An Urgent Guide
The gray snout broke the surface, bumping firmly against the boat’s white fiberglass hull.
The captain bent his knees and leaned over the gunwale, his bearded chin hovering inches above the waterline. The dolphin lifted its head high, whistling into the damp air before turning sharply and flicking its tail flukes.
Instead of diving away into open water, the mammal surfaced twenty yards ahead, aligning its body straight with the channel. It paused, floating high on the water line until the boat’s engine started up.
Following The Wake
The captain pushed the throttle forward with his right hand, keeping the bow angled directly behind the dark dorsal fin. Each time the vessel slowed, the dolphin surfaced higher, cutting an unmistakable path toward the stone jetty.
They cleared the harbor mouth and turned inward toward a secluded creek flanked by salt marshes. The dolphin never veered, maintaining an even distance just off the boat’s starboard bow.
Ahead, thick wooden pilings rose out of the water near an old pier. The lead dolphin slowed its pace, circling once before pressing its flank close against the weathered timber.
The Tangled Mesh
Beside the wooden post, a second dolphin struggled against a heavy knot of discarded commercial fishing net. The thick, weathered netting wrapped around its head, pinning its pectoral fins tight to its sides.
The trapped animal bobbed weakly, fighting to keep its blowhole above the brackish chop. The captain cut the outboard motor and drifted alongside the pilings, grabbing a pair of heavy cutting shears from his deck console.
He knelt on the deck, extending his arms until his fingers touched the sodden cords. The trapped dolphin ceased thrashing the moment his hands pressed against the net.
Working methodically, the man slid the steel blades beneath the taut synthetic twine. He snipped each strand one at a time, peeling the heavy mesh away from the animal’s rubbery skin to avoid nicking its flesh.
With a final cut, the entire cluster of netting loosened. The captain pulled the dripping tangle into the boat, dropping the heavy mass onto the deck floor.
The freed dolphin expelled a sharp burst of air from its blowhole, dipped below the surface, and popped back up right beside its companion.
Return To The Pier
Later that afternoon, the captain crouched at the edge of the wooden marina dock. He lowered his palm over the side, dangling his fingers inches above the surface.
Two gray silhouettes glided in tandem through the shallow water toward the walkway. One of the dolphins lifted its snout gently, resting the tip of its beak against the man’s knuckles.
The captain stroked the smooth skin between the dolphin’s eyes with his thumb. Both animals turned together in the harbor, their dorsal fins breaking the surface in sync as they swam back toward the open sea.
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