Our first full day here included an afternoon boat trip.
In fact, within about 10 minutes of heading east from the port, we sighted several dorsal fins from the surface. This was not an easy task as we had a solid 2 m swell. Our first entry was brief with 1 to 3 dolphins checking us out and heading away. A few minutes later we were back in the water with about 6 dolphins. They were coming and going and having fun surfing the waves.
Soon there were more than 20 dolphins 'swarming' all around the three of us in the water. I indulgently let myself believe that this was my 'welcome home' greeting since this was my first trip to sea for summer 2004 at Mikura. We saw two adult females with their 1 or 2 yr olds, followed by a mixed group of subadult and adult males and females. The latter group were involved in much social activity, and attempted mating.
In total, I recorded 36 minutes of film, mostly from two encounters with more than 25 dolphins. Let's hope the rest of the summer season is as prolific with data and dolphins!
Cheers
Kathleen