It would seem that the bottlenose here are becoming more interested in us.
Our first encounter was with two dolphins – both spotted and both juvenile. They seemed to be trying to lead us away from the boat. We were anchored near what we call the little dolphin wreck. This was a navigational aid that sank many years ago. They dolphins routinely like to chase the jacks and sting rays that frequent the site. Of course, we like to swim there and watch the fish and other critters. I got my first bit of video with my array during this encounter. About 9 minutes … definitely some good images for behavior interactions. The dolphins were a bit quiet … to my ear. So, we will see what might be on the tape for acoustics when we digitize the data and begin those analyses this fall. Our second encounter was about 35 minutes! With 3 spotted dolphins, one male, 2 females. They were playful but also interested more in socializing among themselves. Two of the dolphins had remoras … the male's remora seemed to be half his size in length. He repeatedly tail slapped at the surface and rubbed into the sand. To us it seemed as though he was trying to dislodge this troublesome interloper. To no avail. Our watch effort was called off early due to a rain squall that approached. We only ended about 1 hour and 15 minutes early. Tomorrow may bring a tropical front nearer to us. Let's hope not. Till tomorrow. Cheers Kathleen