With our 30 June – 5 July Bimini (The Bahamas) eco-tour nearly filled (only one spot left!), we’ve decided to try for a second session!
If you’ve always been curious about DCP’s wild dolphin research and think it would be awesome to observe and swim with wild dolphins, sign-up today!
Check-in Sunday 11 August, Check-out Friday 16 August
Click here for more details and get your deposit in today!
Introducing, DCP’s spring intern, Manon! Manon is a Master’s student from France who has spent about 5 weeks working at DCP’s Florida office and is now continuing her research project at our Bimini, The Bahamas field site. We hope you enjoy reading Manon’s perspective over the coming weeks! ~Kel
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I got the first stunning sight of Bimini Islands from the plane, and it was only the beginning…
After one month of data processing in Florida, it was time for me to go into the field, hoping to see some of our well-known dolphins.
On Saturday, things finally lined up: boats were in order, captain was free and the seas were calm. We headed out in search of “Lamda” (DCP ID#104). Lamda grew up around Bimini, but stranded far from home in late Aug 2018; he was rescued, rehabilitated and released with a satellite tag (read all about it here and here). But, the satellite data was weak for the last several days; the few points that were coming in were really bad quality, which means they didn’t provide reliable information about Lamda’s location.
While we wait to see "Lamda" (DCPID#104) again, we thought you'd like to see how he was doing during our January observation. The video isn't edited - just the real recording of how he was swimming (great, by the way). The rescue, rehab, release and monitoring of this guy has been a serious team effort involving: Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organization, The Wild Dolphin Project, Atlantis Bahamas and the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program.
We're hoping to see more of #104 soon. And certainly during our 2019 Bimini field season, which begins in April.
We're now accepting applications!
There isn't much time - the deadline is 1 March. Click here to read all about our summer internship program. Office and field portions are required. Office portion is completed in Port Saint Lucie, FL, USA and field portion is completed in Bimini, The Bahamas. Interns must be proficient with Microsoft Word and Excel, have a strong attention to detail, be able to work well both independently and in small teams, be flexible and be comfortable in hot weather, on a boat and swimming in open water. Proficiency in English is a requirement.
On Tuesday, I had a chance to get back into a few Bimini classrooms. This time, I was joined by my friend, Jillian Morris, Founder and President of Sharks4Kids. We visited students in Grades 2, 3 and 4. We chatted about the importance of the ocean, compared (& contrasted!) dolphins and sharks, and we all agreed that Jillian and I can in fact be friends, even though she studies sharks and I study dolphins.
Our team arrived late yesterday to Nassau for 3 packed days of research. Our team includes Heather, Jill, and Donna who joined Kathleen for this field session at Blue Lagoon Island, home of Dolphin Encounters.
We are here to collaborate with Te-Shalla and Destaney in collecting data on whether dolphins express a choice in receiving a single fish versus a jackpot of fish in advance of studying whether they will choose the larger amount after a delay or the single fish immediately.
We did lots of standing and observing and watching dolphins.
I spent a VERY productive three weeks on Roatan at Anthony’s Key Resort (AKR) collecting data on the dolphins at the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences (RIMS). I was joined by two student groups – one (14 students) from Colorado State University (CSU) and one (11 students) from the University of Rhode Island (URI). Thank you to Dr. K (CSU) and Dr. R (URI) for continuing to collaborate with me and DCP and co-teaching students on topics focused on animal behavior and physiology. (Thank you also to Ron B.
Another early day was greeted by overcast skies and some choppy sea conditions. The underwater visibility was still good and I was able to collect another 30 minutes of underwater video of the dolphins at Bailey’s Key. They were much more subdued as compared with yesterday! And, because there was still a bit of a current, though crossing differently from yesterday, the dolphins seemed to stay close to the shore area. The males were chasing one another while there was much infant swimming by the females and their calves and the younger females, too.
Another early day was greeted by overcast skies and some choppy sea conditions. The underwater visibility was still good and I was able to collect another 30 minutes of underwater video of the dolphins at Bailey’s Key. They were much more subdued as compared with yesterday! And, because there was still a bit of a current, though crossing differently from yesterday, the dolphins seemed to stay close to the shore area. The males were chasing one another while there was much infant swimming by the females and their calves and the younger females, too.