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7
Into the net
Dilo continued to fish after he left Debra. When darkness fell the dolphin moved towards the entrance to the bay. The tide was turning. Water was beginning to stream through the channel beneath the lighthouse, carrying with it small fishes. With them came the salmon.
It had been a busy day for Dilo. He was hungry. Dilo scanned the sea with his magic sound, or sonar. Then came the signal he was waiting for.
Dilo focused his sonar on a salmon and fixed its position precisely. He surfaced, snatched a quick breath, and then sped towards his prey at top speed. The fish sensed Dilo’s sonar and raced for cover. The dolphin changed course. Like a missile Dilo homed in on the salmon as it darted towards Black Rock.
Dilo was on course. As he closed in the dolphin fired the loudest sound beam he could. The salmon was stunned. A second Later Dilo’s jaws clamped on his unlucky prey. Without stopping Dilo headed up towards the surface. Like a footballer scoring a winning goal. He tossed his prize high into the air and caught it in his mouth.
It was the signal those on board Sea Wolf had been looking for. They were cruising slowly near Black Rock, sweeping the sea with a powerful torch. They were looking for Dilo. The second time Dilo tossed the salmon it flashed briefly in the beam. They had found what they were looking for.
The crew on Sea Wolf sprang into action immediately. They had a device which they felt sure would lure the dolphin. It was an underwater scooter. When a diver held onto the handles he was pulled through the water and could steer it in any direction.
“Lower the net,” barked the man who was in charge of the operation. His order was obeyed.
Sea Wolf moved slowly forward. The weighted net hung down in the water in a U- shaped tunnel between two wooden poles. It was a dolphin trap.
“Go with the Scooter,’ came the next order.
A man in a black wetsuit and wearing fins, mask and snorkel jumped overboard holding the scooter. He hit the sea with a splash. He switched on the motor and turned on the light. The scooter pulled him along the surface. Then, taking a deep breath, he directed the scooter downwards.
The man in charge watched the shadowy figure moving under the water. His trap was set, and just as he hoped, Dilo was heading towards Sea Wolf The noise of the net going overboard had attracted the dolphin. As soon as the man with the scooter dived, Dilo rushed to investigate .The diver with the scooter did a barrel roll and then turned around sharply. Dilo had never seen a swimmer so agile before. This was a new game. When the man twisted and twirled Dilo got more and more excited. He mimicked the diver who stayed close alongside Sea Wolf and rose to the surface to take breaths between dives.
“Take the dolphin round to the net, “roared the man on the deck.
The diver stayed on the surface and steered towards the net. Dilo followed the man’s fins.
“He’s behind you,” roared the man on the deck. Dilo was over the net.
“Stop!” yelled the man to the diver. “We’ve got him. Haul in the net, he yelled to the two crewmen.
The diver turned sharply. The light from the scooter shone into Dilo’s face. Dilo tried to twist round but he couldn’t. The net stopped him Dilo was trapped. He didn’t struggle.
The men winched Dilo up out of the sea. They swung the davit and lowered the dolphin into a cradle on the deck. Dilo’s flippers were slipped into the holes specially for that purpose.
The entire operation had gone without a hitch. It relied upon Dilo being friendly and curious. Being true to his nature, the dolphin had done exactly what his captors hoped he would.
When he was safely suspended in the cradle Dilo heard the twin engines throb into full power. With spray flying from the bow Sea Wolf sped out of Lighthouse Bay, far away from the place where Dilo had swum with Debra just a few hours earlier.
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