died, but the mortality rate in the wild, even in a family group, is estimated at 50%. A single dolphin has much less chance of raising her young.

Olin is a spotted dolphin. She has been seen with bottlenose dolphins and common dolphins as well as other spotteds. We do not know which dolphins she breeds with. It may be a possibility that the calves so far have been hybrids, and therefore unlikely to have survived. Mapsutta is smaller than the others were at birth and she is female. Maybe, maybe, she has a better chance. At least so far, she is living up to her given name which means "Happy". We all hope and pray that this little lady will thrive and grow to raise calves of her own, perhaps starting a little pod of Nuweiba dolphins. There is no knowing. "Imsh'Allah" as the Bedouin say "by God's will."

Olin appears well and has plenty of milk. Mapsutta tucks in under her mum and suckles from both sides, apparently unperturbed by whatever is going on around her. Normally silent amongst people, Olin now keeps up a constant conversation of whistles and sounds with her baby. Olin is very calm, moving slowly and gracefully, swimming gently amongst the people with little Mapsutta by her side. The baby however, is not so dignified, she gives excited twirls and spins and chases fish, looking curiously at the swimmers around her, and becoming more confident by the day.

Since Mapsutta was about three weeks old Olin has been taking her further afield, coming to the Bedouin village only sporadically. They are seen swimming off the shore all along the coast, sometimes with quite large groups of other dolphins. Perhaps she is being educated. Perhaps Olin is showing her the local "fast food joints" like the fishing nets where dinner is caught for her.

I have heard concerns from people that think it is because Olin brings her babies in to swim with people that they die. Maybe they are harassed? In my opinion this is not so. The situation in Nuweiba is the most ideal I have seen or heard of. The dolphins are completely free. In busy times people are confined to a small swimming area marked by floats which the dolphins swim in and out of. It is their choice to enter or leave. There are no speed boats, no diving boats, no sailing boats and no jet skis. Only the Bedouin bring boats into the bay and they use small dinghies with small engines and are very respectful to the dolphins.