Endoh’s Dungeon

In 2004, the Indian Ocean Tsunami wrecked havoc everywhere in the region. I was unfortunate enough, to witness deaths resulting from the Tsunami right at the doorsteps of Singapore. The deaths didn’t come only in areas hit directly by the Tsunami, as most would believe. If you are out in the open sea looking at the carcasses, I am sure you will agree with me.

When Trinity handed me a True Blue Award, it was heartening that friends remember each other - not only with words but in actions. It was a cleverly done-up award with the graphics of a dolphin which we have come to know how amiable and adorable they are. With that, it reminded me of each and every dolphin that came into close range with me.

Many Singaporeans probably didn’t know, dolphins residing in the Indian Ocean region were migrating to Pacific region when the Tsunami hit. Wild dolphins that is, not those that you see in captivity. Watching their grace in the water will convince anyone that they are never meant to be kept in captivity. Not for valid scientific reasons, at least.

Are all dolphins grey? Hardly. I was lucky enough to have caught sight of a few pink dolphins which are considered rare. Watching them before my eyes in real, is different from watching them on documentary films. Most of the dolphins that had crossed path with me, had youngsters with them. Admiring the baby dolphins that are way smaller in size is another pleasure. Needless to say, the parenting dolphins are often extremely protective of their youngs.

It must have been their instincts, that the Indian Ocean is not a place for them to stay on anymore. While the bulk of wildlife migrated from down south of Australia, some chose the nearer option of Singapore Straits. It’s a fatal decision for some of these dolphins. If they had a second chance, they wouldn’t have swam past Singapore.

Singapore Straits is an extremely busy waterway. Tens of thousands of commercial ships sail through our waters every month. Perhaps it’s a matter of nature and time, that the migrating dolphins would eventually run into these huge ships. Well, they did.

Once in a while when I sailed out at sea, we often come across floating debris. Some looked like a balloon, with smooth surfaces. Upon closer inspection, it’s actually the carcass of a dolphin. Usually, the cause of death is pretty obvious with cuts everywhere on the body. Some cuts were so deep, which we can only assumed that this unfortunate dolphin had been ran over by a boat or ship. The cuts were a result of the craft’s propellers. The worst carcass I have ever come across, was one which was washed up the broken rocks of Raffles Lighthouse. It was only half a carcass technically, with half of the body and the tail missing. It’s a sad sight, and this sight never failed to spoil anyone’s day.

Some others, lost their way in our murky waters, and ventured into the shipyard’s territories. With all the industrial wastes, it’s another fact of nature that they would not survive long in these poisonous waters. Back in early 2005, we can still spot carcasses of dolphins and other maritime wildlife being washed up the breakwaters of Tuas Power Station or as deep inside as Jurong Islands.

It’s not a beautiful sight at all.

Being the beautiful dolphins that they are, the young and the surviving struggled their way out of every chopping propeller and murky waters. Sometimes, we had to “scare” them with our boats to force them into a U-turn instead of heading into these shipyards. It worked for some, it didn’t for others. Those which were “scare” away by us, it’s a wish in us that they are happily enjoying the waters of Pacific Ocean by now.

All is not that bad though. How many Singaporeans would get the opportunity to get so upclose to these dolphins? The most daring dolphin came within one metre from my boat. I was that close, to stroking a wild dolphin’s back. Another perhaps, the water-jet propulsion in my boat sorta changed his/her mind of getting any closer. There were baby dolphins alongside anyway. Not a wise choice to get too upclose to weird objects that gushes water jet out of the rear.

What’s interesting was, we once fed a few dolphins with squids we caught the previous night. It was an amazing thing, because for a long time we doubted they would even appreciate our feeds. But, a few of them did. Three days later when I sailed back to the same waters off Raffles Lighthouse, it was that same group of dolphins. We recognized them, because some of them had distinctive marks on their heads like pink spots and cuts etc. The joy wasn’t in seeing them alone, but they remembered us. For three hours, they stayed close within sight of our boat until I had to leave that area.

Isn’t it amazing that dolphins remembered friends better than humans even?

Until today, no doubt I am no longer sailing for the government, all these beautiful things out at sea remains in my memory. These are priceless experiences that you can’t buy in Orchard Road. Looking back, the resilience of these dolphins are simply admirable. Despite all the dangers thrown in their face in their escapade from the Tsunami, they committed themselves to it and brought their offsprings along. Throughout their journey in life or death, they remembered their friends and warned their youngs of foes.

Being a seaman, how can one not appreciate and absorb the free spirit of these dolphins?