Well, the UNBSJ students have gone. They were a great group and it was a pleasure to have them on Bimini and to have the opportunity to show them so much. Despite some weather challenges, this group got to see so much of Bimini’s marine life and spent a lot of time observing dolphins! On the group’s last full day (7 May), they gave back to the island by completing a beach clean-up, just up the hill from the hotel they called home all week. It may be a small act, but it’s the least DCP’s educational groups can do. After lunch, we headed back on the boat – but this time, notebooks were put away (including mine!) and we all just soaked in Bimini’s ocean landscape one last time. Our first stop was Honeymoon Harbor and the students had a great time interacting with southern stingrays. Two nurse sharks even stopped by – and this group was thrilled about it!

Of course, although the students did not know it at the time, the nurse sharks were a warm up for our second stop – a nearby site to observe Caribbean reef sharks. Anytime you observe wild animals, you can never know what happened just before you arrive – but something had these sharks riled up! Our experienced captain made sure everyone was safe and the sharks made sure everyone got a good look at them. Both of today’s activities served as not only great first hand experiences, but give the students a chance to apply these experiences, and their experiences all week, to their evolving opinions on “ecotourism.” What do you think “ecotourism” really means?

We celebrated our last night with a cookout on the marina and a fairly early night – since the last day was an early departure for the students. A huge thank you goes to Dr. Turnbull, his fantastic TA and all the 2013 students. Can’t wait for next year’s group!

Cheers,

Kel

On 6 May, we headed out early, departing the dock at 9:05 a.m., in search of dolphins. We saw our first group almost immediately! All the dolphins were bottlenose and there were at least 9 in the group, including at least one calf that was swimming alongside an adult. They were traveling, with lots of synchronized surfacing. At one point, they split into subgroups and we followed one of the smaller groups. One dolphin did a series of chuffs and tailslaps; later, there was another set of tailslaps. We followed this group until 10:43, at which point we decided to leave these traveling dolphins and look for more. But first, some of took a swim break and the folks on the boat saw a subgroup pass right past the swimmers!

At 11:25 a.m. we spotted Atlantic spotted dolphins! There were 8 dolphins in this group including 3 calves. The first group of students entered the water at 11:36 for a quick look; then the second group got in at 11:48 for their turn at a quick glimpse. Even though both groups had the same length of swim, the dolphins were closer to the first group. At 12:03 p.m., it was time to head back to shore for lunch.

Soon after lunch, we went straight back to the boat – this time a larger boat, the Hatteras. At 14:45, we left the harbor, in search of more dolphins. The seas had calmed significantly, the water was clearer and the air was hotter! We first saw the dolphins at 16:32 – it was another group of 8 Atlantic spotteds. We sent three people in the water to test whether or not the dolphins would stick around; about five minutes later, everyone was able to join in. The spotteds were crater feeding a bit and some got very close to us. Again, we were able to tell when the dolphins used their echolocation to investigate us. They were at the bottom for much of the time, but when they surfaced to breathe they came quite close to us. After our long swim, we caught back up to the dolphins and had a shorter underwater observation. They ended up leaving us, but as the boat pulled away, some of the dolphins came back for a quick bow ride. At 17:43, we lost sight of the dolphins for good and continued toward home.

Back at the hotel we had a turkey feast. We were all exhausted from our double boat trip, so when we were told we’d have an evening lecture on the evolution of odontocete jaws, we were ecstatic – nope! Thankfully it was just a joke.

One day left in paradise,

“Aboot ‘em dolphins eh?” UNBSJ 2013

After breakfast on Sunday 5 May, we began class with a debate on dolphin hunts in Japan – it got pretty intense at some points! After the debate, we had the chance to simply discuss the topic and being stereotypically Canadian, we considered possible compromises. After the debate, we worked on photo-ID, looking at our photos from Friday. After lunch, we snorkeled the mangroves. Some of us saw a lionfish – an invasive species! We also saw a nurse shark. We then went out to the west side of the island in an attempt to look for dolphins and assess the sea conditions, but it was too rough. So when we arrived back at the hotel, we had a lecture on the invasive lionfish and dolphin senses. We learned invasive species are bad – but apparently tasty! Their spines are venomous, but the meat is safe to eat. In the Atlantic, their reproduction is much faster than in their native Pacific, which is making the problem much worse; plus, they have no natural predators, hunt all day long and host of other factors that are allowing them to thrive here.

Eat Lionfish!

“Aboot ‘em dolphins eh?” UNBSJ 2013

Saturday 4 May began with wrap-up from Friday and a break so we could go to the local straw market. Then, we had a guest lecture, via Skype, from Dr. Justin Gregg. Justin talked about intelligence and dolphins. We took away the main points that it is very hard to measure intelligence and it probably isn’t very accurate to place different species on an intelligence hierarchy.

After lunch, we prepared for our upcoming debate and then headed out on the boat. It was rough when we first headed out, but it became progressively calmer as the afternoon progressed. We did not have to wait long for dolphins at all – before we knew it, “Oh! There they are!” And, about two hours later, the dolphins were still there! At first we saw nine, but then very soon after, we confirmed ten. They were all Atlantic spotted dolphins; there was one very young calf and two older calves/young juveniles. The other members of the group were sub-adults and adults. We began the sighting in shallow water, but they were headed southwest and into deeper water. The dolphins were surfing the waves and some, including the calf, came to ride the boat’s bow. They were often in pairs, with synchronous breathing. The group was definitely on the move – we’re not sure where they were going, but they were on a mission. At one point, six of us got in the water, but the dolphins just cruised right past us. The sighting ended with one last water entry for our TA, in hopes of getting a little bit of underwater video, but the dolphins once again just swam right by. So, we decided to change directions in hopes of finding different dolphins.

But first, we stopped at Turtle Rocks to have a nice little dip. The break gave us a chance to also see some fish life – and lots of walnut jellies! We also saw a southern stingray, barracuda and jacks, but no big schools of fish. After our break we saved several future turtles, by collecting stray Mickey Mouse balloons from the sea, as we continued north in search of dolphins. Our search came up empty, but the seas had really calmed down and the water was very clear – so we would have seen them if they were around. But, it was still a nice day on the water!

We headed back, had a delicious spaghetti supper, finished our photo-ID lecture and practical and stayed up way too late working on our debate for the next day!

Until then,

“Aboot ‘em dolphins eh?” UNBSJ 2013

It’s that time of year: students from University of New Brunswick Saint John are in Bimini! On Thursday morning, six of us packed up and departed the SharkLab, where we had spent the last week. We were sad to leave, but we were ready to experience something new. We met Kel at the South Bimini water taxi and headed North. Two of us were still in Fort Lauderdale ready to get to Bimini for the first time! We left the hotel and headed to the airport – but our flight was delayed slightly due to rain. Dr. Turnbull was waiting for us on Bimini, and we headed to North Bimini to meet the rest of the group. Everyone was optimistic (get the title? “dolphin-mistic!”) that it was going to be a great course.

After orientation at the Sea Crest, we got ready to go on the boat for our first dolphin trip. Soon, we did a “dolphin drill” to practice getting in our snorkel gear and getting on and off the boat. We did not see any dolphins, but we did stop and snorkel “The Road to Atlantis” (aka Bimini Road). Some of us think that it might be man-made, but not Atlantis. Others were expecting it to be more spectacular. For those of us who had been to the SharkLab, we recognized many of the fish species; for those of us who just arrived, it was great to see so many new fish! All the fish back home are so bland compared to these!

The weather was getting bad, so we came back, had an early dinner and watched the movie DOLPHINS.

On Friday, we woke up and had breakfast together, followed by a lecture on the dolphins of Bimini. After the lecture, we headed straight to the boat (without Kel ;-(. We headed to the Sapona to snorkel to compare the species diversity and abundance between the port and starboard sides of the concrete ship. We all agreed the port side had more fish, but the starboard had more coral and sponges. On the way back…

We saw dolphins! At first, we saw 3 Atlantic spotted dolphins, but soon we saw 4. We followed them for a little while; there were 3 adults and 1 calf (picture here - thanks Professor Turnbull!). At first, five of us got in the water to observe the dolphins. When we first got in, the adults did not interact with us, but the calf did; it was most interested when we were fully under the water and not just resting at the surface. A few of us saw the dolphins feeding - some from the boat and, for the second group of swimmers, under water. The second group also saw the adults interacting with each other – two paired up and had a lot of pectoral fin contact. The calf was a female and one adult was a male. The male adult swam up to us and seemed to check us out. After this great first encounter, we headed back to shore (to brag about it to Kel!).

After lunch, we had a lecture on photo-identification. Then it was time for the boat again. We headed in the same direction as we had seen the dolphins this morning; Nadine saw an eagle ray leap completely out of the water! But, the dolphins were no longer there, so we continued on the normal path to search for them. Unfortunately, before any dolphins were sighted, the weather was again threatening, so we had to return to shore.

We had a delicious supper and then watched The Cove. We turned in our work for the day and headed to bed!

Until tomorrow,

“Aboot 'em dolphins eh?” UNBSJ 2013

On 23 April 2013, a local bonefish guide stumbled upon a rare sight while on the shallow flats of Bimini: a beaked whale. Beaked whales are deep water animals and in all of DCP’s years on Bimini, a beaked whale has never been observed here. In the years since DCP’s Kel Sweeting became part of the Bahamas Marine Mammal Stranding Network (2008), there has not been a marine mammal stranding here either. In fact, this may have been the first marine mammal stranding on Bimini in many, many years.

The animal was first observed alive. A great group of volunteers rallied together to try to get this amazing creature into deeper water. Sadly, during these attempts, the whale died. It was not the outcome any of us had hoped for, but we gathered our thoughts, got some great advice and brought the whale to the beach for a basic field necropsy.

You can see Kel’s stranding report by clicking here. Please note, there are images of the necropsy, but also a beautiful photo of the animal while it was still alive.

A heartfelt thank you goes to The Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organisation for putting the stranding network together back in 2008, for providing Bimini with its very own stranding response kit and for guidance during last week’s event. And thank you to Dr. Ruth Ewing who took time from her busy day to give much needed necropsy pointers to Kel.

Have you ever wanted to swim with wild dolphins?

Have you wondered how it is that DCP studies wild dolphins?

Have you ever wanted to have a relaxing vacation in The Bahamas?

We know the answers were yes, so come join us this summer at our Bimini, Bahamas field site!

30 June - 5 July (including arrival & departure days)

$1845 (double occupancy, check discount price; single occupany & credit card options available)

Receive 5 nights' accommodation, 5 boat trips in search of wild dolphins, snorkeling opportunities, rental snorkel gear (if needed), 3 meals/day prepared by our own private chef and boat snacks, all while supporting DCP! Click here for more details and then contact us!

The latest issue of the Dolphin Gazette is here! In it, we share stories of our January data collection at Dolphin Encounters, provide updates on upcoming opportunities to join us in the field, announce our haiku contest and more! As usual it is packed with dolphin photos too! We hope you enjoy reading this issue and share it with your friends. If you do not already receive the Gazette by email, contact us and we'll add you to the email list!

Happy Reading!

Click here to download Issue 17.1.

For all you dolphin and ape fans out there: DCP researcher Justin Gregg be giving a series of seminars (together with the philosopher Esteban Rivas) this summer concerning the study of intelligence and language in apes and dolphins. The first seminar titled "Why can’t apes and dolphins talk?" takes place on April 13th at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. If this interests you, or if you think someone you know might be interested, check out visit www.apesanddolphins.com and/or like the seminar's Facebook page.

DCP is pleased to announce that applications will now be accepted until 15 February 2013.

Applications for what, you say?

Our 12-night field course studying wild dolphins in Bimini, The Bahamas, that's what!

Join Sacred Heart University and DCP from 28 May - 9 June for a 200-level, 3-credit field course. With introductions to dolphin biology, behavior and photo-ID, this course includes 8 boat trips in search of Bimini's wild dolphins. During those trips, students will help search for dolphins, record sighting data and collect underwater digital photographs for DCP's photo-ID catalog. All participants must take the course for credit through SHU and can inquire with them home university about transfering these credits.

Email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information. But first, check out SHU's detailed webpage (at the bottom of this post) for more information, including the application:

http://www.sacredheart.edu/academics/studyabroad/studyabroadprograms/shorttermprograms/bimini/