Saturday, December 30, 2017

My Dolphin Friends Invite Me to Join Them!

Hi All, We find JoJo, Bo and Snipper playing in Mark's wake in front of Ocean Club. His water skiers are trying to ski and the dolphins are surfing along on the big wake Mark's boat produces! All the dolphins are happy to see me and we start swimming toward Leeward. I imagine it's easier to water ski without three big dolphins joining in! Soon, Bo locates a trunk fish and she and Snipper start chasing it. The water is murky but I think you will be able to make some of it out! BO takes it in her mouth but doesn't want to eat it. They just want to play with the poor little guy!

Playing with Trunk Fish from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

After passing by Leeward, we encounter lots of tour boats. Snipper is displaying. I know JoJo has been checking Bo's status. I see him swim to her genital area and either taste or sonar. I believe he is checking to see if she's in estrous. I hope Snipper is here to impregnant her! I would imagine JoJo is too old to actually impregnate her. We stay with them all the way to the far end of Pine Cay where a dark cloud is coming our way. After getting totally soaked we decide to head for home. I have to leave my buddies for a week. I put a video together to show how welcoming they are when they want me to come play. I will miss them terribly even for a short week!

Come In and Play with Us from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Thursday, December 28, 2017

Eventful day with JoJo,Bo and Snipper

Hi All, We spot a tour boat acting dolphin like and pull up. There are the three dolphins. The water is beautiful and I get in. The dolphins are friendly and want me to swim with them. Yesterday, they only wanted to greet and bring me along for a short time, then they were off! Lots of tour boats start coming up. JoJo visits some while Bo and Snipper swim around happily playing flipper footsie and stroking each other. A big catamaran yacht pulls up and a lady plops down in the water. She comes over to where I am swimming with Bo and Snipper. Bo surfaces and swims around her then raises her tail out of the water and brings it down hard making a loud slap. That is a clear warning to that lady to clear out! I hope the captain realizes the warning sign.

This is a Dolphin Warning! from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

We all move off away from that boat. The dolphins are now following me! JoJo follows me a lot but, this is the first time they all have followed me.How Fun! We continue along Grace Bay toward Grace Point. I have gotten back in the boat to warm up. The dolphins are heading inside the swim line in front of the resorts. Some people spot the THREE DOLPHINS swimming along near shore but most don't. JoJo starts heading toward a lady that was swimming her heart out, stroke, stroke breath, stroke, stroke breath, EEEEEEK big dolphin dead ahead!!!! John and our friend Tom are rolling with laughter. I'm sure JoJo was chuckling. I missed the whole thing following Bo!(rats)

JoJo,Bo and Snipper follow Me from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

They are now heading back toward Leeward. I'm nibbling on some chocolate when I notice Beluga, a pretty sailboat coming out of Leeward with Jack Russels bounding around on the deck. I ask John to pull up to see if the doggies swim with JoJo. They are now in full Jack Russell frenzy because they can hear the dolphins. Dog's and dolphin's hearing has a much larger range than ours. The Captain says yes they swim with JoJo. I ask if I can join them. In go the doggies! They are swimming all around their cute little legs pumping to beat the band. Bo and JoJo are interested and looking up. Snipper has left the scene. Now there are people off the boat. Yikes! What a scene! What a fun ending to the day!

Jack Russells,JoJo and Bo from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Bo JoJo and Snipper having Breakfast

Hi All, We met up with the pod as they were entertaining a tour boat before Coral House. The water was murky as you will see. I don't usually explain who is who. In case you have a hard time figuing it out here goes! Bo, the female has a very smooth fluke. Her skin is smooth with only two slight blemishes. She is the one I'm following as she goes along sonaring to crater fish. JoJo has many scars from propellor cuts. His skin almost looks pock marked. His dorsal has a notch in it, making it easy to spot from a boat as well as in the water. At the beginning of the video he has the whitest end of his rostrum (nose). If you look closely there is a spot where he cut it on something when he was crater fishing. He is coming right to me. When I'm slightly behind him you can see how ragged his fluke is. Snipper of course is the dolphin with the dorsal that is cut off at the top. I suspect that would also be a boat propellor injury. Snipper is always stroking Bo or playing flipper footsie. Snipper usually stays farthur from me.

JoJo ,Bo and Snipper travel Down the Coast from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Spending Xmas Day with JoJo,Bo and Snipper

Hi All, The water is pretty much perfect for finding dolphins and we do! I get to spend most of my Xmas day in the company of JoJo, Bo and Snipper. I hope Whizzer has found some company on Xmas because he wasn't with us. I'm sure,knowing Whizzer, he's having fun somewhere. We find the dolphins at the end of Pine Cay. When I get in it takes me awhile to determine whether it's Bo or Whizzer because of the murky water. Bo has a slight blemish on her right side in front of her dorsal. It's easier to see that than wait for her to flip over! Many boats come by to visit. Most of them are respectful and don't crowd the dolphins or run over me! One boat captain put in many swimmers which certainly disrupted my once lovely Xmas swim with the dolphins. After swimming off the dolphins settled down and came back to our boat. I got back in and resumed our Xmas morning swim. Bo at one point seemed bothered by something. She was opening and closing her mouth and twirling as if to stretch. She then threw up some fish that must have been bothering her. You can see what looks like bubbles streaming toward me. Actually it was fish remains. The water was very clear as we got closer to Leeward and I got some nice footage. We left them at Leeward to join some human friends for a Xmas feast.

Bo, Snipper,JoJo and I spend Xmas Day Together from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Bo Returns with JoJo

Hi All, After watching the osprey bring a nice big fish to his mate we head out of Leeward. I see a dorsal right at the opening of the channel and it's heading right to our boat! I quickly get in thinking Whizzer is coming over. The dolphin swims around me and JoJo comes over to join us. I'm saying "WHIIIZZER" because he seems to like it. The dolphin starts flipping over and there are two mammalliry slits! Hello, a female! Bo is the only female I know that would be that happy to see me! She is beautiful with nothing but a small blemish below her dorsal on her left side. I am honored that she is giving me such a nice greeting! It's very murky but she lets me stay with her for quite awhile. JoJo goes off on his own and she does a little crater fishing. Eventually Bo and JoJo join up and head toward Grace Point. They swim side by side at a fairly good clip. They are mature dolphins and aren't playing around and stroking each other. I have known Bo for a number of years. She is Whizzer's and Lemon Lips' Mom. I think they are very friendly with me because she wanted them to be. JoJo isn't interested in entertaining the tour boats. Every time one comes by both dolphins sink down and wait until they go by before coming up to breath. Most of the captains know if we are stopped or moving very slowly, there are dolphins around. A few come by to check things out but the dolphins aren't interested. I get a few more opportunitis to swims with both of them as we head back to Leeward. The water gets very murky and both dolphins head to the boat. That is my cue to get in. At first I can't see them it's so murky but JoJo comes up close and we are swimming along. Bo who really wanted to be in on it comes shooting out of nowhere and swims between JoJo and me. Perhaps JoJo and Bo will meet up with Snipper and Whizzer tomorrow. That would be a great Xmas get together for all!

Bo!!! Back With JoJo from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Saturday, December 23, 2017

More Of The Boys

Hi All, I've been asked if I know how lucky I am. If you want to see how lucky I am watch these videos! JoJo and the boys greet me and JoJo wants to sonar my new camera some more. I don't advise doing this but I dragged behind our boat and took video of JoJo getting drag affect from Spy Hop.

JoJo Gets Drag Effect from Boats from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Whizzer and Snipper look like they are smooching but really I think Whizzer had something in his mouth and Snipper was checking it out. I hope you can see how cool it is to be in the middle of these dolphins as they are swimming all around. No matter how close we get they very rarely bump into me. Whizzer of course is all over, upside down is his favorite position. The boys enjoy chasing a trunk fish with JoJo looking on. I hope you are watching on a computer so you can see. The water was a bit murky. YES, HOW LUCKY AM I?

A Day With JoJo Whizzer and Snipper from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Friday, December 22, 2017

JoJo Whizzer and Snipper

Hi All, The wind has come up today making it a bit wavy on the water. As we are searching for dorsals we see a boat stopped in Leeward Channel. That is a sure sign of a dolphin encounter. JoJo is entertaining boat after boat as he swims from one to the other. We try giving him a ride but he wants to stay in that area. I figure there are other dolphins around. Soon I see two more dorsals heading to JoJo. Whizzer and Snipper have joined up. Now's my chance to get in. They greet me then continue on their way. JoJo heads in another direction and I decide to follow after Whizzer and Snipper. I get left behind and Whizzer and Snipper turn around and wait! Whizzer makes his signature whistle as I'm calling to him! They both seem to like it when I call to them. Whizzer crosses over Snipper and heads off to fish. Snipper and I head off alone! This is a first. Perhaps I have a new friend. When we return to the marina, Mark my friend who has a water skiing operation tells me he saw the dolphins earlier in the day and they all got in his wake. Apparently some people got in the water to try to swim with them but the dolphins weren't interested. They did however do a lot of surfing and one did a huge leap in the wake.

Snipper Swims with me from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Thursday, December 21, 2017

I accompany JoJo Whizzer and Snipper from Pine Cay to Leeward

Hi All, It's a drop dead beautiful day today in paradise; made only better by the company of dolphins. We have a friend I have met through JoJo on our boat and I'm really hoping we can find the dolphins. After our usual search up and down Grace Bay, we find JoJo,Whizzer and Snipper at the end of Pine Cay. They are making their way to Leeward. Whizzer and Snipper are very friendly with lots of stroking and flipper footsie. Every now and again Whizzer comes and circles me however it seems Snipper is now his favorite buddy.

JoJo, Whizzer and Snipper from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

JoJo Takes a long Close Look at me

Hi All, After waiting for what seemed like forever for my boat to be repaired, we go out on the water. New Bimini, new seat cushions - we're stylin. After seriously looking all day up and down Grace Bay, I see a dorsal just as we are about to head home! As we motor over, I see two dorsals and they are coming right to the boat. I bought a new under water camera and have it strapped on my mask. I'm really hoping it will work since Liquid Image doesn't make my old camera any more. I bought a number of them but I only have one working Liquid Image left! As I get in, two dolphins come up to me through the murky water. I think one is Whizzer but I'm not sure. JoJo is the other dolphin. He comes right over and we start swimming together. He then turns to "look" at me using his sonar. He is very close and I could hear the clicks. I think he was sonaring my new camera even though I'd like to think he just missed me:) This camera is about 3 and 1/2 inches long and shaped like a flash light. It snaps onto a mount that goes on my mask strap. I hope you like the video with this new camera and I hope you watch it til the end!

JoJo clicks at new camera as he takes a close look at me from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.