Spent a few days in Ventura County this Easter weekend; got a session at one of my favorite beach breaks while there. Have to say Ventura has some fine beach breaks, and I always enjoy invading the lineups and stealing the locals' waves while I'm in the area. This is especially true given the reputation for localism that exists at some of these spots. The pix in this column are from the sess, taken after I got my waves.

So there I was enjoying some modest swell, going left, going right, watching the dawn sky brighten with the rising sun. A few other surfers appeared at the various peaks up and down the beach; it was a mellow vibe. A few cetaceous friends made the scene; several dolphins cruised through the vicinity rolling above the surface now and again for a breath.

It's always a joy sharing the water with these guys. Usually they cruise along the coast, approaching from one direction and slowly work their way toward the other direction. They don't often hang around for any length of time. But this was different; three or four of the pod circled my position poking their blowholes above water now and again.

I wondered what was causing them to hang with the DogMan. Fish in the area? Waves to ride? Circumstance? Then a peculiar thought developed, something I'd not experienced ever before.

The night before I'd had a huge dinner of Mexican food: tamales, chile verde, tortillas, rice, beans, and beer. The usual after burner effect had started during the night and continued into the dawn. I was hearing occasional barking from inside my wetsuit, and seeing frequent bubbles from my backside.

I noticed that each arpeggio from my butt trumpet had an effect on the dolphins. They were gradually swimming away from me, but turned back when I tooted. Seems they were eavesdropping on my orchestral proceedings; they appeared to like what they heard.

I decided to test my hypothesis, so I painfully held back on any more outbursts until the dolphins had all begun to move up the coast. Then I put all I had into a mighty blast. Sure enough they all doubled back and circled my surfboard once again. I don't know what I was saying to them; hope it was friendly. Soon enough my repetitive message began to bore the dolphins. They swam away from me; even repeated calls with my new-found dolphin caller had no further effect.

So now there's a new trick to try when the dolphins dance. You'll need to prime the pump and inflate the bagpipes to be ready for them. Just be sure not to announce anything threatening with your dolphin caller. And let me know if this works for you too.

CU Out There,

DogMan