I was 11 years and three months old and already in love with the ocean when my parents surprised me with a trip to Florida. All of my friends were always raving about having such a fun time in Florida, getting all tan and sitting on the beach all day. I’d been to Mexico when I was three, and I loved playing in the water so much that I fell in love with it then and there, so I was especially excited to experience my passion for the ocean again. I thought the most exciting part was going to be SeaWorld, and I just wanted to go lie down on the beach. Of course, that was before I realized that we could go swimming with dolphins.

As soon as we got there, I noticed the humid, wet air. We parked the car and I quickly changed into my old, ratty, grey shorts, that have been my favorite forever. Next I changed into my brand new red and white striped tank top. I was so excited to finally be wearing my new shirt. It felt so different from Vermont for many reasons. We were right outside the ocean and we could just walk down to the beach on a white dented bridge. We would go swimming off the Florida coast and kayak all around, looking at little seals.

The next day, we went to three different places: SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, and Captiva Island. Discovery Cove was eye-opening. There were dolphins swimming all around us in a little pool in the ocean that was caved in with rocks and boards so that they couldn’t get out. There were at least 30 dolphins swimming all around. They filled up the whole place. It was entertaining to just watch them because they were all doing different tricks. The trainers were either in the water with the dolphins, my dream job, or they were standing on the boards feeding the dolphins fish. It was right beside a beach, so we laid on the beach for a while and watched them play before we decided to head into the freezing, ice cold water.

I had never been to a place with dolphins before, so I was really excited. We put on our wetsuits and walked into the water with our guide. Our group’s dolphin’s name was Kayla. I was in shock. I just kind of stood there as the dolphin came up to me and looked me in the eye. It was indescribable. Soon enough the time came to catch a ride. I had never done this before, but I had definitely dreamed of it. The dolphin’s skin feels rubbery, almost like a hot dog, or when you run your hand on a blanket opposite ways and it feels different each way. Dolphins’ skin constantly peels off and grows back. They have no hair, just a big, blue-grey, rubbery, soft hot dog type of body. When Kayla came up behind me, she started making lots of noise. They were little chirps and squeaks. I got very excited to finally be catching a ride with the dolphin, like I had seen in movies. I held onto the dorsal fin and dropped my legs to the side. Frankly, it was hard to stay on, but I managed.

Even though I lived in Vermont and now live in Idaho, I can still share my dreams about making a change far, far away. In other words, I left Florida thinking about my career, and how I want to be a marine trainer. Even just a little experience like swimming with dolphins can boost your whole next ‘’life.”

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