Blog & Field Reports

Soooo many dolphins!

It was another exciting day on the water for DCP researchers! Kel and the Parallax Film Productions crew got an early start. During a swim break, we were visited by a group of at least 10 spotted dolphins. We hopped in the water quickly and were pleased that two mother/calf pairs stuck around: Lil' Jess (#35) and her female calf and un-named #70 and hers.

Dolphins everywhere!

On Wednesday, Kel departed with Bimini Adventures' first boat just before 1300. The sun was shining, but there was a solid chop to the sea. Still, the crew was optimistic that their patience was going to pay off.

 
Tuesday was a day full of dolphin trips! Kel departed around 13:00 with Bimini Adventures. Even though Kel and crew stayed out until almost 18:00, they unfortunately didn’t see any dolphins. Though that was a bit of a bummer, spirits are still high as this crew has a few more days on the boat.
 
The intern trio also had a boat trip (with Bimini Adventures, as well), which left around 15:00.

Monday began with odds and ends as Kel prepped for a boat trip with Bimini Adventures and Parallax Film Productions. The boat departed at 1245 with storm clouds looming. We were hopeful that the storms would miss us and the dolphins would be plentiful, but neither was the case! Still, it was an exciting day of filming for the crew; as we searched for dolphins, they spotted a large loggerhead turtle. Quickly the cameraman was in the water, not expecting much. Boy was he surprised! This turtle came so close, filming was actually a challenge.

 
Friday morning we spoke to a group of high school students visiting Bimini on a field trip. Although it was an early start for many of them, you could tell they were ready and eager to listen. Kel began by discussing DCP and our research focusing on the dolphins around Bimini. Amy and Alexis helped with discussing the various ways to identify individuals and answering a few of the students’ questions. At the end of the talk we had a very lively discussion on the proper ways to swim with wild dolphins.

 
Thursday began with a DCP presentation to a new group of students aboard the Coral Reef II for Shedd Aquarium’s High School Marine Biology Program. Kel presented a PowerPoint while Alexis and Amy chimed in to answer questions and share their experiences. It was an engaging group of students full of thoughtful questions and smart ideas. The discussion ranged from what we know about dolphin interspecies interactions to the frequency of shark attacks in Bimini to how we might study dolphin personality to the meaning of pectoral fin contact between dolphins.

Wednesday’s adventures began with a nice talk with the guests of Bimini Adventures. We met with the group around 1300 and discussed DCP, the dolphin population around Bimini, and the research conducted. Kel led the chat; while Amy and Alexis assisted with answering the many fantastic questions we were asked. It was wonderful discussing things that everyone in the room seemed so curious and passionate about.

 
After two exciting days of bottlenose dolphin encounters, it almost looked as though we’d have to stay inside today; a thunderstorm struck us in the hour before our scheduled boat trip. Magically, the sun came out just in the nick of time, and we headed out on calm seas to search for dolphins. An hour into our trip, at 16:14, we spied three spotted dolphins immediately ahead of us. As we approached, the three adult dolphins raced to ride the wake of our bow. Alexis recognized Split Jaw (#22, pictured here) among them.

 
Monday was the second day on the water for the summer interns and the conditions were perfect (calm and beautiful). We headed out of the Sea Crest a little after 15:00 and were about to take a gear check/snorkel stop for some of our new guests, when all of a sudden we saw a single bottlenose dolphin surfacing in between crater feeding spurts at the bottom of the ocean. Alexis managed to take a few surface photographs of the dolphin’s dorsal fin while the gear check commenced.

Time to get wet!

 
On Sunday, Alexis and Amy eagerly boarded DCP’s boat for our first boat trip of the season! Only 20 minutes into the trip, we encountered a group of 15-20 bottlenose dolphins, including at least 3 calves. We hopped into the water and found that they were crater feeding on the sandy bottom, with a nurse shark lurking nearby (hoping for a handout, no doubt!). Although busy searching for food, the dolphins were inquisitive when surfacing, swimming within a foot of us and checking out our equipment with their eyes and sonar.