Thursday morning began early with a farewell breakfast and a mad dash to the airport for Cat & Janan. Thanks again for your hard work! For me, it was back to the solo grind, prepping for the boat and heading out shortly after 1600 with a private dolphin trip charter with Bill & Nowdla Keefe.… Continue reading Dolphins over here, dolphins over there….well, dolphins everywhere!
Category: Bimini 2010
Really, it’s August 4th?
We’re not sure where the last four weeks went, but they have certainly flown by! Janan & Cat spent the early part of this week finishing up DCP tasks and cramming in a last bit island exploring and socializing. Then, Wednesday marked the 2010 summer interns’ last dolphin trip! We headed out with a full boat of excited passengers. While we did not get a chance to observe any dolphins underwater, we did have four separate sightings of bottlenose dolphins.
A report from our day off!
Saturday was our day off and we were once again surrounded by nature! Kel was awakened by a phone call, reporting that a loggerhead turtle nest was hatching! She raced to the beach to see how things were going and found at least a dozen tracks leading to the sea. As we began gently excavating the nest, we found some hatchlings were still digging their way out.
Some work and some play!
Friday morning we all headed out to the Coral Reef II again to share some information about DCP. This week, instead of high school students, we met with some teachers from the Chicago area. They were a great audience with lots of questions and we were all invited to stay for lunch to continue our discussions! (Thanks for the great meal and conversation!) In the afternoon we had a day off from dolphin trips. We headed out on the boat for a fun-filled afternoon of reading, swimming, free diving, and eating with several other families from the island.
What a Finale!
Thursday we set off at about 15:20 on our last dolphin trip of the week. Everyone had a great time at the Bimini Road (aka Atlantis) for a nice snorkel and swim to cool off! Then we headed off to look for dolphins, and at about 17:00 we found them! We came across a large group of at least 10 spotted dolphins, including Finn (#09), Romeo (#10), Whiteblotch (#29), Lil Jess (#35), Speedy (#78), and 3 young calves. We jumped in for a swim and even more dolphins joined us including un-named #43.
Dolphin Acrobatics
Wednesday was a great day for dolphins! As per usual we set out around 16:00 with another gorgeous sunny day. The winds were calm and right away we saw dolphins! Three bottlenose dolphins were in the distance, and eventually they came close to the boat so we could check them out. They didn’t seem interested in staying though, so we continued on towards the dolphin grounds, even skipping our snorkel stop! We were rewarded with another brief bottlenose sighting at about 17:00; just one lone dolphin (or so it appeared).
It Takes Two!
Tuesday we set out on another beautiful, calm day! We headed out and went straight to the dolphin grounds. Passengers kept their eyes peeled, and finally at about 18:15 we saw spotted dolphins! Just two spotted dolphins were around today, including un-named #75 and another adult. After a bit of bow riding they headed off. Although we kept our fingers crossed to see more dolphins, none showed up for our sunset ride home.
Full House!
Monday we had beautiful weather for another dolphin trip. We headed out at around 16:00 with calm waters and the sun shining! The boat was full of passengers and we were all excited for some dolphins! And boy the day was a success! After a snorkel stop at “3 Sisters,” we headed into the dolphin grounds and soon after saw at least 6 bottlenose dolphins at about 17:30! We watched them for a bit, collecting dorsal fin photographs, and then headed off in search of spotteds.
Over the Rainbow
Sunday started a new dolphin week with Nowdla Keefe. We left Bimini about 16:00 and headed out to sea. After a nice snorkel stop at “The Bimini Road” (aka “Atlantis”), we continued out towards the dolphin feeding grounds. Luckily the wind was much calmer than last week, so we were able to actually leave the coastal waters! Unfortunately, despite being able to travel further, we did not see any dolphins.
SCUBA! But Unfortunately no Dolphins – in real life, anyway…
Thursday our dolphin trip was unfortunately canceled due to bad weather. However, we interns out Thursday morning and for two SCUBA dives with Bimini Undersea! Our first dive was at “Little Caverns”, a 70ft dive. Cat and Janan were buddies and enjoyed swimming around the large rocky clumps of coral. We especially liked seeing the lionfish! Even if they are pests (and invasive species), they sure look cool! Our second dive was at “The Strip”, which we both really enjoyed. It was a shallower dive to 40ft, and the visibility was great.
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