Braving cold for one last dip with dolphin

Chloe Johnson
I felt a bit silly as I splashed like an excited kid in the dolphin pool at Napier's Marineland recently, emitting high-pitched noises through my snorkel in an attempt to capture Kelly's attention.
But I put embarrassment aside and went for gold, realising it might be the last time I got to swim with the last surviving dolphin in captivity in New Zealand.
It was a chilly, cloudy day and the thought of stepping into a 13C pool, which had been pumped full of water straight from the ocean, deadened my initial excitement.
"Just toughen up and get on with it," I kept telling myself, as I watched the sealife show along with a handful of others, who huddled together in the icy breeze.
Watching 38-year-old Kelly spin out of the water, jump four metres high for a ball and have a conversation with one of her trainers, Nora Pembroke, took me back to the day I first swam with the dolphins.
I had just turned 10 and it was a birthday present from Mum.
Kelly had her now late friend, Shona, to play with and Mum and I thought we'd have a dolphin each to ride on, like a scene from Flipper.
Not only were we naive about dolphin behaviour, but when we arrived Shona and Kelly were already having fun with another woman in the pool.
I watched from the side as they continuously circled her, apparently an action quite out of character.
We learned the woman was pregnant and that the dolphins could sense it.
I still don't know exactly why they swam around her, but I'm guessing it was an instinct to keep her safe from predators.
So, after learning about the pregnant swimmer, our chances of getting close to Kelly and Shona were not great.
The closest we got that day was while we sat on the side of the pool and they swam by.
This time, as I watched the baby seal perform tricks such as waving a flipper to say "hello" and an on-cue beg for more fish bits, I hoped my swim would be more successful than that of 13 years ago.
Well, the start wasn't the greatest, as I struggled to get into a provided wetsuit two sizes too small (I think Nora was trying to be polite ... bless her).
Once I found a wetsuit that I could actually pull up past my knees, and a snorkel set that strapped on firmly, I was straight into the salt-water pool.
I began kicking my feet rapidly, creating dramatic splashes, because such movements apparently make Kelly curious.
Sure enough, she moved away from her toy bell and swam under and around me before shooting off into her "safe area" - a section of the pool created by the Department of Conservation, where swimmers aren't allowed to go.
I circled the enclosure several times, just watching Kelly go about her business.
I could hear her underwater cries in the four-metre deep pool.
As ridiculous as it may have sounded to those above the water, I cried back to her, hoping she'd respond.
Seconds later, she drifted past, close enough for me to reach out my hand. She rubbed against it before fleeing into the distance, where I could only hear her.
Having watched Kelly respond to balls during the sealife show, I decided to play a game in which I'd throw the ball in front of her nose, then chase it.
She was determined to get to the ball before me and, without fail, she always did.
I soon became so engaged in the game I forgot I had several spectators, including Nora and the Hawke's Bay Today photographer.
I began talking to her: "Oh, good girl, you're so fast aren't you, Kelly?"
I could hear Nora laughing at my enthusiasm and desire to continue the game. (No, I wasn't having child-like fun, I was simply keeping myself warm ... yeah right).
We continued playing the game until feeding time. And although it's not a usual part of the visitors' experience of swimming with Kelly, I was lucky enough to hand-feed her.
Slimy pieces of barracuda were on the menu and although it did look tempting, I fed Kelly the lot. She showed her appreciation by resting her mouth, formally known as a rostrum, on my hand.
So, my new memories of swimming with the dolphin far outweigh those of the past - and I consider myself lucky to have had Kelly to myself.