“Look at all those fins!”
I looked out to where my wife was pointing and saw the dolphins cresting way out, well past where the waves were breaking and rolling in. It was our first glimpse of dolphins this trip, and I caught the attention of my kids to get them in on the show.
“Nine, ten, thirteen…” my six-year-old youngest started counting fins.
“Have you ever seen so many?” My ten-year-old middle child had been in the ‘I want to be a Marine Biologist’ stage for a few years, and I was hoping it would stick.
“We’ve never seen more than two or three together at a time,” I said.
Everyone on the beach stopped to look as the dolphins played and jumped just far enough out that no one worried about interaction beyond the awe of seeing them.
“We’ll they change the flag?” My Marine Biologist had been interested in the flags since we reached the gulf. The first day we were there, a helicopter landed on the highway in front of us to airlift someone who had been caught in a riptide away for medical attention. He’d been obsessed with flag warnings and news articles ever since. Upset at one point that the internet protection we have on his devices wouldn’t let him search “Father dies saving son,” so he could read the story.
“I wouldn’t think so,” I said.
He looked disappointed. “We’re at yellow - ‘medium risk,’ today. If they changed it to purple, that would be ‘Marine Pests are Present.’ They had one of those a few weeks ago when a shark attacked a guy. You think we’ll see a shark?”
“We won’t see a shark,” I said.
“We might see a shark,” My wife said. “I saw that news article. It was not too far from here.
“We won’t see a shark.”
“There was one story about a dad who wrestled a shark after it bit his son’s arm off. He wrestled it until he pulled the arm out of its mouth. Then, he rushed his son to the hospital, and they reattached it.”
I make a mental note to add “shark attack” to the list of terms on his “do not search list.”
“Well,” I smiled. “I’m capable of that, but there will be no need for it today.”
The dolphins jumped around for a few more minutes, and then the show was over. They moved on.
I sat down with my book as the boys built sand castles.
It was about ten minutes later when I noticed the birds. At least fifty birds were flying over where the dolphins had been playing. All of them diving into the water.
“Oh no!” I heard someone near the waves say. I looked over to see a woman with blond dreadlocks and a pale yellow bathing suit bending over. At her feet was a fish. It flopped around in the sand as the waves moved in and out.
“What the heck is that?” My wife said.
“It looks like one of those small sharks we saw people fishing for a few years ago. But, something’s definitely wrong with it.”
“I told you there would be sharks!” She smiled as she pointed in triumph.
“I don’t think it is a shark.”
I stood as the woman picked up the fish. It flopped in her hand, and I saw that, whatever type of fish it was, only the top half of its body remained. As she lifted it, intestines and viscera slid out across her arm.
She dropped with a scared cry and looked around. Catching my eye, she gave a little, “Help! We have to get it back in the water!”
The boys had caught on by then, and we all moved over to inspect what the woman had found. As we got closer, we saw the bodies of other fish, all half-eaten. Some just tails, some heads. The top halves were trying to keep breathing. Fighting for life, not seeming to know that only half their bodies remained.
“We have to help them,” The woman said. She was clearly upset by the carnage. Not fully wanting to understand that there was no help coming. I pictured this fish’s dad swimming after the pod of dolphins, wrestling one to get the bottom half of his son back.
“My guy is dead,” my youngest said.
“Go get your nets,” I told the boys.
“We can’t just toss them back in the ocean like chum for sharks,” my Marine Biologist warned.
“I know,” I told them. “Go get my phone.”
My safe search was off, and I needed to Google, “How to get rid of dead bodies on the beach.”
We are in Gulf Shores, AL for the week, and I have not really been able to do much writing. So, when the heat drove us inside for a while, I thought I would tell write down this quick vignette from our first full day.
Let me know what you think! Tell me a crazy story about your last vacation!