Click to view caption Photographer Farid Atiya encountered these Risso's dolphins early one morning between Jackson Reef and Laguna north of Tiran island in the Red Sea. He counted seven of the giant dolphins, each four to six metres long. "The dolphins played in front of the boat, making all kinds of acrobatics," Atiya said. "They jumped continuously. While out of the water, they exhaled with a loud, deep sound. Water exited their blowholes with a strong force, and reached a height of a metre in the air. The sound of the exhaling seemed to me to be a prehistoric sound." The dolphin show continued for about 45 minutes, and then the pod moved on. Atiya followed in his boat, watching the animals for another hour. Eventually, he says, several dive boats appeared in the area and one of them, Freedom I, noticed the dolphins and approached. "For another quarter of an hour the dolphins jumped alternately in front of their bows and ours," Atiya said. With their rounded snouts and pale bodies, Risso's dolphin resembles the Beluga whale. It has a worldwide distribution in tropical to temperate seas, and is not uncommon in the Gulf of Aqaba. A uniform grey at birth, it retains this colour on its fins and flippers as it ages, while its body colour fades. In old age the fins are also bleached. Dolphins of all species frequently encounter both minor and major hazards and their bodies become laced with white scars. None are so dramatically marked, however, as Risso's dolphin, whose scars are emphasised by its pale colouring. Most of the scars are apparently caused by other dolphins during mating or in rival attacks, as evidenced by the marks which correspond to the front teeth set in the lower jaw. Farid Atiya describes this and other encounters in his book Red Sea Panorama, published by Farid Atiya Press. Practical information Risso's Dolphin cannot be described as a rare visitor to the northern Red Sea, but nevertheless it is only occasionally spotted. Such a spectacle as this can only be observed in the open sea. Daily dive boat trips to Jackson Reef for divers and snorkelers can be arranged in Sharm El-Sheikh, with prices at about $50 per person. Equipment hire is extra. Freedom I belongs to the Shark's Bay Dive Centre, near Ras Nasrani, Sharm El-Sheikh. Tel: (069) 600942/44.
