We woke to a downpour that did not deter our AM data collection session. The rain was next to nothing when Kathleen entered the water. The underwater visibility was really good and the current was up. The day, generally, was overcast with the sun trying unsuccessfully to break through the clouds. The dolphins were playful and energetic. Ronnie, Gracie, Poli, Gizmo and a few others each had varying amounts of seagrass on multiple body parts. The featured photo shows Ronnie trying to entice Kathleen to play with him. (She took a rain check!)
Breakfast was nourishing and delicious and preceded our morning in the classroom. We reviewed the AM video and got more practice remembering/recognizing the dolphin IDs … and improved on stating the marks before calling out random dolphin names! We watched Elli’s calf move around between several dolphins and even spend a bit of time on his own! He’s gaining more independence!
Wrapping up the video review was perfect timing to greet Samir, AKR GM, for a Q&A discussion about the resort’s history, sustainability practices, and more. We learned much and very much appreciated his time from his busy schedule. Two more activities filled our classroom time – the first was watching the 21-minute video DCP has created for Loro Parque Fundación about killer whales and the research DCP does about them, similar to DCP’s studies of other dolphins. It is very informative and engaging. The film was followed by another paper discussion and then lunch. Our chocolate cake lovers catered their sweet tooth(s) (at breakfast, too!) while most of the rest of us enjoyed homemade coconut ice cream … though not from the ones Cody cracked open!
Justin granted us some free time this afternoon to work on our portfolios, join the afternoon snorkel boat, or observe the dolphins … and to maybe catch up on a bit of rest (aka nap). It was a restful afternoon punctuated by a squall/rainstorm but also a time for reflection on our week so far.
Kristen – Shout out to Kathleen for getting us chocolate cake for dessert at breakfast!
Michaela – Shout out to Kathleen for getting me ice tea at dinner!
Camdyn – I love platform 3 – #KD attracts dolphins!
Madison – I’m so happy with how much more comfortable I am at ID’ing the dolphins.
Cody – Island limbo king, coconut master. Still feels like a vacation!
Annabelle – Seeing baby (calf) starting to swim by himself was the best part of today.
David – I can’t believe we only have 1 full day left. I never want to leave.
Grace – I had a lot of fun with my classmates last night and I enjoyed the extra bit of free time today so I could nap.
Roxanne – Justin has picked the coolest group and I’m almost angry that I haven’t met some of them sooner.
Emma – I discovered that I am really really bad at playing pool.
Aubrey – The rain couldn’t put a damper on my tanning time.
Emma J – I almost got swept away by a wave but it’s okay because I found a really cool snail.
Jamie – I think I have seen more different kinds of fish this week than I have in my life.
Justin – I’m excited to see how comfortable students are becoming at identifying dolphins.
Manon – It was interesting to watch the calf swim by himself during this morning data collection while Rocky was playing with his brother through the net just a few meters behind the calf.
Tomorrow is our last full day, and we look forward to another data collection session.
Cheers
The URI RAMbling Pod