THE SPECTACULAR DOLPHIN LIGHT SHOW

What Americans call, ‘Awesome!’ a Brit will usually describe as ‘Quite good’. So when the US members of our team in a boat in the Sea of Cortez, off Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, started shouting, ‘Oh, that’s awesome! Awesome!’ I didn’t expect to be instantly impressed.

But what I saw, when I looked over the bow of the boat, was extraordinary. It was just before dawn, and the water was filled with billions of luminous microorganisms that gave off a shimmering blue glow. And it was also thronging with dolphins.

As the dolphins swam, they drew glowing contrails through the water (right).

Their bodies were amplified in cobalt neon haloes, and they performed like glorious living fireworks. The cameraman, Martin, said with a smile, ‘That’s the kind of event for which the word “awesome” should be reserved.’