Fang Jinxing, a 22-year-old sailor on a Chinese escort ship, said his memories of the Gulf of Aden will be dominated by the experience of watching dolphins at play.

Dolphins at play in the waters around a Chinese escort ship in the Gulf of Aden. Ju Zhenhua / for China Daily

"Sometimes there were hundreds of them, jumping and curving over the surface of the water. It was like a big show, except it only lasted for few seconds," he said. "I've seen plenty of turtles and seals too, but the dolphins are my favorites."

Living alongside more than 200 sailors and officers on an escort ship means space is at a premium. You can hardly stretch your arm without touching something, said Fang. He shares a small cabin with five other members of the crew. If you want fresh air, you have to climb out of the sardine-can cabin and get out onto the upper deck, which is usually covered with yellow dust blown in from the deserts on shore.

Fang admitted that he didn't do well in the gaokao, China's national university entrance exam, four years ago, so his father sent him to join the navy. "My family is proud of me and I'm proud of myself too," he said. "It's not easy serving in the navy and only good sailors are chosen for escort deployment."

In a couple of years, he will return to his small hometown in the northeastern province of Jilin, and open a business. "I've learned a lot in the navy," he said. "I've visited more countries and experienced much more than my high school friends who didn't join the military."

The escort ship only anchors at a port once every month during its seven-month cruise and when it's out in deep water, the days are long and slow. Fang usually kills time by working out and reading. By the time he visited the Peace Ark for hernia surgery, he had just finished his third book of this deployment, On the Road by Jack Kerouac. "Still, sometimes when I feel the days are dragging, I go to the wheelhouse. It has the best view for watching the dolphins."