On Wednesday morning, we went through ¾ of the underwater still photos collected during Tuesday’s amazing swim with bottlenose dolphins. Although many of the photographs were more suitable for behavior documentation and not photo-ID, we were able to confirm that Tt15 was in the group! The “Tt” in the ID code stands for “Tursiops truncatus” which is the Latin, or scientific, name for a bottlenose dolphin. We were thrilled to confirm this ID as well as add additional sections of its body to Tt15’s ID files. The afternoon brought dolphin trip #4 of the week.
Tag: older content
Wind won’t stop us!
Monday afternoon’s dolphin trip was bumpy and well, dolphin-free. Although we kept our spirits high and stayed optimistic, we did not see any dolphins. On Tuesday morning, the SCS team had a chance to explore North Bimini, including the small museum. At 1430, we left the dock. We chatted with our captain and prepared ourselves for even choppier seas. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, was a bottlenose dolphin! We became very enthusiastic only to lose sight of the dolphin.
Welcome SCS!
On Sunday morning, three members of the Swiss Cetacean Society arrived in Bimini. After settling into the Sea Crest Hotel & Marina, we left the dock in search of dolphins. It has been very windy here in Bimini so we were not sure how much time we would be able to spend in search of dolphins. About an hour into the boat trip, the participants hopped in the warm sea to test their snorkel gear and practice getting on and off the boat.
Some choppy weather and then, some dolphins!
The weather kept us back at the dock a bit this week. We did have a dolphin trip on Tuesday, but it was abbreviated because the chop was too severe for this week’s guests to safely get on and off the boat. So, we headed back to the dock hoping Mother Nature would calm down. On Wednesday the conditions were not any better, so it was a computer day. Thankfully, Thursday was significantly calmer so we headed out for the group’s final day. We had to wait awhile, but we did see two older calves/young juveniles.
Mega-Dolphins
We departed the Sea Crest Marina Sunday afternoon in the sunshine and heat, ready once again for dolphins. Although we had to wait a bit, we saw them – lots of them. At first we saw Tilly (#87) and some other youngsters. We had two opportunities to see the dolphins under water and there were so many! On the second entry, I counted at least 28! Included in the group, by the end of both swims, we’d seen Tina (#14), Lone Star (#56), Nemo (#76), Speedy (#78), Addie (#84), Tilly (#87) and many others.
Clear water, Friendly dolphins
A burst of high winds postponed our dolphin trip on Friday, but Saturday sure did work out well! We left the dock at 1530 and headed into calm seas, although there was a ground swell making the boat rock a bit. We were of course keeping our eyes out for dolphins, but it was once again them who found us. At first, we had Tina (#14), Speedy (#78) and Tilly (#87) checking out our bow and surfing in the swells.
A wild weather week
This field report is a wrap up for the last of this year’s scheduled dolphin weeks with Bill & Nowdla Keefe’s Wild Dolphin Adventures. We had a small, but enthusiastic group of passengers who, among other qualities, was thankfully very patient. Our first trip was scheduled to be Sunday, but the frequent squalls kept us at the dock. On Monday, we headed into the wind, hoping for some better luck. Unfortunately, a new squall built up and crossed our path, sending us back to the safety of the dock.
Introducing….Addie!
A playful, young dolphin from our Bimini, Bahamas field site has received her name! ID#084 is now known as “Addie.” Addie is a juvenile female who was first added to our photo-ID catalog in 2006. She is the independent offspring of Trudy (#57) and received her name from DCP supporter Sandra Roberts. Now that Addie’s name is official, you can support DCP’s research and education programs by adopting her today! Want something a little more flattering? How about a nice comfy t-shirt with her image front and center? Click to adopt Addie or click to shop Addie Gear.
Poor visibility won’t stop a dolphin swim!
We departed the dock Friday afternoon with a full boat of excited passengers. The seas were a bit choppy, but nothing we couldn’t handle. We saw the dolphins fairly early – a group of five relatively young dolphins were ready and willing to ride the bow of the boat. Included in the group were Tina (#14), Addie (#84) and Tilly (#87). Addie is our newest Bimini dolphin to receive a name through DCP’s Name-A-Dolphin program.
A beautiful day in the – dolphin – neighborhood
Wednesday was another great day in Bimini. We headed out confident (as always) that we would see our spotted (or bottlenose) friends. We got a quick glimpse of what appeared to be a lone bottlenose dolphin, but it appeared to be actively avoiding the boat – so we headed on our way. With the sun setting earlier these days, we were beginning to worry about not seeing more dolphins as the sun dipped lower and lower in the sky.