It’s a beautiful summers morning. The sun is warm on my back as I slowly glide along the rocky coastline. The water temperature has jumped up with the recent spate 40 C days and I’m following a small school of fish and have already run through them a couple of times and had quite a feed, so now I’m just sauntering along enjoying the sun and the crystal clear water.

There are a number of small fishing boats out on the usual grounds and I decide that later on, if I can be bothered, I will surface next to them and give them a fright. I just love the way they yell and scream when I appear and there is always the mad scramble for cameras. Lots of video being beamed live to Facebook although the language seems a little out there at times and I wonder if it get censored first.

Then I see him. Strolling along by himself in a flashy little kayak. Quite some distance offshore, probably going out further to avoid the stink from those outboard motors, he is all by himself and would be easy prey. They say they are “all white meat and not many small bones” but I’m reluctant to try one as you have to peel away that fibreglass kayak shell first and I’m already full from a good feed of fish.

Still it could be worth a pass just to give him a scare and send him scurrying back to shore. I quietly glide up behind him and check him out; an older male of the species judging by the white hair and wrinkles.

I don’t think he has seen me so maybe I pop up next to him

I slowly passed right by him just deep enough so that my dorsal could nearly hit his paddle. Yep he saw me as there was that scream of surprise they seem to all have. Are they really that surprised at seeing me saunter by ? It’s not like I’m somewhere unnatural. I’m not strolling along the Esplanade or something.

Hey, the old guy is scrambling to get his camera aimed so I plunge back down into the depths waiting for him to paddle madly to shore. Hmm..he’s still sitting there quietly scanning with his lens so maybe he thinks I’m a playful dolphin. I’ll make another pass just to see his face when he realises I’m not a dolphin nor playful.

I give my back a little rub on the kayak hull, and that does the trick, with camera dropped and him paddling flat out towards shore. Look at him go, I think he’s almost faster than the fishing boats. My job done for the day I slowly saunter southwards enjoying the sun on my back and contemplate whether I should drop in on a couple of surfers later, just for fun of course.

Have a nice day
Mr CHOMPY