Wild dolphin wants tummy scratched by scuba divers

Being out on open water can be a formidable experience. You may feel like you are the only living creature in this world, but beneath its surface, the ocean is beaming with life. Just when you think that it can't get any better, you get treated with a sight like this one. When a group of fishermen from New South Wales, Australia, took a small boat and sailed out into the vast ocean, none of them would ever had believed that they will have a chance to get incredibly close with a pod of the most intelligent creatures on the planet! When they were recently enjoying a nice, peaceful day out on the water together, things suddenly took an unexpected turn. They noticed what they believed to be a school of fish swimming toward them. What it turned out to be instead was absolutely breathtaking!

On December 30, 2015, the group of men took their fishing rods to the ocean, because a day of fishing beat a day at the desk. They were hoping for a decent catch, something to show off when they come home, but fortunately for them, they had their camera phones close by, because no one would have believed their fishermen tale! Dubravko Kolobaric, the fisherman who recorded this extraordinary encounter, says: “Fishing for snapper about 15km (9.3 miles) offshore in 100m (328 feet) of water and no other vessel within view on a perfect day, when I noticed a disturbance in the water and bird activity a fair distance away. I thought it may have been some surface action from pelagic fish working a bait ball, but soon realized that it was a large pod of dolphins heading straight towards us. From experience, I know that dolphins are curious and obviously felt a need to see humans attempting to catch fish from a small boat."

The fishermen noticed what they assumed to be a gigantic school of fish swimming their way. They were delighted by the sight, since they’d been out on the water all morning without so much as a nibble on their lines. What luck! It finally looked like they were going to bring in a large haul. They’d surely be eating well for the next few weeks. But when the fishermen were able to get a closer look at the school of fish, it turned out to be something else altogether. At first, the deep blue water made it difficult to tell exactly what was swimming toward them.
The fish darted around the fishermen’s boat so swiftly that they appeared as massive gray blurs streaking beneath the surface. But once they slowed down and made their way over to the fishermen’s boat, it was much clearer what it was: a pod of dolphins! The fishing group were in utter awe at the beautiful sight. They had no idea! It’s moments like this one that make a day spent fishing better than anything else in the world. Having the opportunity to experience a natural phenomenon up close like that is truly