But, the afternoon turned out beautifully!
This morning we had an extra dolphin trip, with passengers who were just with us on the boat for the day. Unfortunately for them, the east wind had only strengthened, leaving us with uncomfortably rough seas. We were able to see a group of at least 8 bottlenose dolphins not far from shore. We observed them for about 10 minutes before braving the seas and heading north in hopes of finding spotteds. Unsuccessful, we returned to the dock shortly after 12:30 for lunch before our afternoon trip.
Our afternoon trip departed shortly after 3:00 p.m. and began with a snorkel stop at 3 Sisters Rocks, Kel’s personal favorite. At 5:00 p.m., we came upon a group of at least 15 bottlenose, 2 of which were the largest bottlenose we’d ever seen in this area. There were two calves in the group, and passengers were able to swim with the group for about 15 minutes. Soon after leaving the bottlenose, we saw a group of spotted dolphins, one of which was one of the oldest dolphins we’d ever seen! We were within sight of dolphins for just about the rest of the day, even close to the island on our way back in. Identified dolphins included: #14 (Tina), #25, #35 (Lil’ Jess), #48 (Niecey), #76 (Nemo) and #77 (Dolphin Dandy). We made 3 water entries, one of which was only a short encounter. One more trip tomorrow and then no boat time on Friday.
Until then,
Kel and Darcie