This morning we headed to South Bimini to explore the new nature trail at Bimini Sands Resort. This trail is still in the development stages, but we were very impressed with the developers’ decision to preserve a very noteworthy section of land. When the trail is completed, there will be educational signs throughout, informing guests of local flora & fauna. If you are ever on Bimini, definitely go check it out! It is an amazing contrast to the ocean… Next, we bicycled to the northern portion of North Bimini. This is the site of a controversial resort development. Learn more at: www.savebimini.org, www.restrictbiminibayresort.org, www.biminibayresort.com. Finally, it was time for Dolphin Trip #50! We departed the dock around 1600 and headed straight to a dive site called “Rockwell Reef.” Earlier in the day, the dive boat saw bottlenose dolphins here, so we thought it was a good place to start. Sure enough, the group of dolphins was still there. I used up my entire 1 gig memory card taking dorsal fin photographs before hopping in the water with the MVA. There was at least one nurse shark with the dolphins, but the highlight observation for me was a pregnant female bottlenose with scattered spots on her swollen belly! As soon as we exited the water to begin the search for spotteds, there they were! We were in about 30 feet of water & saw Romeo (#10) approach the boat with a cero mackerel in her mouth! It over a foot long and once we entered the water, we watched the dolphin pass it between each other. It was a very cool encounter. We also saw Tina (#14), Lumpy (#17), Split Jaw (#22), Lone Star (#56), Billy (#64), Tim (#69), Nemo (#76) and un-named #78 & 79. We had two water entries with this group & during the second, we also saw two male bottlenose dolphins among the spotteds. Then, as we headed back toward home, we came upon the same group of bottlenose in the same area as the dive site. That meant that they were in that very small area for over 7 hours! Tomorrow it is time to say goodbye to my friends from Dolphin Encounters & then move out of the apartment. It’ll be a busy one! Until next time, Kel
Love dolphins? Love science? You've come to the right place!
Whether you’re a young student interested in learning more about dolphin biology, a college student looking for internship experiences working with dolphins, or a seasoned researcher hoping to connect with colleagues on topics of dolphin behavior, ecology, or cognition, you’ve come to the right place.
The Dolphin Communication Project charitable solicitation number ch42894, meets all requirements specified by the florida solicitation of contributions act. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the division of consumer services by calling toll-free (800-435-7352) within the state of florida, or 850-410-3800 when calling outside the state. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state.