I was very excited to head out on Saturday’s dolphin trip with Nowdla Keefe as it had been quite awhile since I’d been out. It was a bit windier than the forecast had called for, but the boat was full of guests eager to see dolphins. The harbor was very busy because of Easter weekend and we were soon headed to the “dolphin grounds.” As often happens, the guests were beginning to lose hope and then….there were dolphins! At first we saw 2 adult Atlantic spotted dolphins. Because of the swells I was unable to identify them, but one may have been Buster (#04). The two were not interacting with each other very much and had little interest in us humans. So, we decided to look for more dolphins. We were not disappointed…
Soon we were watching 4 different spotted dolphins – two adults (including Stefran #82) and two calves. They were surfing the swells and the bow, and gave everyone a good look once the passengers were in the water. The group grew to at least 10 animals, including Lil’ Jess (#35) and there appeared to be some mating behavior, which distracted the dolphins from us. But, everyone had a good time! We weren’t done with dolphins yet though. Back on the boat we continued to watch the dolphins and suddenly a single bottlenose dolphin passed through! It was great to show the guests the difference between the two species commonly found off Bimini. We got a quick glimpse of two more spotted dolphins on the way home….
As summer approaches, we’ll have many more “dolphin trips” here at our Bimini, Bahamas field site. So, be sure to stay tuned!
Cheers,
Kel