A surprise boat trip thanks to Typhoon #6.
Yes, it is true the effects of the 6th typhoon are being felt at Mikura with the increasing height of the waves and the decreasing visbility because of the waves against the shore. But, an unseen effect is that almost all the ~120 guests that were to visit Mikura this weekend, cancelled. The island is oddly quiet for a weekend.
The sea to the NE and E of Mikura was the best for observing dolphins and the visbility was typically less than 3-4 m and was silty. The dolphins 'seemed to know' that rough water was approaching as for the second day in a row, they were not interested in slowing down to check us out, or in playing among themselves. Slow swims, gliding along the bottom and long down-times.
We did however see a brand new calf! We have to review the video to confirm it's mom's identity, but we saw it upclose twice. The dorsal fin tip and fluke tips are still a bit folded and the calf is wobbly. Very cool … The three of us and the senshoo all voiced that we hope this little calf fairs well in the coming stormy weather.
I doubt we'll be at sea tomorrow … but we will be watching from shore.
Cheers
Kathleen