I collected about 24 min of underwater video with the seven male dolphins on Monday morning. The visibility was very silty underwater … about 3-4 m distance but cloudy, like fog underwater. Also, the younger males decided to be 'stealth dolphins' on this session. They would swim up behind me without any vocalizations! All of s sudden they were on my side or swimming from underneath me. It is difficult to actually document behavior and interaction when you cannot follow them for periods of time. 🙂
The rest of the day was spent reacquainting myself from the surface with the other dolphin's scars and marks. Reviewing the ID album as it were. And, also watching Lucky for a bit of time. Lucky is a loggerhead sea turtle that is about 375 lbs. She found her way into the DE lagoon area after a run in with a shark, most likely a tiger shark. She is missing her left front flipper.
Lucky has found a home at DE and a regular fish diet. This photo shows her receiving her afternoon meal. I must admit to thinking she has the trainers more trained for her than vice versa. She spends most of her time below the water's surface … and keeps some of the dolphins on the tips of their fins!
The wind howled all night long! And, it is still blowing. The sea is churned and visibility likely still icky. So, I will visit the Department of Marine Resources today. This is the government office for permits to study marine mammals in The Bahamas. I have some reports to deliver and need to pick up the DCP permits for our studies in The Bahamas.
Hopefully the wind will decrease today and be better again tomorrow for data collection.
Cheers
Kathleen