Our routine is a little different now since our last boat trip was about a week ago. Life on land is not as exciting as being on the water looking for our daily dolphins. Nat and I have got into a new routine that involves waking up when the sun rises, taking a break for lunch, and then getting caught up on sighting data or photo sorting. We have been taking advantage of our beautiful beach that is in out front yard, but it is nothing compared to being on a boat.
These past couple of days have been filled with office work and short trips to the beach. We have just entered our long stretch of no boat days, which gives Taylor and I a great opportunity to get some photo sorting, video logs, and sighting sheets recorded and analyzed. On Thursday we began our day with a little bit of photo sorting and then headed over to Kel’s house to place a video call over to Marineland! We were happy to leave our little cottage because our cottage did not have power all morning.
Tuesday was an unusually long day aboard Renegade. We boarded our vessel at 11:00am and we headed due South, instead of our normal course to look for dolphins. Little did we know, that today was going to be one of our busiest days consisting of three different snorkel stops and looking for dolphins at the very end. Our course was chartered for our first stop, the ray encounter, which was the furthest South. The very chaotic encounter involved a lot of friendly stingrays that seemed to love the human’s presence in the water.
On Sunday, I traveled from Florida to Nassau, The Bahamas, to collect some data on the dolphins at Dolphin Encounters (on Blue Lagoon Island). It is my return to collecting data underwater with my MVA2. The last sessions for me using the array was about half a dozen years ago. I’m only here for a few days to collect data and also to chat about two other studies we have ongoing or slated to begin this year. It is always a pleasure to head “into the field” … and this trip is no different.
We have not been too lucky these past few days with the weather: Sunday’s boat trip was canceled due to poor weather conditions. Although Taylor and I waited with our things prepared to hop aboard Renegade, the weather still remained not in our favor. We hoped the weather would improve for Monday’s adventures, and although it was not perfect by any means, we were still able to find a window to search for dolphins!
In the morning, Taylor and I joined Hunter and Manhattan Colleges for their beach clean-up.
The dark storm clouds surrounded us on either side, I could see the rain in the distance. The captain of Renegade stayed our course to the snorkel stop, hoping the weather would clear. We stopped at a location known as Bimini Road. The rocks were stacked on either side of a sand path making a highway for fish underwater. We all jumped in the water excited to explore this new area and be one with the fishes for a while.
Slowly, Taylor and I are starting to get into our island routine. Wake up with the sun, do some DCP office work, hit the beach for 15 minutes because it gets too hot, then head over to the boat at the Sea Crest for dolphin expeditions. Today we joined Manhattan and Hunter Colleges again on their search for dolphins. Taylor and I sat up top so we could scan the horizon for dorsal fins.
On Thursday, I found myself sitting, waiting for the dolphins to make their location known to me. But looking upon miles of blue ocean with no dolphins in sight really damped the mood. Traces of any dolphins were not being seen by any one on the boat. The captain tried to set a course that was close to the spots where we saw the dolphins at the end of the previous day. But her plan didn’t work, so we changed course to try and find some action in another direction.
My return to Bimini has been nothing short of amazing since nothing can beat the incredible boat expeditions we go on in search of our daily dolphins. Taylor and I have been soaking up island life and getting into the groove of photo ID sorting, video logging, and recording the 2019 sighting sheet while we search for dolphins on the boat.
Tuesday’s blog was written by first year intern, Taylor. We hope you enjoy her thoughts!
The anticipation builds as I get closer to the boat. Being a new intern, I had a lot to learn in a quick amount of time. I had to learn how to work the GPS unit, how to take the compass direction of the boat, and how to take accurate field notes and if we could identify any individuals in the water. I was responsible for a lot of information as a new member of the DCP team in Bimini.