By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Louie and the pet’s owners, along with about 20 other people, boarded the Baywatch Dolphin Tours party boat in Galveston just as the sun was about to set on Friday. Louie was well-mannered as were the other passengers.
It was not to be an evening for watching dolphins — rather, a peaceful sunset tour of Galveston Bay, and indeed it was a tranquil experience. Aboard the tour were mostly couples enjoying the evening.
Music wafting from the speakers on the boat was peaceful yet not sleep-inducing. The songs were lighthearted with an emphasis on water, sunsets, and matters of the soul.
Watching from the vessel during what is known as the golden hour — just before and after the sun sets — was tranquil and revealed the beauty of the muted colors the sunset cast on the other vessels in the harbor.
Usually, the tours are lively with passengers jumping up and oohing and aahing as dolphins are spotted. On the sunset tour the only audible voice was Captain Adam, who pointed out the historic landmarks of the area. He did point out a couple of dolphins, which captivated Louie’s attention. Captain Adam is known to be lively in his narration, but for this tour his voice conveyed the same balmy feeling as the water and the setting sun.
Included in the tour was a spin around the Selma, a concrete ship built in 1919 and partially submerged in the water near Pelican Island. Then there was the tour of what is known as the mosquito fleet which are shrimp boats docked on the Galveston Island side of the harbor, and we did see the ghostly etching of Mr. Wallace on the wall UTMB building #71.Our final spin took us up to the Texas Battleship, and then the one-hour tour was over way too soon when the boat docked back in its slip. Baywatch Dolphin Tours offers the sunset tour for adults only, and dogs on leashes who are well-behaved have been known to take the tour. For more information on all their tours, visit baywatchdolphintours.com
