You'd think that the Bahamas would always be sunny!
Monday came with drizzle and clouds but the wind had lessened considerably and the seas were calm. We had anchored off Sandy Cay last night and continued our norhterly course at 9:00 AM … a nice trip actually and the clouds kept us comfortable. We saw another group of bottlenose dolphins – two of the same from yesterday with the scarred dorsal fin and the half pectoral fin. We all recognized them. We also saw a group of spotted dolphins mid-afternoon. We had this encounter from the big boat while we were moving and we had swells of about 2 feet – making entry back into the boat a bit tricky. We swam with this group four times and got to witness some amazing interactions and behavioral exchanges. The first set of dolphins numbered five individuals. An adult female (#64), two new calves (one this year and one last), another adult and a juvenile spotted dolphin. The two calves had distinctive scars even at this young age … one had half a fluke! She swam okay but was tiny still. The wound of half a fluke was likely from a shark attack but seemed healed. The other calf had a triangle like scar on the posterior and dorsal edge of the peduncle (or tail stock). The older calf was a male. So neat to see new kids on the block. I also saw two adult males – #12 (double gash) and #6 (macho). There was some bottom grubbing and snacking of the tile and gobi fish but also lots of rubbing and pectoral fin contact between the dolphins in this group. The calves were interested in us and swam circles around us often. The group was socially active while the calves were inquisitive and playful. Neat Stuff! Let's hope we see more of the same tomorrow! Cheers Kathleen