Category: Bimini

Wednesday was still quite breezy here in Bimini, but it was calm enough for an overdue dolphin trip with Bimini Adventures. We departed at 1500, hopeful, but realistic that we might need to turn back. Well, turn back we did not and, in case you weren’t sure, the title of this field report is very,… Continue reading My, my, are you feeling a bit shy?

Some of you may have seen my Facebook post earlier about this spring being bottlenose central…Well, it would appear the bottlenose wanted to be sure you got the message! On Thursday’s dolphin trip with Bimini Undersea, the seas were calmer and our patience was not tested. Early in the day we saw our first group of dolphins – at least eight bottlenose dolphins, including a few familiar faces. Well, okay, maybe not familiar faces, but their dorsal fins were familiar! We could tell pretty quickly that the group was crater feeding so into the water we went.

Thankfully, the weather calmed down enough for Wednesday’s dolphin trip with Bimini Undersea. As Adventurer headed out beneath sunny skies, I couldn’t help but notice how cheerful and engaging the day’s passengers were. As we weaved our way through the waves, I enjoyed my conversations and we all searched for dolphins. A couple of hours into the trip, most folks opted for a swim break, cooling off and reenergizing. It was on our way back toward Bimini that we saw the bottlenose dolphin.

Thursday afternoon’s dolphin trip with Bimini Adventures began like all trips – with high hopes and great passengers. The seas were calm and the sun was hot, so swim breaks were welcome. Not too far into the trip we came up a scattered bottlenose dolphin or two. But, aside from a few surfaces near the boat, it/they wanted nothing to do with us. So, we continued in search of others. Hopes were dwindling when we came upon another bottlenose dolphin, but sadly, this one showed no interest in us either.

Tuesday’s dolphin trip with Bimini Undersea was a beautiful one. We departed Bimini harbor shortly after 14:00 and were almost immediately greeted by bottlenose dolphins! At first we only saw one, then we saw a second…and soon we were up to five dolphins. They were a bit scattered and were not staying in one spot, so after 15 minutes of watching from the boat, we continued on.

Late last month I had the pleasure of visiting with the first round of students participating in Shedd Aquarium’s High School Marine Biology program. It was a great group – as was Wednesday’s! Both sets of students were engaged in the conversation and asked great questions….but then again, so did the teachers and boat captains!
Each year, I enjoy my visits with these groups. I appreciate their support and enthusiasm and the opportunity to share DCP’s work with them.

On Monday I joined a last-minute dolphin trip with Bimini Adventures. The boat was filled with excited kids and parents and we were all glad the seas were calm, and became even calmer as the day progressed. After two swim breaks and a couple hours of searching, we saw them! At first there were two Atlantic spotted dolphins – Stefran (#82) and an older calf/younger juvenile. Moments later Tina (#14) came to the bow.

I’ve been waiting all year for a visit from La7 TV’s Missione Natura and Friday and Saturday were it! It was a pleasure working with this team and being a part of their program. Thankfully, the weather cooperated giving us two days of calm seas in the midst of a wildly windy week. Although we got to see several species – a tiger shark, bottlenose dolphins, a single Atlantic spotted dolphin and a turtle, we did not get to observe/film the dolphins under water.

This week I had the pleasure of joining Bimini Undersea staff aboard the newly rebuilt, ‘Adventurer.’ Adventurer is a fantastic, workhorse of a boat who has served Bimini Undersea well over the years. This year meant a complete overhaul of the ol’ girl and she looks and rides fantastically! Although we did not see any dolphins on last Saturday’s trip, we did have the pleasure of observing two groups of bottlenose dolphin on Thursday.

Monday brought with it a last minute dolphin trip. As I waited on the dock for Bimini Undersea, I saw the rain clouds creeping in. Sure enough there was a shower, but it did nothing more than delay us. Soon we were departing the harbor under sunny skies. We did not have to wait too long and there they were – dolphins splashing in the distance. As we got closer we realized we were watching bottlenose dolphins.