title: Whales & Dolphins, Shorelines of America: The Story Behind the Scenery
author: Peter C. Howorth
description: Peter Howorth is well known for his magazine articles about the sea. His volunteer work in rescuing marine mammals has been featured in many television productions, including a Cousteau special.
zlib_text: The Reef Builders
  
  "The great thing about diving is the extra dimension," Burt said. "Picture
  yourself at the center of a circle. That's your life on solid ground. You can
  move in all variations of forward or back, of left or right. North, south,
  east, west. But underwater, the circle becomes a sphere.
  
  Infinitely more possibilities. Your brain expands accordingly. That's only
  natural. It explains the high degree of cortical encephalisation in dolphins.
  Freedom drives cortical development.
  
  Which in turn drives the creation of more previously unimagined
  possibilities."
  
  Burt was an American, a surfer, gay, and a believer in the supernatural. He
  was remarkably open about all four aspects. In a subtle way, in a clever way,
  Cynthia thought, he was in the process of defending each of these. As an added
  bonus, he was being a pain in Mark's thick neck. Mark was an engineer from
  Perth. The ostensible topic of conversation was ghosts. Burt had once seen a
  ghost while diving off the coast of So