How 'Dolphin Man' changed people's lives

How did a man from East Yorkshire, who used to make his own wetsuits, forge a career as one of the world's leading experts on dolphins?

Known as The Dolphin Man, Dr Horace Dobbs, who passed away in 2020, won numerous international awards as an author and filmmaker. He also founded the conservation group International Dolphin Watch (IDW).

But, despite the accolades, the start of his career was anything but glamorous.

"He was a very early member of the British Sub Aqua Club, going back to the days when you couldn't go into a shop and buy a wetsuit," his daughter, Melanie Parker, tells the Hidden East Yorkshire podcast.

"You had to buy your neoprene, cut it out, stick it together with glue. In dad's case, jump into the swimming pool and watch it fall apart because it was the wrong glue."

Standing by the riverside at North Ferriby, Parker reflects on her father's decision to pursue his fascination for the sea and marine life after he was made redundant from his job as a research scientist.

"It was a big deal, a really big deal, for someone like dad to lose his salary. He had two children to bring up, myself and my brother," she explains.

"When it first happened, it was quite frightening, like it is for all families when you get a redundancy. But he was extremely positive.

"Eventually, dad would always say it was the best thing that ever happened to him."

Looking towards the Humber Bridge, Dobbs's son, Ashley, joins the conversation, and recalls joining his father on a trip at the age of 13 and his first experience with dolphins.

"We were off the Isle of Man. I looked down in a sort of pea-green water and suddenly saw this dolphin go underneath me," he says.

"It came right between my legs and just lifted me up. It took me right around the bay and I had my arms in the air.

"It was a pretty amazing experience."

In 1978, Dobbs founded the IDW, and through his research pioneered the idea that dolphins could soothe the mind.

Parker says: "We take the healing power of animals almost as a given but when dad started doing it everyone thought it was a bit weird.

"He was probably the first person to recognise that dolphins could heal people in ways we didn't properly understand. He was miles ahead of his time with stuff like that."

And, according to his family, the legacy of his work continues to have an impact, six years after his death.

"Even now I get people coming up to me saying 'I've read all your dad's books'," adds Parker.

"The number of letters we received from people who literally changed their lives after even going to one of dad's lectures is actually quite staggering."

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