Category: Bimini 2007

Today we finished a rouge tape from 10 May 2007.  It was the fastest video log ever – about 46 minutes of video logged in about 4 hours!  (Yes, that is FAST).  It was a great encounter with Romeo (#10), Tina (#14), Nemo (#76), Leslie (#80) and a few others including the adult who is now missing about half of her dorsal fin (see field report 13 May 2007).  Our diligent photo-ID matching skills paid off because we discovered that this animal is in fact Lone Star (#56)!  She has healed very well &

Kel spent the morning tidying the apartment for Tabby’s arrival.  Then she spent the afternoon tracking Tabby’s flight online as it continued to be delayed.  In the end, it was only about an hour late & Kel met her at the South Bimini airport.  We took the “bus” to the water taxi to the golf cart to the house – and probably didn’t travel more than 3 miles!  Tabby’s reaction?

This week was slow, but productive.  Monday & Wednesday brought our most successful web links with this aquarium so far this season.  The connection held out & the theater was full with visitors & questions.  Since I was low on boat time, I took the time to continue going through video clips related to my thesis work (the interactions between the spotteds & the bottlenose).  Now I am nearly through it all!  But, of course, I am hoping for more clips as the summer progresses.  Tomorrow, the second DCP intern, Tabby, arrives. 

The island is back in action as both fuel boats arrived today.  So, it was back aboard Bimini Undersea’s Adventurer for dolphin trip #21.  It was another good day, beginning with some relatively fast moving adults.  We followed them, getting to watch one chase a mackerel and successfully catch it!  It then carried it around for over 2 minutes before, as far as I could tell, swallowing it.  The passengers got in the water as I attempted to get some surface photographs.  Shortly after, I decided to get in the water as well –

The day started with genuine curiosity as to whether or not the dolphin trip today would actually be able to go.  It was a nearly full group of passengers, but no fuel for the boat.  Luckily, another boat operator had full tanks, so Bimini Undersea was able to charter him & his boat (www.biminiadventures.com).  So, it was out to sea on a new vessel.  The dolphin sightings began with a very brief bottlenose “swim-by” before coming up on the mother-load of spotted juveniles & calves. 

Happy summer solstice everyone!  Since I’m a resident of Alaska now, I kept picturing the longest day of the year up here…Here in Bimini the sun rose at 626 and set at 2011 today.  A great summer day, but nothing compared to those northern latitudes.    Today’s trip was a bit rougher than expected, but our patience paid off as the dolphins approached the boat at approximately 1930.  It was Finn (#09) and Romeo (#10) doing quite a bit of swell surfing.  Since light was fading, we hopped in the water. 

It was an early morning today as Maria was leaving the island.  But, not before a final golf cart ride & a breakfast of Bimini bread French toast at one of the local breakfast spots.  It was great to have you here Maria – travel safely & good luck in Connecticut!    For Kel, it was then time for the Wednesday phone link, field reports & other computer catch up.  Tomorrow, Friday & Saturday there are dolphin trips –finally. 

Today was Maria’s last day here on Bimini – at least for this year.  We spent the day with the Bimini Undersea family at “Honeymoon Harbor” located at Gun Cay, just south of Bimini.  Here, a group of stingrays has become habituated to human presence & whether or not you’ve ever seen one before, it’s a great place to get more than just a glance.  The southern stingrays here can be over 2 feet in diameter with very smooth (and sensitive) skin.  It was a great day!   

The morning & early afternoon were all work, including field reports & updating the paper/pencil sketches that accompany the digital photo-ID catalog for the Atlantic spotted dolphins.  Each season, these sketches are updated with major spot developments or injuries, known calves/mothers and the year(s) that the animal was seen.  We worked through Class 2 (calves) and Class 3 (juveniles) individuals, comparing the drawing to the digital still photographs.  We also had our Monday phone link with the aquarium.  It was another small, but interested crowd. 

Happy Father’s Day!!  Yesterday we woke up to no power, so it was off to a friend’s house to spend the rainy day in front of the television.  Today the weather was looking a little better, so we went out on the inflatable again, this time to Turtle Rocks.  We did some snorkeling and saw huge parrot fish and a lobster.  The parrot fish was also had a small remora attached to its ventral side and didn’t appear to be too pleased about it.  There were dozens of other small fish, from grunts to surgeonfish.