There’s a story behind this photograph.

While enjoying North Myrtle Beach (Kingston Plantation, for those familiar with the area) and frolicking in the ocean surf, my wife, who had the camera to snap priceless photos of the redhead being knocked senseless by the waves, told me she thought she saw a fin. I wasn’t paying any attention (watching the afore-mentioned Katester roll butt-over-teakettle) and assumed she was refering to a bit off-shore, where it’s routine to see a few dolphin swim. She grabbed my arm and said, “No, right there,” pointing a few feet away.

I looked over and saw a leathery, backswept fin quite close to shore, being rolled by the waves, uncharacteristically out of control. “Take a picture!” I shouted as I backpeddled to a safer distance. She’s not used to the camera, so she started aligning the viewer, preparing the camera, and jumping through all sort of other hoops while the second backfin broke the water. “Gimme!” I demanded, grabbing the thing, pointing it in the general direction of the sea animal and pushing the shutter button. (NB: When something interesting is happening, and you have a digital camera, just frigin’ POINT AND SHOOT, often and fast. The worst that happens is that you have to throw the pics into the trash; it isn’t like you’ll be wasting money on processing or anything. Dont think, don’t aim, just point the camera in the general direction of the action and press the shutter button.)

Anyway, out of the pics I furiously snapped, this was the only one to show the fins breaking the water. The critter was able to break the hold the waves had upon it, and presumably swam back to the deeper water it was more comfortable searching for food in.

But it is my favorite vacation photograph for this year…