Yesterday was “August Monday” a holiday here in the Bahamas, so most of my errands couldn’t get done. So, it was a data entry day… Today, everything was open, so the morning was filled with errands before a 1530 dolphin trip. By 1700 we’d already been watching dolphins for a good bit. By the end of the day, we had spent more time in sight of dolphins (bottlenose & spotted) than without. That doesn’t happen very often, so we were all pretty excited.
Tag: older content
Packing Day Is Upon Us!
We leave tomorrow for Nassau & DE Tomorrow we meet the six kids from five BGCA groups that will join us in the Bahamas for our research at Dolphin Encounters (DE). Today and tonight is for packing gear and clothing. And, to be sure that we have all the permits and data sheets copied for travel.
MaryEllen, from the aquarium, is joining me to lead the trip. John is joining us to video-document the trip for the BGCA groups.
Dolphin trip #35
Today we saw dolphins very early, but a private US boat was also observing the group. It is a difficult dynamic between private foreign boats & local commercial boats, but things are usually handled quietly & respectfully. We observed the large (18+) group of spotted dolphins & while this other boat was in the area. Once it left, we tried for a swim, but the dolphins were still on the move. Shortly after a second private US boat came into the area, but after a nice radio conversation, they agreed to keep their distance from the animals.
Bimini Dolphin Research
Report # 14 Yet another tropical wave made its way over Bimini on Tuesday bringing much rain, lightning and wind for the rest of the week. Out of seven trips scheduled for this week only Wednesday's trip was cancelled due to unsafe weather conditions. Wave height and wind speeds varied much over the week, ranging between 1- 4 foot waves and wind speeds 3-15 knots. Out of the six survey trips conducted only one resulted in no sightings.
Busy boat
After a relaxing day off yesterday, it was back to the dolphin boat today. We departed with a full boat at 1623 and at 1729, in 51 feet of water, we were greeted by leaping dolphins! Finn (#09), Nemo (#76) and Leslie (#80) were there at first and by the end of the day we saw Romeo (#10), Lone Star (#56), Lil’ Jess (#35), unnamed #85 & 86 and several calves. There were 3 separate water entries so there should be some good video to log next week!
Where did the wind go?
Ah, calm as can be! The last few days are proof of how quickly things in the Bahamas can change. It was hot, hot, hot with zero wind today. So, it made for a very comfortable dolphin trip. We were able to observe dolphins from the boat for a good portion of the afternoon, although the underwater encounters were not very long. I did see Freckles (#15), Lumpy (#17) and possibly Niecey (#48)! Tomorrow is a day off and Saturday should be a Bimini Undersea boat trip! Until then,
Good phone calls
Monday’s & today’s phone call went well & kept me motivated despite cancelled boat trips. Today was even rougher than yesterday! Why are those smart NOAA forecasters getting Bimini all wrong?! Tomorrow is another dolphin trip – hopefully – so I’ll keep this field report short & save all the stories for when I have some! Until tomorrow,
An almost dolphin trip
Where did this southwest wind come from? That is definitely the question of the day. But, now the day is over, my real question is, when will it end? Today’s dolphin trip was cancelled due to strong winds & since the forecast calls for calmer conditions tomorrow, it has been rescheduled for then. Although, the forecast did not call for high winds today, so we’ll see what happens… Until next time,
Family time!
This morning included some much needed housekeeping before heading on a dolphin trip. I have the opportunity this week & next to join a different local swim-with-dolphins operation (www.biminiadventures.com). This is only while the Bimini Undersea dolphin schedule is quiet. The trip left at 1530, and although we did not return to the dock until 2030, we did not see dolphins. Although those trips are always disappointing, at least they are few & far between.
Some random days
I’m beginning to feel a bit more rested, but I must admit that Thursday & Friday were a bit of a blur. I did some much needed tidying & organizing while catching up on some office-like duties and finishing up the boat clean-up from the Orange Cay adventure. Today (Saturday) the afternoon was filled with two spotted dolphin mother/calf pairs. Trip #31 left the dock at 1641 and soon included the dolphins who seemed quite content to have the boat near them for the occasional bow ride. We observed the animals (including un-named #57 & 84 –