When we first arrived, we helped do a bit of research –
Kathleen deployed the “yellow baby” (aka the SM2M unit) and also helped Rebecca
finish up some of her control sessions. We were then guinea pigs and got to
snorkel in the new snorkel area being planned for guests between the sea lions
and dolphins. We saw a HUGE lobster and a few tinier fish.
After our snorkel, we got the chance to watch a sea lion
training session and encounter.
We got lost on the way to our beach clean up and got to see more of the island. When we finally got there, we had lots and lots of trash to clean up. There were log sheets to have an idea of the type of trash that was collected.
Lunch was had at the fish fry – specifically at Goldie’s – and several of us tried Bahamian food. This included Bahamian mac and cheese, plantain, and cracked conch.
P.S. This, the second photo from Monday, photo shows Kathleen holding the SM2M unit to collect click trains from the dolphins.
The audio file (below) depicts about 15 seconds of clicks.
We had our dolphin encounter on Monday – we got to dance with, get a kiss from, and hug a dolphin. The encounter, with Missy, was awesome! The dolphin skin felt like a hardboiled egg.
We also learned about husbandry behaviors and why they are important for dolphins. Then, we went to the classroom and had a chat with Sara – the vet tech for DE.
We woke very early to head to Dolphin Encounters (DE). It was just getting light and we had a nice morning walk to the ferry port for our ride to Blue Lagoon Island. The rain followed us to DE, and arrived the same time we did.
The dolphins greeted us, which was cool to see and hear. Annette oriented us to the facilities and gave us name-specific ID badges. We helped put together Dr. Singer’s apparatus and ran through practice on how to work it … i.e., practice trials. Then we helped Dr. D.
It was sunny this Sunday morning! We ate pancakes! We swam with sharks!
The snorkeling was different from our snorkels in Bimini. It was cool to see lots of fish, but the dive masters were feeding the fish. It was not natural. The fish were almost in your face because of the feeding. The feeling was really touristy.
The shark snorkel was cool but it also was not natural – chum was put in the water after we had been in the water. The shark snorkel was not free swim.
The day started early and beautifully! We needed to say bye to Kel, Al and everyone on Bimini for our trek to Nassau. We reversed our arrival by riding the ferry taxi to South Bimini for the airplane ride to Nassau. And then, we sat in the airport “forever” … our first sunny day in what felt like a week … spent inside an airport waiting for our plane to arrive.
We brought the rain to Nassau – flying threw a few thunderheads – but it didn’t last all day. We arrived to Sunrise Beach Condo and settled in.
Whether you’re a young student interested in learning more about dolphin biology, a college student looking for internship experiences working with dolphins, or a seasoned researcher hoping to connect with colleagues on topics of dolphin behavior, ecology, or cognition, you’ve come to the right place.
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