A picnic to Tabyana Beach in the afternoon and then data entry and an evening presentation The morning sessions are easier to handle for our surface observers as the sun is not as high and the temps not as hot nor humid. Everyone did well … though it seems the dolphins still hold several folks at rapt attention.
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Team #2 Learns the Ropes
A morning introduction to the data sheets and protocol … Nine eager individuals have joined us for this third and last week of field work at RIMS for this season, 2004. Four – Dave, David, Lois and April – were with us last year all on the same trip. (They failed the exam at the end of the week and had to come back.) Karen joined me in the Bahamas and Ron participated in Bahamas research and joined me in Japan for some observations of the dolphins.
Jeanne is here
Well, folks Hurricane Jeanne is here! Running water went out around noon and we lost internet and long distance phone lines for awhile, but electricity and cable stayed on consistently throughout the day and night. There seems to be more rain with Hurricane Jeanne than there had been with Frances, but this one is moving much faster and has a smaller diameter, so it was a breeze compared to Frances! And again, Bimini was very lucky and sustained very little damage relative to the other areas in Jeanne’s path.
Kristy leaves and Team #2 arrives
Saturday is our change-over day this season Today was a light day. I checked out the gear – lubing o-rings and reviewing tapes. I said goodbye to Kristy as she left to return to Florida, reality, and Hurricane Jeanne.
And, I greeted our next team – 9 people who've travelled to help with our data collection.
A Very Busy Day
Today was our first experience as guest teachers on Bimini. We spoke to over 60 students at the local Catholic school. Things were a little chaotic as it was “fun day,” but we were welcomed by teachers and students alike.
Jaw claps, again, and some early morning socializing
Two morning sessions and an afternoon physical After a few minutes, he turned his attention to Maury, where it remained for the next 30 minutes. There was relatively little activity this morning, except for Maury and Hector. Paya was still glued to Cedena's side and Rita was with Mrs. Beasly and Mr. French, Alita and Fiona.
Kristy was indoctrinated in MVA4 use, as she was the in-water operator for the second morning session.
AM socializing
Two sessions before 10:30 am Paya has decided not to leave Cedena's or Rita's sides, although he did greet me this morning briefly before rejoining the two adult females. Paya and Esteban usually do the dives, but lately Paya (more interested in the ladies than human dives) has declined to go. Esteban did today's dive and late day show solo.
Besides seeing Paya, I saw everyone this morning, even Carmella (who is very shy), Rita, Mrs. Beasly and her 1 month old calf, Mr. French.
Jaw claps prevail
Hector was in a bad mood this morning The underwater visibility was great, even considering a night of rain. The group was very social: there was much rubbing, speed swims, and chasing going on by the younger dolphins. For the first 10 minutes, Ronnie, Mika, and Maury seemed to delight, yet again, in pushing on my arms, the array, and my fins. Hardly the lack of interest I was hoping for, though soon they returned their atention to the other dolphins.
It seemed that Mika and Hector were at odds, and he repeatedly jaw clapped at her.
A visit by a wild dolphin group
At about 8:00 am, we saw a group of maybe 20 dolphins swim by We could not ID the species, but watched for about 5 minutes as wild dolphins passed by our cabin heading east.
Our am session – 30 minutes between 10:30 and 11:00 am- was plagued by a downpour! I was already wet from swimming, and Kristy got soaked too! The rain was loud underwater, but the visibility was clear and better than 15 meters. And, the dolphins were social and very vocal.
The dolphins were mostly in 1 or 2 groups.
A business-y sort of day
We are still trying to organize visits to the 3 local schools to give a talk about the spotted dolphins. We’ve followed up with the principals, but everyone is still getting settled into the new school year. We have been told that they will be in touch and since they all seem quite excited about the idea, we still have hope that things will come together before we leave. For anyone who has never been to the Bahamas, the term “island time” most certainly applies.