Good ol

Safe flights, with all our luggage accounted for…  So, just thought we would let everyone know that we arrived back in Connecticut safe and sound. It was a rushed, but nice morning on Bimini yesterday and we got to see just about everyone. Then during our LONG layover in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, we were able to go out to lunch with Kathy DeStefano and a friend. And even stopped by to say hello to a former Bimini Undersea crew member.

Never has everything been so clean!

Laundry, errands and a spotless apartment….Today we were up early and at the Laundromat shortly after. We stopped for breakfast at Capt. Bob’s with a good friend and then it was last minute shopping and hellos at the dive shop. Once back home, we cleaned like we had never cleaned before—well, at least not since we left last year! We know our landlord will be pleased….the place really could not be any cleaner.

Will we get it all done?

How is it already the end of August??Errands galore- phone bills, electric bills, dive shop visits. And then of course our data. We finished Tapes 8 and 9 today, and even though our eyeballs feel like they might fall out, we’re pleased.
    Tomorrow it is laundry, laundry, laundry and a serious clean-up of the apartment.

Oh, Katrina

A tropical storm makes for a rainy day Today Tropical Storm Katrina has reared her ugly self. We spent the morning doing nearly final number crunching and then working on Tape 8. We took a break from working diligently when we were basically kidnapped by Bimini Undersea crew and taken to the Big Game Club for Darcie’s first “hurricane party.” We obviously do not take serious weather lightly, but it also gives everyone the opportunity to sit around and enjoy each other’s company.

Surprise Morning Trip

Thanks to a surprise tropical storm  So, Tropical Depression Twelve is now Tropical Storm Katrina and is really messing up the end of our field season!! We got a surprise early morning phone call informing us that our 15:00 dolphin trip would in fact try to leave the dock at 9:00. Hurriedly we got ourselves ready and headed, quite groggy, to the dock. The trip was to become our longest dolphin trip of the season, but with little reward.

4 Adult Spotteds

But no water entries….Today we enjoyed lunch with most of the Bimini Undersea staff, as a way to thank them for all that they do for us while we are on the island. It was nice to see everyone together.
    Then it was out to the dolphin grounds for another day of dodging squalls, or at least trying to. We decided to again head in early as the seas continued to get rough. After we decided this, we were visited by 4 adult spotted dolphins.

Bottlenose

Half an hour before sunsetToday’s trip began with a snorkel stop at Atlantis and Darcie and I rested on the bow, keeping an eye out for dolphins, as the crew briefed passengers on the rock formation below. Once everyone had a good look, we headed north, hoping to get another great swim. This was not to happen. We spent the second half of the trip dodging squalls and decided to head in early. We did however, see a group of 7 bottlenose dolphins along the shore at 19:12.

Start of our last dolphin tripAnd we

And we’re a little sad…   Today marked the 41st trip of the season and the start of our last dolphin week of 2005. We have a great group of 5 passengers, who will be with us each day through Thursday. On today’s trip, we also had an additional 6 passengers who were just along for the day.
    We started out at 13:30 for the Meet and Greet. After passengers went to their rooms, we departed the dock shortly after 15:00.

Data and Dolphins

Long, good day!     So, it was a nice a little Saturday. We slept in, since, well, we usually do. Our work day isn’t exactly the 9-5 of the business world. Most days, we don’t get home from the dock until 9 p.m. So, we tend to sleep in, with our work day shifted to later hours. This morning began with beginning to log Tape 7.

Data and Diving

Tape 6 – DONE!Today we did data, data, a little more data and then we went on a nice night dive. The moon was bright and we saw several lobsters, two eels, a big crab and some great fish.