Category: Bimini 2007

This morning the DE staff & I went over a bit of what DCP does here in Bimini before heading to the dock for the weekly presentation/discussion with guests.  It was a small group, but they were very interested in learning more about DCP & the dolphins.  At 1500, it was time to head to the dolphins groups, but not before stopping at “Atlantis” (aka “Bimini Road”) for a quick snorkel stop.  Once we were in the dolphin grounds, we were able to observe a group of at least 8 bottlenose dolphins, including a very young calf. 

This morning began early for me with breakfast with Nowdla Keefe.  She introduced me to a older native man who was eager to share stories of his encounters with dolphins and other memories of the ocean.  An avid lobsterman in his time, I was very excited to hear his tales.  I hope to join him for breakfast again before I leave….    Next stop:  Water taxi to greet Ranaldo & Tanya, my guests from Dolphin Encounters.  They seemed to have a good journey &

This morning I continued to work on video before the afternoon dolphin trip.  It was a fairly full boat & I don’t think anyone was disappointed.  After a snorkel stop at 3 Sisters, we saw two spotted dolphins at 1822.  The calf was un-named #84 although I did not get a good look at the adult, it was likely un-named #57, #84’s mother.  They were cruising too fast to have a swim, but soon after we saw a different group including Leslie (#80), un-named #86 and two calves. 

This morning was busy with errands, housekeeping & video.  Then, I was back on the boat!  It was a full boat and everyone got good looks at a large group of bottlenose dolphins.  There was at least one young calf in the group, which was a special treat.  We very regularly see spotted dolphin calves,… Continue reading More video

Hello all!  I cannot believe it is already Friday.  I’ve been out of touch only because I’ve been making lots of headway with the backlog of video.  It is very time consuming, but very rewarding as old and new dolphins are identified.  It looks like a new, young juvenile may be added to the photo-ID catalog, but unfortunately I still a need a good look its left side. 

Yesterday was spent in front of the TV, logging past video.  It takes so much longer to go through each tape than it does to record it!  That is why it is so easy for the tapes to build up.  I’m confident that I’ll get through it all before I leave in September.    Today was an afternoon dolphin trip.  We left the dock at 1604 and by the time we were nearing the north tip of the island the white caps & swells were in full swing. 

Today was a day off for me, which I spent on a friend’s boat free diving while everyone else caught hogfish, grouper and lobster.  It made for a tasty dinner!    I did want to say a quick hello as yesterday’s tropical storm Dean has been upgraded to a Category 2 Hurricane.  This means that the folks in its path need to get seriously prepared, but luckily for Bimini, each advisory puts the storm further & further south of the island. 

Yesterday was a bit of a bust.  Each errand I tried to do ended unsuccessfully, then dolphin trip #42 turned into a snorkel trip as the sky darkened, then lit up (with lightning), all around us.  These squalls are not directly related to tropical storm Dean which is building in the Atlantic.  But, of course, we are all keeping a close eye on its development.    Today we had better luck.  It rained right up until the boat departed at 1607.  At 1820 we saw a group of 8-10 spotted dolphins, including adult males & females and calves. 

Today began with computer work, then video logging, then a dolphin trip.  The dolphin trip started with a stop just outside the harbor, where a group of at least 7 bottlenose dolphins were apparently feeding.  After getting a solid number of dorsal fin photographs from the surface, we decided to try & see if they would allow us to observe them underwater.  Once in the water, I could tell they were coming quite close, but only because I lifted my head out of the water to see their dorsal fins less than ten feet away. 

Yesterday was a day off the boat, but since nothing exciting was going on, I spent part of the day catching up on data entry.  Today was the start of a Bimini Undersea dolphin week that unfortunately got off to a very rainy start!  Luckily the rain stopped just in time for a 1600 departure.  We got a quick glimpse of bottlenose at 1634 before seeing spotteds at 1757.  It was a group of mothers & older calves including Stefran (#82) and un-named #86.