Not much interest in us – but another new calf seen and several large groups.
We had a slow morning – only one sighting of a single bottlenose dolphin seen by Pepe and me at about 6:30 AM. I love mornings and routinely watch the sun rise out here on the water. The seas were a bit more choppy this morning. We did a dinghy search and found a couple of groups of spotted dolphins. They were more interested in bow-riding the boat rather than swimming with us. Today was a classic day out looking for dolphins in the Bahamas. Lots of 'hurry up and wait.' We all take hour-long watches searching the sea surface for the telltale shapes of dolphin dorsal fins or the outline of their torpedo-shaped bodies surfing swells in the aqua blue water. Watches begin at 7 AM and run through 7 PM. Watches are suspended when we 'spot' dolphins so that we can observe them from underwater. We anchored over a small pile of wrecked I-beams. They've been in place for several years and form an oasis for a variety of fish – barracuda, horse-eyed jacks, trigger fish, snappers and more. The dolphins visit frequently and seem to delight in terrorizing the fish. Sometimes I think their smile is for their playful nature! Well, time to prep data sheets for tomorrow. Cheers Kathleen