[CKF Info] Thursday paddle at CIH

[Kevin Harris]

Had a rare opportunity for a weekday paddle, so I grabbed the boat and  
headed to Channel Islands Harbor. What a perfect day on the water, but  
a common theme came up while out on the water. I was just south of the  
harbor, when a small pod of dolphins slowly approached my location. It  
appeared to be two large males and 2 or three females. They kept  
approaching, until they almost rammed my kayak! I splashed my paddle  
on the water, just in time for the two closest to me to swim fast  
away. It seems that there have been several paddle reports lately  
where paddlers were having close calls with dolphins. My question is,  
with their echolocation, how can they not know we're there until we  
make it obvious? I wonder if they are falling prey to sharks at a  
higher rate, with their new found "blindness," for lack of a better  
term.

Another interesting aspect of the day was dumpy... caught me off guard  
while I was taking video with my new Pentax Optio. The whole ordeal  
was recorded, even after the camera hit bottom - about 4 feet  
underwater. Fortunately, only my own camera was witness to the fiasco,  
so I paddled back into the harbor with some of my dignity intact.

It was 70-75 degrees on the water, while in Agoura it was 91 degrees.  
It was tough coming back, but I've got great video and pics of the day.

Sincerely,
Kevin Harris