Superpod of Bottlenose dolphin aggregate off Port St Johns - 10:55 am

13 Jun 2009

Yesterday morning we launched filled with expectation at what the day might bring. The critical driver of great baitball action however was noticeably missing - we saw no common dolphin the entire day. Instead, we followed what we suspect is the same aggregation of bottlenose dolphin that we filmed yesterday, who were collectively working an area about seven kilometres off the Umzimvubu River Mouth. Sardine are not really on the menu of bottlenose dolphin - stomach content analysis of bottlenose caught in the shark nets has indicated that sardines compromise around 2% of their diet. Instead they feed on larger fish, such as small salmon and shad. Descending to around 20 meters, Barry and I held station, trying to be as non-threatening as possible. What followed was one of the most memorable encounters of our respective diving careers. Clearly intrigued by our presence, the bottlenose gradually built up confidence in our presence, and began to swim around us in ever tighter circles, in groups of twenty to thirty at a time. Barry got some great footage on video which reveals intriguing behaviour which one often misses when witnessing first hand. I will post some more images for the dive shortly.

Posted by Earth - Touch Marine Crew: Roger Horrocks, Barry Skinstad, Ian Cook.

---

<< Previous entry | Next entry >>

Comments

No comments yet! Have your say below!

Leave a comment

Name:

Email:

Location:

URL:

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?

Type in the word shown above, in the space below