Tag: older content

Data collection and a Free DayOur trip went by VERY swiftly this session but was very successful. The six students representing five clubs from the Boys & Girls Clubs did a great job assisting with data collection, learned much about the underwater world and Bahamian culture, and just plain had fun.

A visit to the Straw Market allowed several folks to get their hair braided (a must when you visit the Bahamas) as well as see the tourist sites down town.

For data, we collected 5.5 hours of video with several sessions done observing the mother/calf pairs.

Sea Lions, Dolphins, and Coral … oh my! The best laid plans and all that … we had our day all planned for learning about coral, sea lions and then more dolphins with the day finishing up with a swim with the dolphins. Alas, our scheduling was off, still we got everything in and had a great day!

The coral reef presentation finished with a walk along the shore to better understand the coastline and interaction between the shore and reef. We then got to briefly meet & learn about the sea lions who now call DE home.

Coral reefs, fish, a fast boat ride and a picnic lunch Today was a day for everyone to be in the water for lengthy periods of time. I was up and out early for the morning ferry ride to DE to continue recording the dolphins and their interactions. I was able to conduct three sessions – the young boys first, then the ladies – most of them.

Kathleen continued data collection. The BGCA group visited Ardastra Zoo, the Pirate Museum and the Pompei Museum. My (Kathleen’s) day began before sunrise as I prepared to take the early ferry to DE’s island to continue recording dolphin behavior and sounds. I was able to conduct two observation sessions. The morning was in pool 5 with Nina and Lagoona, Dot and Cacique, and Missy.

Meeting Goombay and Andy in the front pools was a delight The following comments are from each member of the group about their first experiences at DE.
Layla: The encounter was nice and I learned a bit more about the dolphins than I knew before. The weather is nice and I am glad I am here. This is a wonderful experience for me and I look forward to bringing it back to my people.
Johanna: This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be in a place like this, in the Bahamas.

Bad weather leads to flight delays and cancellations. Our drive to JFK is met with torrential rain, flooding on the highways, a mudslide on one of the roads just before JFK, horrible traffic, flight delays, a tornado that closed JFK for an hour and more. Amazingly, even the manhole covers on two highways were blown up! We missed one by inches, or so it seemed, as we drove towards JFK.