Wednesday’s adventures began with a nice talk with the guests of Bimini Adventures. We met with the group around 1300 and discussed DCP, the dolphin population around Bimini, and the research conducted. Kel led the chat; while Amy and Alexis assisted with answering the many fantastic questions we were asked. It was wonderful discussing things that everyone in the room seemed so curious and passionate about. Thanks to this group for their support!

A little later we prepared for our boat trip, which left at its usual 15:00 start time, but this time we were lucky enough to have Kel join us on the boat! With a windy morning, the seas were a bit choppier than we have had the past few days, but nothing, not even a few waves could stop us; or so we thought. Although the waves didn’t pose a problem and actually calmed down the longer we were on the boat, a storm (pictured here) was looming off in the distance potentially threatening our trip. We managed to stay out for almost 2 full hours before captains Al and Audley decided it was time to turn in and make it back to shore before the storm hit the island. At that point we had yet to see any dolphins, but were hopeful that we may spot a few on the way back. Unfortunately, the dolphins never appeared for us. Instead we took a brief swim break to allow everyone to cool off and enjoy some good old fashion swim time, then headed back to shore just as the rain drops started falling.

Hopefully tomorrow we will have more cooperative weather and lots of dolphins!!!

Sayonara muchachos,
Amy, Alexis, & Kel

After two exciting days of bottlenose dolphin encounters, it almost looked as though we’d have to stay inside today; a thunderstorm struck us in the hour before our scheduled boat trip. Magically, the sun came out just in the nick of time, and we headed out on calm seas to search for dolphins. An hour into our trip, at 16:14, we spied three spotted dolphins immediately ahead of us. As we approached, the three adult dolphins raced to ride the wake of our bow. Alexis recognized Split Jaw (#22, pictured here) among them. It was cool to see how much he’d changed since she’d seen him last, and even cooler that she still knew him! As we observed them from the surface, the dolphins stuck close to the boat, appearing to invite us for a swim. We jumped into the water expecting a leisurely encounter with just three dolphins, but once underwater we were delighted to discover a new group of at least 20 spotted dolphins joining us! In an instant we were surrounded by spotted dolphins - yesterday’s wish come true! As we observed them, we saw a lone bottlenose dolphin in their midst, who unsuccessfully tried to mate with a few spotteds (they’d have none of it!). The dolphins were in a playful mood, with one young spotted dolphin even leaping exuberantly into the air during our swim. With such a large group, we had ample chance to observe behavioral interactions. We documented jawing and tail slaps, but also observed dolphins swimming side-by-side with their pectoral fins overlapping as if holding hands. We stayed with this group, which included Prince William (#64) and Speedy (#78), for nearly two hours before the weather finally caught up with us and we were forced to turn in.

Never mind the threatening weather, we’re grateful for a perfect day on (and in) the water!

Cowabunga Dudes,

Amy, Alexis & Kel

Monday was the second day on the water for the summer interns and the conditions were perfect (calm and beautiful). We headed out of the Sea Crest a little after 15:00 and were about to take a gear check/snorkel stop for some of our new guests, when all of a sudden we saw a single bottlenose dolphin surfacing in between crater feeding spurts at the bottom of the ocean. Alexis managed to take a few surface photographs of the dolphin’s dorsal fin while the gear check commenced. Once the passengers were back on board we headed out in pursuit of a livelier bunch of dolphins! Almost an hour and a half later we spotted a group of approximately 10 bottlenose dolphins that seemed to be sticking around for us. Once geared up, we headed in to a fairly social and interactive group. We were able to have 2 encounters with these dolphins allowing Amy and Alexis to take underwater video, underwater still photographs and above water still photographs! The dolphins seemed more curious than normal coming very close and swimming in and out of our group. We spotted 2 relatively young individuals and what looked like an attempted nursing event (which Alexis thinks she may have gotten on video)! After a while the dolphins seemed less interested in us, so we hopped back on the boat and headed back toward Bimini hoping we may see some more along the way. We were almost back, when all of a sudden Alexis spotted 2-3 dolphins surfacing in the distance. Unfortunately it was getting late and the sun was going down, so we continued heading in.

Today was a great day. Now, Amy is praying to get an encounter with some spotteds tomorrow! Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Over and out,
Alexis, Amy & Kel

On Sunday, Alexis and Amy eagerly boarded DCP’s boat for our first boat trip of the season! Only 20 minutes into the trip, we encountered a group of 15-20 bottlenose dolphins, including at least 3 calves. We hopped into the water and found that they were crater feeding on the sandy bottom, with a nurse shark lurking nearby (hoping for a handout, no doubt!). Although busy searching for food, the dolphins were inquisitive when surfacing, swimming within a foot of us and checking out our equipment with their eyes and sonar. We saw several distinctive individuals, including one with a stubby pectoral fin. We swam with them for about 20 minutes before returning to the boat to let them focus on their hunt for food.

At 18:20 we suddenly had 10 spotted dolphins riding our bow, including three calves. It was Amy’s first time seeing spotted dolphins, and she happily snapped photos from the bow, surprised by how small they were in comparison to the bottlenose dolphins we’d seen. Unfortunately the spotted dolphins didn’t stick around for long, so we weren’t able to get into the water to confirm identities.
After the boat trip, we headed back to the computers to check out the underwater photos from our swim with the bottlenose dolphins; Amy was relieved to find that she had taken usable shots as it had been her first time using an underwater camera. Here, you can see how many spots this bottlenose dolphin has! We're off to a good start and can’t wait to see what tomorrow’s boat trip brings. Hopefully our next group of spotted dolphins will allow us to join them for a swim!

Cowabunga Dudes,
Amy, & Alexis

Although most of our field reports from Bimini revolve around boat trips searching for and observing dolphins, Monday was packed with land activities. The day began with a visit by Kel to the Coral Reef II (Shedd Aquarium). Kel visited with the first round of High School Marine Biology program participants and despite the early hour, the students were full of fantastic questions and insights. It was a struggle to wrap up after 90 minutes – we probably could have talked about dolphins all day! A huge thanks goes to the students as well as their instructors and, as always, the great boat crew.

Meanwhile, two of DCP’s 2014 summer interns were on their way south. It was Alexis’ and Amy’s first day in Bimini. For Alexis it was her first day back since August 2011 and boy was she happy to return to this beautiful little island. This was Amy’s very first time to The Bahamas, let alone Bimini, so today was an exciting day full of new sights and sounds. For both, the day began very early (3:40 and 4:20 am) leaving PA and NJ, respectively. We both arrived safe and sound to Florida; unfortunately Amy’s luggage did not seem to make the journey. Nonetheless, we met up at the airport and boarded our puddle jumper plane to Bimini. We were greeted on the island by a quick, but fierce, rain storm that passed, and then Kel and Miles! Once we settled into our new digs we began assembling brand spanking new intern bikes, yippee! Kel then briefed us on all the exciting tasks we have for the next few weeks. We ended the day with a delicious leftover dinner with Kel and Miles, followed by a beautiful sunset in our backyard! Aside from misplaced luggage, it has been a great start and we are super excited for the next few days!

Over and out,
Kel, Alexis & Amy

On Wednesday, I was thrilled to be headed into the dolphin grounds after so many days off the boat. Bimini Adventures had a group of ten and their smiling faces and good attitudes had us really hoping for a great day. The sun was shining and the breeze was just right….but, where were the dolphins? Oh, there they are!

We saw some biiiiig splashing and a few minutes later we reached a group of six dolphins: 2 bottlenose and 4 spotted. The two male bottlenose were in calm pursuit of the spotteds, giving us great views of their interactions at the surface. When the spotteds weren’t directly interacting with the bottlenose, they were bowriding. The group was moving too swiftly for an underwater observation, so we enjoyed the show from the boat. Soon, it was time to head back and the guests took this opportunity to give a dolphin swim a shot. They were not disappointed as the dolphins came right up to each of them!

A great day for some great guests!

Until next time,
Kel

I find myself ready for a break after our field courses, as just about anyone would. But as I say goodbye to the students (and professors!), I mean it when I say I wish they weren’t going. Can’t we all just take a day off and then have the class start right up again?

I must extend a huge thank you to Dr. Yeater and her students. This group stayed focused and excited throughout their entire 12 night course. You were a pleasure to have and even though I might need a new hard drive just to store all the photos and videos you took (oh, what an awful problem!), I do hope each and every one of you had a positive experience. Our course wrapped up with a beach clean-up, free time to explore Bimini, a final photo-ID session, a dock-side BBQ with fellow hotel guests and a stop at Sherry’s Beach Bar. A fantastic finale to a fantastic course.

Until next time,
Kel

On Friday, we discussed eco-tourism, including the benefits of helping people connect with the environment and animals, but that regulations must be in place (and enforced) to minimize the negative impacts. We reflected on how we have behaved as eco-tourists during this course. We realized how we all need to be reminded about our impacts; we are all interested and aware (and interested in becoming more aware), so as a group we are already interested in reducing our impact. For others, who may not be conscious of the environment while they travel, getting them to care may be more difficult. In addition to the environment, it is important to consider the impact on the local community and how your tourism can, and should, benefit them.  We looked to the scientific literature and learned about short and long-term effects of dolphin watching boats on certain bottlenose dolphins. We can use research to inform policy makers so that regulations are scientifically informed.

Then it was time to get out of the classroom for a bit and we headed to the Bimini Museum. We divided into three teams and went on a fact-finding mission. It is a quaint little museum, but it really is filled with a lot of local history. Some of the signs were in need of repair, but it was very informative. Next it was lunch – baked potatoes! – then a 1400 boat departure.

Our boat trip began with bottlenose dolphins. But, we decided to only observe them for a couple of minutes as we knew boats had been observing them all morning. We could tell just from the boat that there was at least one individual that we had already seen. Next, we made our way to the snorkel stop…the boat began to slow and we thought, “Oh, why are we stopping in the middle of nowhere?” It was an “ocean donut” – The Hesperus. This old barge sits on the sea floor with tons of fish! This artificial reef was a popular spot for barracuda and a few lionfish. At the edges of the sand, we saw a nurse shark and more southern stingrays. There were ocean triggerfish and of course, the wreck itself. We returned to the boat and headed home, keeping our eyes out for dolphins on the way. Aaaaand….off Bimini, we saw another group of bottlenose! This group of at least 11 bottlenose were busy traveling north. We didn’t get in the water, but hey, that’s research. We still got photo-ID photos and saw chin-slapping and side breaching. And after so many dolphins all course, we’re all happy!

Back on shore, we enjoyed (really, enjoyed) an authentic Bahamian dinner cooked by Ms. Stephie. Baked chicken, mac n cheese and peas n rice…mmmmm. We ended the night with a fun film, “We Bought A Zoo.” We should have bought tissues for this emotional rollercoaster, but the challenges surrounding animals in captivity and the message of enriching the lives of those animals fit well with previous course discussion.

Thanks for following,
“Cetacean Nation” (SHU 2014)

Thursday our day began in its typical fashion, with breakfast and a class session. We did our field report and then suddenly it was time to make our lunches. We had to make our lunch early because we had a picnic lunch on the boat! We departed at 11:00 a.m. and headed south to Triangle Rocks. On the way, we even got to see a group of dolphins, most likely bottlenose, but not confirmed. Here got a briefing – which scared some of us! – before putting “chum” in the water for Caribbean reef sharks, and a few sharpnose sharks! Some of us were so scared at first, and for others, we found ourselves more calm once we were actually in the water in the sharks. The sharks distracted some of us from our buddy system, while others found ourselves glued to our buddies. Some of us saw a very large spotted eagle ray and our first remoras, some free swimming and some attached to the sharks. We all stayed together, behind the anchor line, with our captain assuring us that we’d be “fine” as long as we stayed behind this imaginary line. We’re not sure the sharks got that message! After the sharks took a bite of their snacks, they would swim by and check us out. There were at least 8-10 reef sharks, plus the sharpnose sharks. At the end of our swim, with all of us back on the boat, Captain Al gave us all a good look as he tied bait to a line and manipulated where the sharks would pursue it.

Back on the boat, we all enjoyed our lunches on the way to Honeymoon Harbour, a section of Gun Cay. We hopped into the water fin-free, but quickly realized that we were all more comfortable with our fins. So, with those on our feet, we had lots of time to feed the southern stingrays. They are so “friendly,” especially the very large one. As we fed them squid, some rays were efficient at getting them, while others weren’t so great at it! At one point, a fish stole squid right out of our hands! We were impressed at how smooth the rays’ skin is – and they came close enough we had lots of chances to touch them. For us, this was a great experiential learning opportunity. We did not even know we were going to be able to have this experience and for some of us, it was outside our comfort zone and some of us came away saying it was a favorite element of the course!

On the way home, we saw dolphins – again! This time, it was definitely bottlenose dolphins. There were at least five to eight, but they were scattered so it was hard to get a good count and it is very likely there were more. We got some photos and could already tell that some of the dolphins were the same individuals that we had seen the day before! Our captains let us watch from the boat for a while, before we really headed for home. Or not, because then we saw a huge loggerhead turtle! Captain Al estimated this turtle weighed 300 lbs! After this, we headed home. Really.

Back in class we discussed interspecific interactions, specifically between bottlenose and Atlantic spotted dolphins in The Bahamas. Then, to wrap up our exciting day, we got to be the ones who added ID#103 to DCP’s spotted dolphin photo-ID catalog (pictured here)! From watching video, we confirmed that this calf is a female; it will take more observations to determine who its mother is.

What will our last boat trip, tomorrow, bring?
“Cetacean Nation” (SHU 2014)

On Wednesday morning, we discussed last night’s film and dolphin cognition. There is great research that is ongoing, but many questions remain unanswered. What is the importance of self-recognition? Do dolphins have Theory of Mind? We caught up on other readings as well, including “sponging” by dolphins which may be an element of culture. The specific tool use is currently passed down through matrilineal lines (vertical transmission of culture!). We found it interesting that it is the females who show this behavior. Other readings included DCP’s research into pectoral fin contact and other work on coefficients of association among female spotted dolphins.

After class, we got away from dolphin discussions and got to see the island and experience some of its culture. We toured all of gigantic Bimini aboard the Bimini Tram. With Lorrick as our guide, we passed the goats, a golf cart repair “shop,” and the local baseball field. Along the way Lorrick shared Bimini facts, including that several young Biminites were recently drafted to Major League Baseball teams. We saw Resorts World Bimini’s property and now have a better sense of the development that we have been referencing all week. We stopped at the Porgy Bay Park playground while we waited for Stuart’s Conch Stand to open. The empty conch shells were used to create a pen for live conch. In order to catch the conch, a fisherman gets towed behind a small boat, diving down when they swim over the conch. We didn’t know that conch have pearls and we tried our hand at getting the conch out of their shells (harder than it looks!). Some of us were brave enough to eat the conch pistol before trying the conch salad we came for. Then it was back aboard the tram to Sea Crest.

After a late lunch, we headed on the boat. We have had such great success so far, we told ourselves that we couldn’t expect that every day. Aaaaaand – we saw both species! At 16:45, we saw 2 young Atlantic spotteds. The group size quickly grew to 9 individuals, including 2 calves. It looked like there were only two adults, likely the two mothers. There was a lot of pectoral fin rubbing and petting (perhaps some tactile communication!). Under water, we saw a calf with a big, dark mark across the right side of its face. We’ll look at the video Kel recorded, and the photos and video we all took, soon. Some of the dolphins were playing with sargassum, including carrying it on their flukes. There were tassel barnacles on some of their flukes –something we had just discussed in class. We are all getting the lingo down and translating what we learn in class to observations in the field. Some of us saw a barracuda near the dolphins and a school of small fish. There was active rubbing from one juvenile’s pec fin to another’s genital region: perhaps an example of socio-sexual play.

On the ride back to shore, we all were starting to get pretty comfortable, enjoying our ride. Suddenly, Dr. Yeater called out, “Dolphins!” At first we thought it would just be a handful of bottlenose dolphins, but the group size was soon at least 13. They were on the move, traveling north. We turned around to follow them and collect dorsal fin photos for ID work. There were a lot of distinctive fins and we saw synchronous swimming (surfacing and diving). One was “chuffing” – a loud exhale, displacing water. The dolphins were surfacing with a beautiful evening sky as their backdrop. It was a nice surprise finale to the boat trip!

At dinner, we got to try another local take on conch, cracked conch. It was nice to try more local cuisine!

What will tomorrow bring?
“Cetacean Nation” (SHU 2014)