Dolphins are a fascination we carry from our school textbooks, when we learn about them in our books.
Visiting a city aquarium can give you a chance to see them, but not in India, only in some countries like the US, China, Japan, Bangkok, and Mexico. Also, in some countries abroad, you will come across Dolphin shows. You would have also seen them in movies and on the National Geographic Channel.
Closely related to the love and friendliness they have, as we say, a dog is a man’s best friend, so it can be, but with precautions. They are very, very social and very intelligent. Playful and curious, they interact with other species. Seals, sea birds, and whales are their favourites.
You have seen them swim along your boats and ferries, popping out, jumping, and enjoying the waters just like you are enjoying your boat ride. You will also notice them come close to your boats and try to interact with you. This is a great opportunity to train them for dolphin shows and to be friends with them.
You will also find them to be friends with seals, sea lions, and sea otters. You would also have seen in movies how dolphins come to help and rescue humans and other marine species. There are certainly several real stories, too, that you will get to hear.
You may see maybe one or two pop up from the sea, but don’t misunderstand, they are right there in hundreds. They are too cute as they engage in games and have a childlike nature. They love playing with seaweeds and also with researchers and tourists. They are friendly, but we also need to maintain a safe distance as they are wild at the end.
There are friendly species types in them. The ones you see becoming friends and trying to play with human swimmers and boat riders are called the Bottlenose Dolphin. They are grey and have a streamlined body, usually 6.6-12.8 feet in length. They live close to the coast and are very active. They are extremely communicative and can you believe they live for 40-50 years.
The other friendly dolphin is known as the white sided pacific dolphin. They are very energetic and love jumping and acrobatics. They like being in cold weather and temperatures, hence you will find them in the North Pacific Ocean.
They have some crazy skills to leap and jump across waves and ride the sea. It’s a beautiful site one can see. They also love to approach boats and become friends.
You will notice white bellies when you see them pop up with the waves. Grey and dark, the mix of stripes makes them look so beautiful. New is that you won’t have to travel all the way to another country to see dolphins. You can spot them here too, as there are about 6,300 of them right here.
Dolphins In India ! Where
Find some humpbacks, spinners, and bottlenose in the Gulf of Mannar down South. The National Park has about 15 different dolphin species.
You will come across good sightings near Kurusadai and Madapam in the Palk Bay. The beautiful site can also be witnessed between India and Sri Lanka. The national park is protected by the Tamil Nadu Marine experts and tourism. The freshwater of the Ganges River in the Sundarbans is a UNESCO World Heritage site for endangered mammals. In the Indo-Pacific humpback and finless porpoise, you will get to witness. The Panchamukhani junction is mangrove-lined and in these turbid waters of the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers.
Andaman and Nicobar have some great sightings, especially when you visit Havelock, Elephant Beach, Neil Island, Radharnagar Beach, and North Bay Island.Visit Lakshadweep to sight dolphins in crystal clear turquoise lagoons and beaches. Major attraction for sure. Your next destination is Chilika Lake in Odisha, and its world’s largest habitat for the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins
Well, Maharashtra has a place called Dapoli, Murud Beach, and Palande Beach on the coast of Konkan. When you take these ferry and boat rides, you will spot many dolphins. Well, and Goa is yet another place. Go to the beaches of Sinquerim, Candolim, Calangute, and Palolem.Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary and Bhagalpur in Bihar are another major breeding ground for dolphins, especially in the Ganges River. Other places you should visit are the National Chambal Sanctuary in Rajasthan,
