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.
Tuesday’s boat trip started with great weather and a very optimistic group! After learning about DCP, photo-ID and the Bimini dolphins in the morning, the Hunter College students were all ready to get out and practice their newly learned photo-ID skills. The group was very excited to see two bottlenose dolphins early in the trip, but they were moving very quickly and we decided it would be better to not interrupt their travel.
Monday began with a morning of data analysis before greeting the participants of Hunter College’s annual field course, who will be in Bimini for the next two weeks. We gave them a quick introduction to DCP’s still cameras and tips on how to take pictures underwater, and then Alexis and Lauren were off the boat trip with them! We spotted an eagle ray while leaving the harbor which made everyone excited to see dolphins.
On Friday Lauren and Alexis went on another dolphin trip with Bimini Adventures. On our way out to the dolphin grounds the guests decided they wanted a quick snorkel swim along Bimini Road (also thought to be the famous city of Atlantis). This was Lauren’s first time at Bimini Road so she joined the guests for a quick glimpse to see what all the hype was about. Meanwhile Alexis stayed on the boat and happened to see a turtle swimming not too far from the snorkelers.
Thursday the interns split up for 2 dolphin trips. Lauren joined Bimini Adventures and quickly ran into a group of bottlenose dolphins. They were crater feeding, which is quite common, but this time we even saw some mating attempts; a rare sight among bottlenose-only groups. After a short stop to observe this group we moved on to find different dolphins. Hours passed with nothing in sight and we were all starting to lose hope.