Encounter — Lovina Dolphins

The most impressive part of this Bali trip was going to Lovina Beach to see dolphins. I think this will be a lifelong memory for me.

We set off at 2 a.m., extremely tired; my companions fell asleep in the car. The vehicle slowly wound along the mountain road. During the ride, I woke up groggily. Habitually looking out the window, my mind instantly cleared. It's almost an exaggeration to say I couldn't believe my eyes!! Was I in some corner of the Milky Way? In the darkness, tiny white lights from the houses below illuminated the night. I didn't know how to describe its beauty; I was captivated. I quickly woke up my fellow travelers, unwilling to enjoy such beauty alone, wanting to share this joy. Everyone's drowsiness vanished as we all admired the tranquil beauty. Unfortunately, we were so immersed at the time that we didn't capture it with a camera. But I think a photo couldn't have captured its pure beauty anyway.

After a three-hour drive, we finally arrived at Lovina Beach. This is a black sand beach, and it was my first time seeing one, hehe.

A group of us, along with two Chinese fellow travelers, set off on a sailboat. Just as we departed, the sun hadn't risen yet; the sky was dawning, and the whole sea was silent. Sitting on the boat felt exceptionally comfortable, as if we were the only boat in the world. The sun slowly crept up, dyeing the horizon, and a gentle sea breeze surrounded us, very pleasant.

When the sunlight directly hit the sea surface, the boatman said, "Dolphin! Dolphin!" We got excited, thinking dolphins had appeared, but the boatman was just saying he was going to chase them. That day we learned that dolphins are more likely to appear in the early morning because they like chasing sunlight. The boat gradually headed toward the inner sea, and along the way we saw many other boats also chasing dolphins.

Maybe our luck wasn't good enough that time; the dolphins didn't show up, and we were a bit disappointed. However, the boatman was very kind and didn't give up; he kept taking us to chase them. It was almost 9 a.m., the temperature was rising, and the UV rays were starting to sting our skin.

I couldn't help feeling a bit irritable and disappointed. Actually, when I did the research beforehand, I knew there might be a chance we wouldn't see dolphins, but I still held onto some hope.

Just as I was feeling down, the boatman's walkie-talkie crackled. They exchanged a few words in the local language, and then we heard the boatman say "dolphin, dolphin." It turned out another boatman had spotted dolphins in a certain area. Our boatman immediately headed that way. We excitedly peered in the direction we were sailing.

Soon, I heard the boatman yell "Dolphin!!"

Whoosh! A dolphin appeared!

Then my companions beside me also shouted, "Dolphin! Dolphin!" I saw them! In small groups of two or three, they leaped gracefully and freely, their flowing lines frozen in beautiful moments, frozen in the harbor of my memory, and my heart swayed along. How could such adorable and beautiful marine creatures exist?

The dolphins kept swimming alongside our boat, and we kept screaming like groundhogs. Every time they jumped, we gasped in awe, haha. Later, when I watched the videos I took, I thought I looked pretty silly, hehe.

My eyes couldn't bear to leave them, because after this, I didn't know if I'd ever have another chance to see such lovely dolphins. They followed us for about twenty minutes, then swam out of sight, and we had to head back.

But the return trip was definitely the biggest test of this dolphin excursion (bitter smile). By the time we returned, it was almost 10 a.m., and the sun was scorching. If my skin was just a little hot before, now it felt like it was peeling. Luckily, a reliable buddy stepped up and took off his jacket to give it to me—so touching!!

Everyone was like wilted vegetables at that point, but we soon got some water. On the way back, we passed through a stretch of glassy sea, the water so clear and bright that we could see small fish swimming around. How lovely.

Finally, attached is a beautiful back-view photo of our little group, hehe~