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Al-Ahram Weekly 20 - 26 July 2000 Issue No. 491 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 20 - 26 July 2000 Issue No. 491
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Romancing the dolphin
By Fatemah Farag
I just had to swim with the lone dolphin of Nuweiba -- how can one possibly resist? Ever since childhood I have day-dreamed about being pulled effortlessly through the water with nothing but the fin of a friendly dolphin to hold on to. A little girl's fantasy? Maybe not.
With their toothy smiles, squeaky noises, and human-like intelligence (they actually have sex for fun, not just for procreation) there seems to be a soft spot for dolphins in most of us. No wonder then that visiting Uleen, the lone dolphin of Nuweiba, is a popular excursion from Dahab. I asked around and found the woman who is arguably the authority, Chris Harding. An Australian who has lived in Dahab for the past seven years, Harding is currently preparing her PhD on the subject of Uleen. "Did you know she [Uleen] is one of seven lone dolphins worldwide?" she asks excitedly before adding, "She is a national treasure."
As we speak, thousands of kilometres away, an exclusive dolphin theme park -- Discovery Cove -- is being inaugurated in Florida, where fascination with dolphins knows no bounds -- the park has been fully booked three months ahead of opening at US$190 per person per day. In contrast, at the fisherman's village, where Uleen keeps base, you will be expected to pay LE10 to Abdallah, the fisherman the dolphin chose to befriend in 1994, in order to swim with her. Of course, Uleen is a dolphin in the wild; if she does not want your company she will just swim off -- a more nature-friendly environment, when compared to the captive dolphins of theme parks, no matter how well they are treated.
Despite the fact that all seven lone dolphin cases are under scientific scrutiny, it is still unclear why a dolphin leaves its pod and replaces the latter with human companionship. "The reason may have been that she ranked low within her pod hierarchy and hence she preferred to leave, or maybe she was pushed out," Harding explained as we headed one fine morning to the fisherman's town. "When she started following Abdallah's fishing boat, she had many scar marks on her body and she had low confidence. Since then, Uleen has built up confidence and rank within her substitute human pod."
Uleen has given birth twice, but both sons have died. "We are not sure why this happened. She is pregnant again and we are expecting the birth to happen soon," went on Harding, who can obviously talk dolphin for as long as you can listen.
Our company included two young British men and we were all rather excited about the prospect of swimming with Uleen. I was privately noting with satisfaction that because I was the professional journalist on assignment, I clearly ranked high in the hierarchy of our human group pod. My new-found status was soon to vanish though, when Chris handed me an impossibly small wet suit and insisted I put it on. Everyone was ready in a matter of minutes, while I was still trying to inch in. I finally succeeded in zipping up the contraption with my pride squished on the inside.
That is when we headed for the water with boots on our feet and flippers in hand, to put on in the water. One of my younger companions turned and kindly offered to help me with this next stage of preparation. "I can do fine," I retorted, before falling over backwards into the shallow water. "Don't worry I've got you," he called out to me. Even before his hand was on my shoulder and he had pulled me above water, I felt the humiliation of the inept. As he helped me into my flippers I tried to console myself, "One cannot be everything, good reporter, expert swimmer, and the wet suit simply does not count -- for sure it was meant for a six-year-old." If the weather is warm, you need not be so well equipped -- basic snorkelling equipment will more than suffice.
On some days Uleen can't resist the attention of visitors and a good massage photo: Thomas Hartwell
But soon my attention was to be captivated in better ways. We set off in search of Uleen, flippers propelling us forward, when I spotted her to my right. I was enchanted, and as she glided away from me, I immediately set off in pursuit. Suddenly, she changed course and started coming straight at me. Oops. Dolphins are rather big, they swim with remarkable agility and it turns out that the cute teeth can cut off an arm. Although Uleen is very friendly, she is pregnant and no one should provoke a pregnant female. I froze in the water and imitated some choral reef while she swam beneath me.
Within half an hour there were around 20 people in the water and I had tired of the game. I left the water and peeled off the wet suit. Harding had collected Uleen's vomit from the floor of the sea and was analysing the contents while arguing over the nutritional value of ray fish with a friend. I sat and listened while Nadia, one of the many village girls on site, braided some colourful string into a bracelet for me.
The dolphin swim is a must do, but take note: Uleen is not always around since her favourite feeding ground is some 20 kilometres away. Villagers will prepare lunch for visitors. If you do not want a meal, do not count on more than a few hours for the excursion.
Although anyone can and will take you, if you want to hear all about Uleen and learn much more about the mammals of the Red Sea, contact Chris Harding at the Fantasia Diving Centre in the Mazbat.
