It is that time of year again! I’ve begun packing gear in prep for travel to Roatan to continue our studies of dolphin social behavior, acoustics and communication at the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences (RIMS) at Anthony’s Key Resort. I am bringing the MVA2 and the SM2M passive acoustic recorder to continue documenting dolphin interactions and vocal behavior.
I depart on Saturday and will be at RIMS for a week. I’ll be joined by four participants – Bill, Ron, Lance and Jeanne.
On Wednesday, I joined what may have been DCP’s final boat trip of the year. Of course, I hope that other trips pop up throughout the fall and early winter, but this was the last trip on the calendar. And, it was a windy one! We departed with high hopes, but realistic expectations as the wind had picked up throughout the day. Sure enough, the seas had some guests snuggled inside, while others laughed at the sea spray in their faces.
Wednesday was another busy day of dolphin observations for the Bimini Adventures guests. Before we were even completely clear of the harbor, we could see bottlenose dolphins in the perfectly blue Bimini water. This trio was headed south and although my quest for dorsal fin ID shots was interrupted by a passing yacht, it was very cool to watch the dolphins surf the wake – and make impressive leaps – toward the shore of South Bimini.
Thursday was my last chance to join this year’s Hunter College crew and we certainly made it count. Departing shortly after 1500, it wasn’t until 17:32 that we first saw dolphins. We could see the splashing in the distance and when we finally reached, there were a dozen spotteds. This number grew to 26, including at least 3 calves. Under water I am sure I saw Lil’ Jess (#35) and her calf, Tina (#14), Leslie (#80), Inka (#93) and “the boys,” Split Jaw (#22), Prince William (#64) and Speedy (#78).
There is so much data processing to continue to catch up on, not to mention helping to finalize the next issue of The Dolphin Gazette, but I took a break on Monday to visit with the second round of students from Chicago City Day School aboard the Coral Reef II. This group was surprisingly perky given the not-so-calm Gulfstream crossing they had just completed. But, I suppose it is all part of their big adventure! It was blast sharing the details of DCP’s work and the importance of photo-identification with these budding scientists.
On Monday I had to say goodbye (well, hopefully see you later) to Alexis. As I dropped her at the water taxi, I was wishing this year’s interns were staying forever! But alas, it was time for me to get readjusted to being the solo researcher on Bimini…
On Tuesday, I joined Hunter College’s dolphin trip with Bimini Adventures. The sun was hot, but the seas were flat, so we had high hopes of seeing every dolphin possible. Fairly early on we saw two bottlenose dolphins.
Saturday’s boat trip with Bimini Adventures was the last boat trip for Alexis before she leaves on Monday. We set off around 14:00 to make sure we could get our snorkel swim in and yet again, it seemed as though the dolphins had other plans for us. Like yesterday, in route to the snorkel stop (this time along the beaches of South Bimini) we ran into a widely dispersed group of 10-15 bottlenose. Alexis recognized a few fins matching the group we had seen the previous day.
Friday’s boat trip with Bimini Adventures started out with an early departure at 14:00 with the intention of snorkeling at Bimini Road. However, in route we stumbled upon 6 bottlenose dolphins crater feeding and no one wanted to pass up this observation session. Alexis got numerous surface photos while the group watched them from the boat. The passengers rotated in the water and Alexis joined them once confidence set in that each individual’s dorsal fin had been captured.
Thursday did not start out like any other, nor did it end like one. Kel and Alexis said goodbye to Lauren as she headed back to the States. We were sad to see her go, but had to refocus for our boat trip in the afternoon. We left at 15:00 with our, literal, boatload of Hunter College students. Fairly early on we ran into 3 bottlenose dolphins traveling north.
Wednesday’s trip was not only Lauren’s last trip for the year but we also had Kel on board so we were hoping for a day full of dolphins! We were off to a good start seeing at least 3 spotted eagle rays as we were leaving the channel between North and South Bimini. A bit over an hour later we then had a turtle sighting, as it just cruised past our boat. But when almost 3 full hours had passed and we hadn’t seen a single dolphin yet, some folks were starting to get a bit bummed out.