Category: Blog & Field Reports

Today was a long but full day and included dolphin observations, classroom lectures, panoramic photo training, GPS-use training, a bird-ID challenge, reef snorkeling from shore, an inter-tidal critter hunt (with cameras!), and the fish ID lecture in the RIMS classroom. Of course, meals and water taxi rides punctuated those events!

Here, some of us return after picking up our snorkel gear from the dive shop (Thanks Brie!).

Below is everyone’s favorite part of their day …

Dr. K – My favorite thing of today was when Dr.

We traveled from three different cities to all converge on Roatan … and we all made it! The cover photo is the group after getting to AKR, but before taking the water taxi to the key and our rooms!

Of course, we were all more awake than our first group morning photo … taken at San Antonio airport!

After settling in our rooms and shifting to shorts from travel wear, we went to the RIMS classroom and got oriented to Roatan, AKR, and introduced to the research and our week.

Finally, after almost 19 months of waiting, the St. Mary’s University (StMU) student group is heading to Roatan with DCP! Our program was postponed from the original dates in March 2020, due to COVID and caution. But, this morning, we all completed our Honduras Pre-Check forms online and reviewed logistics for tomorrow’s travel. Excitement is in the air! We are all looking forward to traveling to Roatan and Anthony’s Key Resort (AKR). There are 15 students and two professors from StMU and me from DCP joining this group.

While I, John, Dave, Chris, and Louise went to Bailey’s Key for our last data observation session this morning, Ron, Don, Jill & Bill went in search of sharks! They did a morning dive looking for sharks (and found some) with a second, follow up dive cleaning the coral tree PVC mounts as a contribution to coral restoration this morning.

We had almost everyone join us for the morning dolphin data collection observations. We rode to Baileys Key in the water taxi before many other guests were up … you can see we are all smiles and ready to greet the day! There was some sea grass play this morning – among the dolphins and with a few observers around the lagoon periphery! Louise did her first session as data recorder (with Ron).

My morning session had Champ, Lenca, and Stan enamored of my fins. They socialized with each other also. There were some chases and lots of whistles and other vocalizations. The programs were light at Bailey’s Key this morning, so I was able to get a second observation session in at about 9:30 AM. And, we could say Happy Birthday to Bailey! We learned from Meredith that she’s 16 today. The second session was just adult females and younger calves. It was delightful to see Gracie, Calli, Elli, and Alita with and without calves nearby.

For most of us, the morning dawned early and bright. For a few of us, morning was a tad later as they prepared for the morning dive or snorkel. John, Chris, and Dave joined me this morning for my observations and data collection at Bailey’s Key. The main lagoon was deceptively quiet with little surface activity.

This morning’s data collection session was about 30 minutes with exceptionally good underwater visibility! Thankfully, only a few dolphins showed serious interest in my fins today with Sandy and Tank spending their curiosity on my fins during the first part of the session and Stan and Champ wrapping up the session with a full-on wiggle session near my fins! Calli, Poli and Elli (see cover photo) each invited me to play with sea grass … tempting as their gestures were, I resisted and watched them play with the sea grass with each other in a sort of keep-away game.

I was able to collect 40 minutes of video this morning of dolphins that seemed really happy to see me! They all had smiles! Ok, that’s really anthropomorphic … but it did seem like several of the young dolphins had missed my fins as play toys! There were LOTS of whistles and bubble streams and much chasing and play behavior. Our group met me at the water taxi at 6:30 and I was in the water about 20 minutes later.

We all made it to Roatan without a hitch, even though a few connections in Atlanta were tight! I am usually on one of the early arrival flights but today, everyone else arrived before Ron, Bill, John, and me! It felt like coming home to AKR and RIMS. It was delightful to see everyone – staff and DCP participants alike! I even got to see several of the trainers this afternoon; the dolphins will wait until tomorrow morning as I had to put the array together.