Category: Bimini 2010

At 1500 it was time for another unexpected dolphin trip – no complaints here! Today’s trip was with two filmmakers, so it was set up to be my first observation of the dolphins with SCUBA divers. The seas were very calm, but we still couldn’t help but wonder if the dolphins would be a no show. Then…we saw them. Then…we didn’t. We waited for a few minutes and sure enough, there they were. It was a large group with at least 6 spotteds and 4 bottlenose.

Today began with emails and website and manuscript reviews. It was very productive, but was interrupted by a surprise dolphin trip – oh, darn! We left the harbor soon after 1600 and kept our eyes on the sea, looking for that telltale splash or dorsal fin breaking the surface. We were not disappointed and saw… Continue reading Office Morning, Boat Afternoon

Thursday was the final full day of the 2010 Bimini Eco-Tour. We began with our usual morning meeting, reviewing photos and videos from the day before, discussing hot dolphin topics and chatting about all types of other things – including the great new bakery in Alice Town! Everyone had a few hours free to eat lunch, explore, swim at the beach, anything. Around 1515, our dolphin boat arrived (thank you Bill, Nowdla & the rest of the Wild Dolphin Adventures crew!) and we were headed out.

Wednesday morning we reviewed photos and videos from yesterday’s trip and chatted about dolphins. Two of us opted to take a mangrove tour, which included a visit to Bimini’s “Healing Hole,” a natural sulfur spring located within the mangroves. It was nice to see the “other” side of Bimini! On the boat, we headed straight in search of dolphins. We were not disappointed as we found a mother/calf group very quickly! Some of the same dolphins were there as we saw on Tuesday, including Niecey (#48 – with calf?) and un-ID #91.

Unfortunately, we experienced the disappointment of no dolphins on Monday’s dolphin trip. The seas were much calmer, however, so at least it made for a nice boat ride! With optomistic spirits, we headed out into even calmer seas on Tuesday… After a nice snorkel stop at “3 Sisters”, we continued our search. We were not disappointed as we found a mother/calf group very early! At first, there were 4 mother/calf pairs (all Atlantic spotted dolphins), but the group size grew to at least 14 individuals! Plus, we could see even more dolphins in the distance.

Sunday was Day 1 of DCP’s 2010 Bimini eco-tour! Our three participants arrived safely and after orientation, we were headed in search of dolphins with Bill & Nowdla Keefe! Unfortunately, the seas were on the rough side, but we have high hopes that things will calm down over the course of the week. Our first stop was “Rainbow Reef” and a chance for everyone to practice with their snorkel gear and getting on and off the boat. Everyone did fantastically! We ventured into the “dolphin grounds” although we knew we might not be able to stray too far.

On Wednesday, Tara arrived in Bimini. She’ll be helping out at the field site for the next month or so. We spent the day completing orientation – where to go, what to do and testing out snorkeling equipment. We’re so glad to have her! Thursday was hot, but quite windy in Bimini. But, we were lucky enough to join an unexpected dolphin trip (www.biminiadventures.com). Thankfully the wind did not seem to bother the dolphins at all! Not too far from shore, we spotted a couple of bottlenose dolphins.

Wow. Saturday was HOT. But hot in Bimini usually means calm seas and today it was definitely calm! It felt like we could see forever… The dolphins, unfortunately were nowhere to be seen. We looked and we looked. And we looked some more. Then – splashes. Big splashes. Lots of splashes. Sure enough, it was dolphins! The group of Atlantic spotted dolphins was scattered, but relatively large with at least 15 individuals in the area. There were lots of bait fish and sea birds, but the dolphins did not seem interested in the small fish.

Friday morning began with a farewell to the UNB Squad. So, everyone reading is stuck with me again! It was a great week with the students – I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did! It was a quick turnaround as I joined another dolphin trip (www.biminiadventures.com). The sun was shining and the heat was up, but everyone was excited to see some dolphins! We were not disappointed and saw several different groups throughout the afternoon.

We departed the dock on Thursday at 930 to head to “Honeymoon Harbor” to feed and observe some southern stingrays. Immediately out of the harbor, we saw bottlenose dolphins! There appeared to be at least 36 in the group – very large for Bimini. We’ll work toward confirming this number when we look at the photographs. They were traveling north so we observed them as they passed by. We observed two fluke slaps and some porpoising.