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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I accompany JoJo Whizzer and Snipper for most of the Day

Hi All, As we leave the marina the osprey is flying over head with a huge mass of seaweed. It's so heavy he's not getting much altitude. He flies onto his nest and I picture his wife saying nice coach honey! After passing the remains of the docks destroyed in the hurricanes, I give Scotty and his wife a wave. Scotty drives his jeep to the channel edge every morning pulls up a chair opens up a beer and enjoys life in paradise. After two passes down the coast, we start toward Pine Cay where I hope to see a friend from home who is staying at the Meridian Club. Not to be! I notice Atybera is circling slowly, sure sign of a dolphin spotting. We motor up and I see JoJo, Whizzer and Snipper. I get in and spend a long time swimming around the sail boat with all three. The water is very murky. I think JoJo likes that; all the better to sneak up on me! After the dolphin show ends and the boats that have moved off, I get them all to myself. We leisurely travel all the way to Ocean club then head out toward the reef where finally the water is clear. My cheeky friend Whizzer swims up to me turns upside down and splashes me with his fluke. There's a lot of flipper footsie and stroking. They are more into traveling then playing. Although it looks like they're traveling at a leisurely pace, it's fairly fast for me. I get in the boat so I won't get left behind or wear out my scooter. They travel along for 45 minutes towards Grace Point then suddenly turn right towards the boat and wait for me to get in. They then travel slow enough for me to stay with them. How lucky am I!!

Me and My Boys from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

We swim along and I see JoJo look to his left and there is a huge bait ball. We are going right through the middle of it. There are fish streaming by on both sides of us. I find it interesting that none of the dolphins are interested. Apparently they either aren't hungry or don't fancy these fish. We have now been with them since early morning and are approaching Leeward. My scooter is out of battery, my cameras are acting up and I don't think I can swim another stroke. Time to head home!

The three Boys come to take me along; we encounter a bait ball from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Play Date With Whizzer

Hi All, We are heading back from our first pass down the coast. John stops Spy Hop to make a phone call. As I'm looking around, I hear a "pfft" my favorite noise! Right behind our boat is Whizzer and Snipper. Were they in our wake like JoJo? Did they just swim up to visit? In any case I'm going in to join them! It's hard to express how cool it is to have these guys come to the boat because they want me in with them. Whizzer is swimming all over then coming up to visit. He then flips over and does some loud tail slaps. Zoom off he goes. Now he's crater fishing for a little breakfast. He really burrows his rostrum way into the sand before he comes up with a fish. He surfaces, starts throwing it backwards over his head then flips over after it. A few tosses later he eats it. They always make sure their fish go down head first so the scales and fins are easier to swallow. Zoom, off he goes to find Snipper. I climb in Spy Hop and start looking around. He's in a playful mood and I don't want to loose sight of him. He comes up near our boat swims upside down and gets in the bow wave. What a ham! Later, we find them at Leeward. Whizzer is sporting some dolphin "jewelry". He has seaweed on his left pec. It drops off after he shows it off. He then has it in his mouth but not for long. Its now on his fluke! He stops worrying about accessorizing when he notices a ballon fish. Whizzer and Snipper take turns following and poking the fish much like they are playing dolphin soccer much to he horror of the ballon fish! Whizzer is now playing with his jewelry again tossing it around then placing it on his pec. As he swims off, I notice a large ray lying half covered in the sand. I hope you can watch this on a computer so you can really see the dolphin jewelry.

Whizzer's play date from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Whizzer the playful bottle-nose lets me into his world from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Whizzer is sporting his jewelry on his fluke when he appears to drop it for me. I pick it up and He watches. Clearly it looks better on him!

Whizzer and I check out Dolphin Jewelry from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

JoJo the Jokestar

Hi All, The weather calls for rain but the sky is a brilliant blue and the water a drop dead gorgeous turquoise. A few terns fly over head as they start their morning hunt for fish. A good sized turtle surfacing right near our boat takes one look at us and floats back down out of sight. We don't find the dolphins until afternoon. They are entertaining two boats. JoJo opts to follow our boat. As he gets in the wake I realize there are two more dolphins with him. I get in and he comes right up with Snipper and Whizzer right behind him. After a nice swim with them I climb back in the boat because they are moving along faster than I can keep up. They slow down and I climb in again. The water is now a bit murky and I'm looking all over trying to see a dorsal. When it's murky I look above the surface to try to see where they are. I'm about to give up when JoJo surfaces with a much louder than usual "PFFFT". John has been watching JoJo as he followed right behind me then surfaced with the load PFFFT. I swear I could hear both of them laughing. It is a bit disconcerting that a seven foot dolphin was inches behind me and I had NO CLUE!! Whizzer and Snipper come along to join JoJo and me. Whizzer plays with JoJo and shows off with a few barrel rolls then swims upside down. He then gets cheeky with me. He seems to be swishing his fluke very near my face. If course if he ever wanted to get me he would. I believe if there was anything to worry about JoJo would let me know. They travel down to Leeward Channel where they start to fish in earnest. We decide to head home and leave them to their dinner.

Coming to get Me from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

JoJo the Jokester from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

I Join JoJo Whizzer and Snipper as they make their way to Pine Cay

Hi All, There are a few dark clouds and occasional thunder booms in the distance. I'm good with that because the sea is flat! Spy Hop glides along while I strain my eyes hoping to see a dorsal. As we get to Grace Point, I see dorsals cruising over the reefs fairly far from shore. As Spy Hop motors over I slip into my fins and grab my camera. I can now get in the water with all my equipment faster than any human if there is a dolphin involved! JoJo, Whizzer and Snipper are making their way toward Pine Cay at a fairly fast clip. They are happy to have me with them but they are on a mission. Only Whizzer separates from the pod long enough to take me over a reef. They really aren't into entertaining tour boats this morning. If a boat approaches they dive deep and stay submerged until the boat passes by. We oblige them by not letting on that we are with dolphins. Once we get to Pine Cay everything changes. JoJo hears the Parrot Cay water taxi and surfaces so they notice him. The boat turns around so the tourists can ooh and ahh. JoJo falls in behind their boat and the Captain revs up the motor making a huge wake. JoJo and one if not both of the other dolphins start rocketing out of the big wake wave. The are spinning and flipping as they fly through the air! Rapid fire leaping! Whoa, JoJo you are the man! After the taxi leaves they all settle down and I get in hoping for some tame swimming! I am getting good video of JoJo sonaring. You will see him swing his head back and forth as the beams of sound leave his melon, find a target and return through his lower jaw giving him a three dimensional picture of what's ahead of him. I am hoping he's looking for Lemon Lips, Whizzers older brother. Instead he finds Whizzer and Snipper who had gone off on their own. More boats arrive and we are now close to Fort George where the water is very shallow and amazingly clear. I get in with Whizzer and Snipper. They go close to the boats but then veer away taking me with them. I get a nice long swim with them before they head off. All three dolphins go in a different direction. Whizzer is off on his own JoJo and Snipper come together again and head back toward Grace Bay. We loose sight of Whizzer and head for home only to have JoJo come join us!

Under The Sea with Whizzer JoJo and Snipper from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

JoJo the Bottlenose dolphin sonars s we swim along. from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Whizzer and Snipper include Me from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

A Day In The Life of JoJo

Hi All, After two dolphin-less days, Eureka!! We motor out of the marina where we see the houses lining the canal missing roofs and palm trees with barely any fronds. The hurricanes have reeked havoc on the island. There are many men scurrying about fixing roofs. The people of Turks and Caicos are coming together to put their island paradise back together. We pass the pole where a family of Ospreys had built a massive nest. Now there is a small messy nest with strings and plastic bags hanging off the sides. We come out into Leeward Channel where all the yachts were once docked. There are a few pilings left but most of the docks have been swept away. I see a blue heron walking along one remaining dock where once the massive yachts were tied up. I'm elated that it's a beautiful day with flat seas but also relieved that people can work on their roofs without dodging rain showers. We make our usual trip down the coast and find two dolphins near a tour boat on the way back. I get in to find JoJo swimming with a dolphin that has had her dorsal partly snipped off. They are quite amorous. Lots of flipper footsie and stroking going on. JoJo is a lover and he hasn't lost his charm. When I get in they come up to greet me. The dolphin with the injured dorsal I've named Snipper. I must say she did come to me the way Bo greets me - hmmm. As most of you know Bo is one of JoJo's favorite female dolphins.I get to accompany them as they slowly make their way to Leeward Channel. They travel close to the shore giving observant beach walkers a chance to see them (and a snorkeler:)) They spend a long time at Leeward milling around and visiting various boats. Eventually they start making their way toward Pine Cay. We get a radio call from Andy our buddy that is now the captain of Privet, a large yacht that has managed to find a temporary slip. He tells us that there is a dolphin by his yacht which is anchored in front of The Meridian Club on Pine Cay. This makes me sooo excited that maybe Whizzer, my cheeky dolphin friend who would be three years old this year, is with him. Most calfs leave their moms around the age of three. I have been worried that he might have left Bo and as a result, I might not see him. We decide to leave JoJo and Snipper and see if its Whizzer. We also figure they are planning to meet since they are slowly heading toward Pine Cay. As we pull up we see a single dorsal heading our way. I get in and Whizzer comes right up. He has grown a lot. He's almost as long as JoJo and very handsome:) We spend a long time swimming together. I get out fearing my cameras, scooters and body may give out before the others show up. When I get on Spy Hop, he swims right next to us. Eventually he swims off and we briefly lose sight of him. Then there are three! JoJo and Snipper have arrived. They all swim happily together and head to the boat! I get back in. There seems to be some sort of hanky-panky going on! Its quite murky and hard to see exactly what's happening. At one point Whizzer blows some huge bubbles that come to the surface right in front of my mask. Is he warning me that they were getting rambunctious and perhaps I should back off? It seems that way because he then shot out of the water! It's hard to say because they kept coming to me when I can't find them in the murky water. We've been with them all day and I feel its time to head home. As we head into the marina, the osprey is carrying some new material for his nest! The dolphins are good, the ospreys are good and the resilient people of Turks and Caicos are safe.

JoJo Snipper and Whizzer from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

I am Finally back on Island! JoJo is Happy to See Me!

Hi All, I have been waiting for this moment since last February. I think JoJo feels the same way. After finding him near Leeward and getting a nice greeting, he spent the day behind our boat. He took a few side trips to visit various Hobie cats and a few boats. We got thoroughly soaked before heading in! Occasionally paradise has its cloudy rainy days but I'll take it!

I have waited a Long Time for This Greeting from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

JoJo and Mojo?

Hi Truly it's killing me not to be there. Fifteen days! David Green has been keeping me up to date on JoJo. This a video or JoJo (notice right pec is damaged).The the dolphin with snip off top of dorsal may well be MoJo who I haven't seen in a number of years. I hope it is him. he is very friendly. JoJo Mojo and I spent many hours swimming together. I'm including video link courtesy of David https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SEITrGuwJE&feature=youtu.be Jay

Another JoJo sighting!!!!!

Hi All, This is really great news! There were a few JoJo sighting on Grace Bay yesterday! He visited some snuba divers and a boat! Yahoo, now to find Whizzer and Bo. I will be on Island on November 20th. The roof is scheduled to be repaired on that date so we can move in! As soon as I can get Spy Hop in the water I will have a full report of who is around! Jay

JoJo

Hi All, I have just received word that JoJo has been sighted!!!! Will keep you updated! Jay

How are The Dolphins?

Hi All, I know you all are wondering and praying our friends are all ok. I have not been able to get down to find them. I did however see this post!! My friend Mark posted this on Instagram.

This sure looks like JoJo to me!!!! Jay ps I will be down on Nov 11th and if my boats survived be on the water asap!!!!

Is JoJo ok?

Hi All, I know everyone is wondering how the dolphins are. I'm hoping they have navigated their way to keep safe. I am not on the island yet but wish I were. I have asked friends to look for JoJo once Irma passes and the seas go down. I will let you all know if I find anything out. In the mean time keep your fingers crossed.

There are A few Dolphins Like JoJo Around the World

This dolphin is another ambassador much like JoJO. Please watch! http://www.independent.ie/life/travel/ireland/fungie-forever-the-amazing-story-of-jeannine-rudi-and-the-dingle-dolphin-35775009.html

Near collision

Hi All, I'm unfortunately at home in a blizzard instead of in the water with my dolphin friends. Before I left, I didn't have time to publish a near collision on my last day with the dolphins. That day JoJo was in our wake when we saw two other dolphins. They were Bo and Whizzer. When I got in, there was so much noise. They were whistling to each other. The whistles were higher pitched than usual. It was deafening. I knew something was up. Soon Lemon Lips showed up. He is Whizzer's older brother. If you look back in the video from that day you'll see lots of activity. The blog is Big Dolphin meeting. I looked up as I was swimming with Bo and Whizzer and in the distance I saw a dolphin porpoising toward me. Four hundred pounds of muscle hurtling my way!

Collision With Dolphin from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

I miss all the excitement and their friendship. I'm already counting the days.

Missing The Dolphins Already

Hi All, Today is the sad day. I have to leave Provo until November. I will miss my dolphin friends so very much. I hope Whizzer will still be with his mom but I think by November he may join up with Lemon Lips or another pod of young males. I hope like Lemon Lips, he'll come by now and again to visit Bo and I'll be there to see him.

Thank you all for reading my posts. I hope if you are here in Provo that you will see and maybe swim with JoJo. Remember don't touch, just enjoy the privilege of swimming with the most amazing dolphin of all.

Big Dolphin Meeting

Hi All, Weather forecast is awful! Lots of wind, potential rain. At least the kite boarders are happy! As we pull out of Leeward the water looks better than predicted and no black clouds looming. After a pass by the resorts we see a few boats stopped as we go past Coral House. A yellow boat comes by and points toward Leeward. The stopped boats must be with someone. As we approach, JoJo swims over. He wants to go toward Pine Cay so, we oblige. As we pass by Leeward Channel, I see dorsals on the other side of the channel. I know JoJo will branch to join them. I get ready to slip in. Suddenly there seems to be a LOT dorsals! I get in the water and it's so murky I can't see a thing. I'm in front of Little Water Cay where boats fly around the corner coming in and out of Leeward Channel. I hope they can see me! Even with John guarding me, I know I need to pay attention to traffic. The dolphins are whistling loudly. I can make out JoJo, Bo and Whizzer but there's another maybe, Lemon Lips. If they weren't moving so quickly or if the visibility wasn't so bad I could tell! Whizzer and Bo are coming around. Whizzer plays with me. I see a dolphin porpoising toward us at high speed. Yikes, he didn't see me until the last second! Near collision with fast moving torpedo of muscle! I had motioned Kristen to get in but now I'm wondering if it's a good idea! Because the visibility issue, I have to look above the water to see where all the activity is. I assume all the excitement is sexually driven. I have now counted five dolphins, four I know for sure. They are circling, porpoising, tail slapping and rearing up out of the water. It's so confusing sometimes with a mass of 3, 4 or 5 dolphins in a whizzing ball of dolphins! A few boats go ripping by and somehow they don't notice this amazing dolphin show! Bo and Whizzer come up to me. I see a dorsal approaching. Now these three are together and quietly swimming along. This dolphin has a fluke I think I've seen before with Lemon Lips. He or she comes up to look at me. Soon another dolphin arrives. It's Lemon Lips. I think JoJo has left the meeting. I wish I knew exactly what was going on! After frantic intense activity, the dolphins separate and swim very calmly. The visibility is so bad I lose track of them. With storm clouds now approaching and no dolphins in sight we decide to head in.

Big Dolphin Meeting from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Sexy Whizzer plays with a Sand Dollar

Hi All, I am including the video from yesterday. Whizzer is full of himself as usual. He has fun playing with a sand dollar!

Sexy Whizzer plays with a Sand Dollar from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Such A happy Dolphin!

Hi All, Both ospreys are in their nest as we leave the marina. That I hope is a good sign however the wind is pretty strong as we go out the channel. It's wavy and windy out front. We go up and down past the resorts then out past the reef. The water is fairly rough everywhere. The color by Beaches is a magnificent turquoise as always. We go for a quick snorkel. After another look past the reef there is a big bank of clouds heading our way. John decides to make one more trip to Pine Cay. As we get opposite the Meridian Club, John sees a dorsal! Kristen only spends about ten days a year here and she's thrilled to hopefully get another swim with the dolphins! Bo and Whizzer turn toward Spy Hop. JoJo isn't there so we will see if they'll swim with Kristen without his help. I believe they will because we spent so long with them the other day. Bo also swam beside her for a little bit. ITs murky and the visibility is very bad. They will have to stay near me for me to see them-no problem there! Whizzer is all about playing. I lose sight of them and they come back to find me. The tour boats start seeing the activity. They are looking for something to show the tourists because the weather has curtailed their usual activities. Pretty soon there are about seven boats circling us. Bo goes down and blows a big warning bubble. Does she wish they'd back off? Was she warning whizzer and I to be careful? Some of these captains come so close that when they leave the propellor creates so many bubbles I can't see where the dolphins are. Whizzer spy hops to see where I am. The dolphins, come back and circle me. Whizzer dives deep and brings up some weed on his rostrum. He blows some big bubbles aimed at me! He starts diving deep then racing up toward me then porpoising way out of the water! The boats have now left they missed the last show!

My Happy Little Friend Whizzer from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

I invite Kristen in now that the tour boats have gone. Whizzer wants to follow her around to check her out! He comes back to me and starts to play and display! Down he goes he's found something intriguing on the bottom. He comes to the surface with a sand dollar in his mouth! He drops it, I grab it and give it back! What fun he's having with all the toys nature is providing! I am now freezing and a bit nauseous from looking into the murky water. I start to leave the dolphins and Kristen to go back to the boat. The dolphins change direction to follow me. All I can think about is how I will miss them when I have to go home. Sand dollar video to come!

Oh To Be A Dolphin!

Hi All, The wind is out of the North making it nasty out front. We bounce around then go out the South Side. I had more video from the other day so I included it. You will see my daughter here and there. JoJo stayed behind her unless visiting a tour boat or playing with Whizzer. This is the first time they have let anyone else swim with them. JoJo's trust plays an important part! Notice Whizzer occasionally nursing. Dolphins have the JOY of life!

Oh To Be A Dolphin from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

More Dolphin Love

Hi All, Seeing today is really windy and from the West which is not a good direction for whale or dolphin sightings, I thought I'd show you more video from yesterday. I think it will have to occur to you as you watch this video, that dolphins have it all figured out! They love, they play, they enjoy their surroundings without destroying them. We could learn a lot from them!

More Dolphin Love-JoJo and Whizzer from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

I had gotten out of the water to watch the dolphins from the boat for a few minutes. They turned back and came to the boat wanting me to get back in. Kristen and I had been in with them for a very long time already but one can't refuse an invitation form the dolphins! They were heading to Spy Hop and I had to get in! The water is so crystal clear as we made our way along. A paddle boarder was heading in our direction and Whizzer wanted to get a good look at him. Whizzer off course had to show off a bit!

Whizzer looks at Paddleboarder from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

JoJo Is The Best Dad

Hi All, The wind is down and coming from the East! The osprey are eating breakfast as we leave the marina. It has to be a great day! We get the dolphin sign from a yellow boat that there is a dolphin at Grace Point. We find JoJo coming toward us before we get there. He happily takes a ride to Pine Cay. After branching off near a huge yacht we stop and swim with him a little. He wants to check out the yacht and Kristen and I join him. But as he goes under the yacht, we loose sight of him. Back to Spy Hop. We find him again and throw anchor hoping to entice him for some more swims. He is casually circling our boat when a tour boat pulls up. I try to swim over to get him to visit them. They have tourists that wants desperately to swim with JoJo. As soon as she gets in the water JoJo head straight back to Spy Hop and goes to the other side! He wanted no part of swimming with her! I figure he has another agenda this morning so we get back in Spy Hop, JoJo gets in the wake and we're off toward Leeward and beyond. I have been hoping all winter that my daughter might get the chance to swim with Whizzer and Bo. In the past it has worked if JoJo is there and she stays with him while I go to the others. She hasn't met Whizzer but the ground work is laid. JoJo really stayed with her for a long time yesterday so I know he'll help if we find them. JoJo branches at Grace Point. We see other dorsals!! Here's our chance. I get in and see Bo in the reef. Whizzer comes right to me. I'm hoping Kristen has spotted JoJo and is getting in. Soon JoJo enters the scene and I see Kristen off to his side. The dolphins go about their progress as usual. Whizzer and JoJo are spending some quality time together. JoJo is so great with what must be his kid! You never read about male dolphins playing with calves or baby sitting calves! JoJo really is a great loving dolphin! There is a lot of flipper footsie and stroking. Whizzer is in his face and everywhere around him. JoJo is clearly enjoying it. Every now and again JoJo goes to check on Kristen while Whizzer, Bo and I get together. Whizzer takes the opportunity to nurse on his visits with Bo. Along the way we encounter tour boats, paddle boards and Hobie Cats the dolphins take notice but nothing stops them for this great family outing!

JoJo the famous dolphin in the Turks and Caicos is the BEST Dad to his Calf Whizzer! from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

JoJo Greets Me and My Daughter

Hi All, It's a nice day the wind is coming from the Northeast creating fairly big waves but not bad! We have a boat full of friends that are along to hopefully meet the famous JoJo. I have my daughter who only comes once a year for about ten days. I introduced her to JoJo years ago the same way he introduces me to his dolphin friends. He remembers her very year! As we come through Leeward Channel, a boat makes the universal dolphin sign and points out past the opening of the channel. How lucky are our guests to find a dolphin within minutes of leaving the marina! JoJo swims up to our boat and gracefully glides into the wake. He wants to go up and down Grace bay numerous times. Many tour boats come by to show their tourists the famous dolphin. Eventually he branches off near the reef. It is murky but I think he may want to swim with us. I know my daughter is itching to see him. I get in and John points behind me. JoJo is waiting to greet me. Kristen, my daughter slips in. It takes a few minutes for JoJo to figure out it's her. He takes long look at her. He starts swimming with both of us a little way from the boat then back. I'm thinking I'll get out and leave them together for a while. Off they go like old friends going for a stroll! JoJo swims right beside her for a long time as they head toward the reef. Occasionally, he leaves her to surf a wave coming in. I decide to rejoin them and watch JoJo rolling gracefully in a beautiful patch of glistening white sand. As he starts to surf more waves which are getting bigger we decide to go back to Spy Hop. JoJo apparently likes this plan and beats us there. We climb in and JoJo wants to go back along the beach by the resorts. Kristen once again climbs in with him and he takes her for another magical swim from Seven Stars To Royal West Indies. The visibility is not very good the closer it gets to the shore. Kristen climbs out and we pick up JoJo and take him to the end of Pine Cay. I don't think my daughter could ask for a better first day in Turks!

JoJo Greeting me and My Daughter from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

RAIN

Hi all, Disasterous day in paradise! We go out taking the usual route. No dolphins, then we see a HUGE black front coming our way. There was no escaping it! We go back to wait it out. Later in the afternoon we go out again this time the motor (new motor) has a mind of its own and starts going up and down whether John asked it to or not! Clearly we need help again! A call to our fabulous fix it man who comes to the dock and hours later we are good to go for tomorrow morning! I am putting an amazing video that my friend Betsy sent to me! ENJOY I KNOW you will.

Projectionholographique1 Whale! from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Whizzer is in Sleep Mode

Hi All, The weather is going to be tricky today. The fairly high wind is supposed to travel around from the South to the West. I haven't seen JoJo, Bo or Whizzer for a few days. The wind won't help me find them or stay with them. We make our pass in front of the resorts then travel up to Pine Cay. I haven't seen them there for few days and think they maybe there. We still can't find them and the wind is picking up. A yellow boat comes by and starts pointing back toward Leeward. We're off! Bouncing wildly over the ever growing waves. We know they saw a dolphin but we don't know where or how many. I'm hoping we don't fly (bounce) right by them! A boat has stopped along the shore. We pull up and they point toward the reef. More bouncing from wave to wave and it pays off. There we see three dolphins. I get in Whizzer is in travel position under Bo and JoJo is off to the side. I notice JoJo has some new marks at the end of his peduncle right before his fluke. It looks like three stripes. None of them broke the skin. After checking on JoJo's condition, I take position beside Bo and Whizzer. Whizzer is in sleep mode. His eyes are partially shut. Every now and then he must have a good dream, because he becomes aroused! I notice a few boats are coming by to watch as we all travel along. They are very respectful and don't disrupt our progress. I know JoJo is around but can't always see him. He'll suddenly appear and check on us. I expect he's going up to the boats as they come by! Tomorrow the wind is supposed to die down come around from the East.

Bo Whizzer and JoJo. from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Whales

Hi All, Yesterday brought rough seas on both sides. Seeing we didn't find any dolphins. I'm going to share what the whales sound like from our hydrophone. Don't mistake this with the males singing which is different. This is more whales chatting! Imagine looking at a huge expanse of ocean with only a gentle breeze quietly blowing. We put our hydrophone in and hear all of this! If I knew how to just play the music I would but I don't so! Watch and keep listening to hear the whales after the video stops!

whale music from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Huge Pod of Spotted Dolphins

Hi All, As we leave Blue Haven Marina, I look up at the corner of the roof where an osprey sits each morning. He's preening in the brilliant sun. Soon he'll be bringing breakfast to his mate and chick. They are across the channel living in a big messy nest that sits on a wooden platform. There seems to be everything hanging off the nest from flashy fishing lines to plastic bags. They are clever but messy nest makers! When we went past the fuel station the Captain on "Catch the Wave" asked us if we had seen the whale that was tangled up with fishing net. This was the first we heard about it. He said they had called the authorities to help the whale. We want to see if we can find the whale in case it was still in trouble. We go straight out Leeward Channel past the reef. We think the whale might be along the shelf just inside the wall where it drops off thousands of feet. The dark blue water is sparkling as far as we can see. The flying fish are zooming off on either side of our boat. They go about 50 yards a foot off the water then make what looks like a crash landing. Once we are opposite Dellis Cay we put our hydrophone in to see if any whales are around. Loud moans and squeaks come through the speaker. It sounds like there are three whales somewhere in the area. We start to hear whistles! That can only be dolphins!! Over our radio we hear the captain of "Gwendolyn" a fishing boat telling another captain that he saw a pod of 100 dolphins. John asks the Captain where they are! He tells us and we're off! I see something - a whale quite near us! There is a small pod of Pilot whales very close. We immediately stop and turn off the motor so as not to spook them. They come right at us. John gets in but they dive deep and we don't see them again! Pilot whales look like large dolphins. Was the captain mistaken? Back to the search. John who can see miles away starts seeing dolphins - lots of Spotted dolphins. I get in the water and they are everywhere. They are friendly and have no problem with me swimming with them.

Big pod of Spotted Dolphins! from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

I get out for a moment thinking maybe they'd like to play with the boat. We speed up and they of course get in the bow wave and in the wake leaping and carrying on. They truly are the party dolphins! All of them are now behind the boat. The perfect time to get back in. This time as I'm approaching a group, one dolphin comes rocketing up to me. He zooms a little way off then comes right by me again, very close. I'm keeping an eye out for him because he's quick and comes very, very close! I think he's friendly but a torpedo of muscle coming full tilt at you can keep your guard up. He keeps circling and porpoising. All the other dolphins are leaving us behind except one who's dorsal is partially chopped off. He stays with us. My new speedy friend is blowing amazing bubble trains. "Bubbles" surfaces then starts emitting bubbles from his blow hole as he zigzags thru the water and soon there are bubble trains everywhere. With the sun shining into the water illuminating the bubbles, they look like tiny lights floating to the surface. He has now stayed around me for quite awhile and is settling down. "Bubbles" and "Stumpie" as I have named them :)start circling me slowly coming very close. I wonder why Bubbles got so excited? Was this his first human encounter? The others including Stumpie didn't behave like this. Whatever the reason, I will take this as a HUGE and the best ever Valentines present.

Bubbles my new dolphin Friend from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

We never found the whale I hope the authorities were able to remove the tangled lines.

Bo and Whizzer On A fishing Mission

Hi All, The wind seems to be calming down for the next few days much to my happiness. We are returning from our trip past the resorts. John spots some trash in the water as we approach Leeward and he's determined that we get it out of the water. This plastic bag is determined to stay where it is! After numerous passes with it floating just out of reach, I snag it. Ha! Perhaps we have saved a turtle from getting entangled with this bag. I look up and see a dolphin swimming by the boat. Now I see two dorsals. I'm thinking maybe it's a new mother and calf. Bo and Whizzer would normally come to the boat and surface in greeting. I get in and after catching up find Bo and Whizzer in travel mode. Bo is traveling pretty fast and is looking around. She carries her head up a little. She then swims down and scoots along the bottom on her side. She is hunting for fish. She takes some time out for stroking and caressing Whizzer. They are so affectionate.

Dolphins are Very Affectionate from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Bo leaves Whizzer with me as she goes off to fish. I think he was on assignment to fish as well. He checks out a conch shell and pushes it along the bottom, then chases a little fish around. He however takes a little time to swim with the human and blow a few nice big bubbles. I hear voices and look up to see a tour boat coming to watch. Whizzer circles around me a few times then swims down under their boat and leaves me. I'm quite sure Bo has called him back to her. She is trying to keep him focused on fishing. He will have to fend for himself in the not too distant future!

Whizzer On Assignment To Fish With a little Playing with Me from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

They are back together fishing along the bottom. They come across a ballon fish and push it around a little. Apparently Bottlenose dolphins don't eat ballon fish but I've seen them play with them numerous times. They like to butt them with their rostrums. At times they appear to be having an underwater soccer game with the unfortunate ballon fish playing the soccer ball! Bo and Whizzer come to me she hangs vertically in the water with bubbles coming from her blow hole. I can hear her telling me something. I think maybe she wants to fish without a human perhaps getting in the way! I honor that and head back to Spy Hop. We leave them to continue their morning fish as we go off to find some whales.

Bo and whizzer want to fish alone! from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

JoJo Takes a long Nap on The South Side

Hi All, The wind has come up for the second day and the water is rough. We take a quick look out front and don't see any dorsals. I'm thinking maybe the South Side will be better. We head back into Leeward channel. One of the "Island Vibes" boats flags us down, points toward the other end of the channel and yells that JoJo is in front of the Conch Farm. We go through the channel passing Leeward Marina where the water taxis call home. Right after the marina we slow down as we approach the Conch Farm. Luckily it is high tide so we can travel slowly without getting stuck. I see a dorsal and JoJo comes right to the boat. He gets in our wake and we head south past the wreck and continue on almost to the end of the island. The waves are getting bigger the farther out we go. JoJo starts branching off. We repeatedly pick him up but he doesn't seem to want to travel very far. I suggest stopping to see what he wants to do. He just hangs by the boat. He then starts to float with the waves that are traveling south, circles then does it again. His circle go right by our boat. He is in sleep mode. Dolphins rest half their brain while the other half tells them when to breath and watches for predators. JoJo usually takes short naps around our boat but today he stays in sleep mode for over an hour. I now notice he is starting to travel away from us. He has come out of sleep mode. We lose sight of him for a while then see him off in the distance. We head over and he flips upside down as we pass over him. This is his usual behavior when he's about to get in our wake. This time however he doesn't get in our wake and we can't spot him. Gone! Just like that. He has taken us to the South Side before to meet other dolphins but apparently today he just wanted to have snooze where he could count on peace and quiet!

JoJo In Sleep Mode from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Whizzer and Bo

Hi All, The wind has kicked up as predicted. We decide to take a pass by the resorts in case any of the dolphins are there. The waves are getting bigger and bigger as the wind picks up. On our return trip from Beaches, Whizzer comes rocketing up to our boat. Apparently they all know the new motor! I can't wait to slip in despite the rough seas. He circles around gleefully in greeting. There are people watching from shore as he cavorts around porpoising and spy hoping. Now he's diving deep and playing around in the sand. He's chasing a little fish. Now he's digging around with his rostrum and seems to have gotten a piece of coral stuck in his mouth! Bo comes up as if to check on the situation. Whizzer is shaking his head trying to dislodge it. He sticks his rostrum back in the sand and that seems to do the trick. He sees some seaweed floating on the bottom. He starts swimming through it trying to adorn his body. The dolphins move farther down the coast and the water gets too murky for me to see them. I get back in Spy Hop and watch as Whizzer checks out a kayak (who is totally oblivious to his visitor) then he's off to check out a Hobie Cat. He periodically comes to check on us. I'm so glad to see Whizzer in his usual wild man state.

Whizzer Plays from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

A Cetacean Day

Hi All, I have been looking forward to this day because the weather forecast is perfect! Brilliant sunshine and flat water make for good sightings! We leave Leeward with a boat full of friends. On our way back from Beaches, JoJo joins us as we go past Seven Stars. He is looking for a ride to Pine Cay. Once we get there he branches but comes back to Spy Hop and stays around our boat. This is a nice opportunity for people to get in and swim with him. A few boats pull up and he visits each of them. Unfortunately, it's Melanie's last day on Provo and we need to bring her back to Ocean Club so she can catch her plane. JoJo doesn't choose to accompany us so we leave him with his admirers. After dropping off Melanie, we make a quick check to see if any other dolphins have joined JoJo. He was following a boat which means he's by himself. My other friends are real whale enthusiasts and toady is a perfect day to see them. Once over the reef we see a mother and calf. Unfortunately there are a number of other boats have seen them as well. We follow at a respectful distance but clearly the mom wanted no part of the humans. On the Silver Bank where most of these Humpback whales are headed there are only three boats allowed at a time. If you are trying to watch a mother and calf and they turn away from you three times you must leave the alone. There is actually a warden on board one of the boats that enforces these rules. Here however, I have seen a lot of pushy behavior from boats. I really think some of the whales are okay with humans getting in to swim with them however if they clearly are on the move then it's disrespectful. We leave these whales and head toward Northwest Point. I spot something in the water that I think might be trash and we go to pick it up. As we get near, we see it's a bird with a very long tail sitting on the water. As we turn to go it flys off showing it's beautiful long tail. I realize it's a Tropic Bird. They always show up at this time of year to nest and have their babies. The rest of the year they stay over the ocean.

As I'm looking out at the horizon, I see some black shapes that look like big dolphins. We have seen these before. They are actually Pilot whales. They are very shy and we don't get very close. Just as we are thinking we should start heading back there are two big blows right near our boat! Then two big Humpbacks swim past us and keep going. We decide it's time to head in. I'm sorry I didn't see Bo and Whizzer but, we certainly had a great day!

A Great Day With JoJo

Hi All, My friend is on board again and we are hoping to find Bo and Whizzer. I'm getting more and more nervous that Whizzer isn't ok. He spent the whole day without playing on Sunday, VERY unlike him. Today, we find JoJo right off and he's very interactive, unlike the day before. He wants to scratch on a tour boat's anchor line. He follows us up to Parrot Cay and back to Beaches where I get some great swims in the beautiful clear water. He follows me around some of the boats at anchor. He swims ahead of me as he aims for the swim area. We go under the swim line and I see a submerged buoy. I head over with my scooter, dive and run into it. He loves "bang the buoy"! He whips around to come watch clicking at me as the buoy swings wildly on its line. JoJo loves the game. We then go back to Spy Hop and he gets in position behind the boat indicating he wants a ride. We take him to Leeward and then on to Pine Cay. He shows off for a few more tour boats on the way. The tourists clap and cheer as he comes up to breath. I know he likes that. Now we are off to the end Pine Cay. I'm hoping Bo and Whizzer will join him BUT not to be. JoJo leaves us to swim in Big Blue's wake and after 6 fun hours with JoJo we head home.

Nothing Like a great Scratch from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

JoJo Taxi Service Day

Hi All, We come out on the water hoping that the forecast will prove wrong. The predictions is for thunderstorms. We have brought a great horse friend from Tennessee with us. She has been coming for a number of years and met JoJo a few times. She's dying to see Whizzer. She's dedicated her whole life to animals, primarily to horses so she gets my passion. We see two huge catamaran motor boats coming our way. There are people in the back looking into the water on the first boat. The second boat is following closely behind. A sure sign of JoJo in their wake. He is there alright! We follow along waiting for them to go somewhere he doesn't want to go! He gets a little behind and changes to the second boat's wake. We still bide our time. Success! They turn into Leeward and JoJo comes to us. He stays in our wake until Half Moon beach then branches for some serious fishing. This can take some time. Dolphins eat about 20 pounds of fish a day. When he fishes in this area he isn't crater fishing, he is chasing after fish. It's easy to tell because when he dives he uses his tail to propel him down. Just like whales this gets this gets him deeper in the water. If you are watching whales and you see their tail (fluke) they are about to do a deep dive and you probably won't see them for a good twenty minutes. With JoJo he will pop up pretty far away from his spot of entry. We keep a close watch so we don't lose sight of him. This is not a good time to swim with him because he's flying through the water in hot pursuit of fish. A tour boat comes along with scores of people all hanging out of the boat trying to get a glimpse of JoJo. He can't resist. He has to put on a show. They are all dancing around the boat, hooting and hollering (rum punch will do that to you). Soon, they have all checked, "seeing the dolphin" off their to-do list and we are left alone with JoJo. He now wants to head to Pine Cay. He branches off before we reach the end of the island. He is milling around and this may be a good time to get in with him. I slip in and he comes right up. Melanie hops in and he starts heading out toward the reef. I think he wants to fish more. We lose sight of him. I'm hoping we will find him again and perhaps the others will be joining him. However those storms that were predicted are heading our way and we're off dodge the rain!

A JoJo Greeting from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Catch Up

Hi All, We are getting a very uncharacteristic late start. The super bowl had a lot to do with this! The sea is a little churned up today and there are bans of rain coming frequently. I think I'll use this as a catch up day! Last month we made a trip to French Cay on an absolutely lovely day. There was no wind the seas were totally flat. We met up with dolphins just as we were leaving and I have included video that includes the most wonderful noise of their surfacing. I get to hear the "pfffs" a lot it. They help me find them if the visibility in the water is poor like on this day.

pffffff-best noise ever from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Two days ago I was telling you about how JoJo Bo and Whizzer were just swimming around our boat perhaps hoping I'd get in with them.

A Day With JoJo Bo and Whizzer

Hi All, I am thinking the dolphins will be at Pine Cay but we stick to our routine and head out on our usual tour past the resorts. I'm also thinking they now know our new motor which should help in finding them. As we make our return trip, I see a dorsal in front of Club Med. They are all there - JoJo, Bo and Whizzer! JoJo comes right up and seems to want a ride. He wants to check out our new motor's wake! I however want to swim with all three. Bo and Whizzer come up. Whizzer is staying in travel position under Bo's belly. If you look carefully his eyes are partially shut perhaps he's sleeping. Half his brain is in sleep mode while the other half is still active telling him when to breath and where to stay with his mom. When I look up, I see that there is a large group of sail boats from Club Med heading our way. Bo checks them out as well and opts for going to the other side of our boat so that Spy Hop blocks them from the Hobie Cats. This I'm thinking is good because I don't want to get in the middle of a crowd of sail boats! The plan doesn't work however because some of them see the dolphins anyway and come over to look. The first one gets too close and with a pump of her fluke Bo and Whizzer are off! After they settle down I catch up to them.JoJo is now with us as well. He however wants to visit a sail boat. A lady drops into the water from the boat and JoJo checks her out before catching up to Bo, Whizzer and me. As always Bo keeps away from other swimmers in the water. Oh no, I see another boat and it's bearing down on us, near miss! John's yelling at the lady sailing because she almost hit me! Finally, all the boats head off and we swim leisurely past Ocean Club and on to Leeward. It's so great to see JoJo, Bo and Whizzer together for such a long time. We decide to venture out past the reef to do a quick whale check. No spout and no noises or singing in our hydrophone. We come back in and the dolphins are still at Leeward. They come to meet us and swim around our boat inviting me to join them but I am pretty cold from swimming with them for so long and both my scooters are dead. I'm not sure if Whizzer just out did himself the day before or what but he was mellow all day. I'm sure there was a lots of snoozing going on with periods of flipper footsie and nursing.

JoJo Bo and Whizzer all Day from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

I'm Back!

Hi All, After a quick trip home, we arrive in Provo anxious to see how are new out board motor is going to work. I drop John off at the shipyard where the motor has been installed. He has to drive around and pick me up at Blue Haven where we keep the boat when we are on island. After all that, we are finally out on the water with the new motor humming along. The first thing we have to do is of course find the dolphins. This will be a little harder than usual because they know the sound of our old engine and will come to us if they hear us in the area. Dolphins have a great sense of hearing. We start out past the resorts. A couple at the Shipyard told me JoJo had taken a ride behind their boat to The Royal West Indies, a resort right down from Ocean Club. As we head toward the resorts, we pass a Big Blue boat. John notices that they have stopped. We radio and they tell us they just saw two dolphins. We must have just passed them. Again, because of the new motor they didn't show themselves. We go back and look all over but can't find them. We continue on making the loop to Beaches and back. As we approach Leeward, we see two boats circling slowly. Definitely dolphin sighting behavior! We motor up and I get in to find Whizzer, Bo and JoJo they hardly react to my presence. I don't think they expected me because the motor was different! I get out for a moment and Whizzer "spy hopped" way out of the water. Dolphins can see above the water as well as they can below. He was definitely looking into the boat to see me. Hopefully, now they will associate the new motor with us. I get back in and they all come to greet me! Whizzer is now under Bo's belly. He is getting bigger and bigger and is almost as long as Bo. Whizzer reaches under his mom's belly to nurse. She has a slit on both sides where her milk is stored. There is nothing protruding that would slow her progress down in the water. Dolphins are built for speed. JoJo appears and Whizzer and JoJo play flipper footsie, an affectionate greeting. They come visit me a few times then start playing. JoJo opens his mouth just like Bo did. It appears to be mock fighting. Whizzer starts to get aroused rubbing himself against JoJo. He is such a teenager! All of this activity is taking place in Leeward Channel where the huge yachts are traveling in and out! I decide maybe I'd better get out! Start the day in Boston, end the day swimming with dolphins how cool is that!

Bo Whizzer and JoJo. from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Great Cetacean Day

Hi All, We are down to our last day for January. It is drop dead gorgeous. Hardly any wind, sun's shining brightly and I'm really warm! We are making our usual loop past the resorts. I'm determined to find my friends before we leave. As we pass by The Sands, I see a big splash. Without a doubt that would be Whizzer performing some sort of aerial feat. As I slip in the water, he comes right up to greet me. Can you think of a better way to start the day? He plays around then takes me to Bo. It was too far for my camera to take but there was a ray swimming along the bottom. As Whizzer approached, it took off like a shot pumping it's wings. When Whizzer got to Bo he stopped chasing the ray. Necropsies have shown the barbed tails of rays in dolphin stomachs. I was glad he didn't pursue the ray! A few tour boats came by to see the dolphins but the dolphins didn't take much interest in them. The only one Bo really checked out was "Kitty Katt" the huge catamaran sail boat of Beaches that was on it's mooring. There unfortunately weren't any people to admire her. She was sonaring as she looked at and under it. I wonder if she was looking in that area to find JoJo. JoJo spends a lot of time crater fishing around Beaches and occasionally sleeps around "Kitty Katt". I haven't seen him since the front came through Monday night causing high winds and big waves. As Bo and Whizzer swam off, Whizzer nurses which happens so quickly it's hard to get on film.

Bo and Whizzer who takes the Opportunity To Nurse from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

After losing sight of Bo and Whizzer, we continue the hunt for JoJo. I want to see him before I leave. We go back to Leeward and I notice a few boats to the left of where they snorkel - unusual. John looks out and sees a huge breach! We head out with the speed of light. However unlike the day before where we actually saw two whales breach simultaneously, we only saw a few blows. They usually blow three times then sink down for about twenty minutes which can seem like an eternity! If they aren't doing anything fun like breaching, tail slapping or pec waving, I classify them as boring whales. Of course this guy already breached! Maybe the tour boats drove him off? We only see three blows once we got out there. As we start back toward the reef to continue looking for JoJo, I see a dorsal. We have come upon a big pod of bottlenose dolphins. I get in and a few of them come to check out the human. Once I get back in the boat we give them a bow ride. A few of them really enjoy it. Other than not finding JoJo it has been a spectacular day with stunningly perfect water. We will be back in seven days to continue our cetacean adventures!

Dolphins Checking out Human from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Whizzer Throwing a Piece of Coral over His Head

Hi All, It seems that Whizzer has come up with yet another game. He is taking a piece of coral and hurling it over his head! Not only do dolphins use tools they use toys!

Whizzer throwing a piece of Coral from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Whizzer is A Teenager Oh My

Hi All, I believe I have mentioned that dolphins are heavily into sex starting at a young age. Whizzer is no exception. He has been rubbing himself on JoJo and Lemon Lips for awhile. This is the first time he has displayed to me. Earlier in the day Bo hung vertically in the water and clicked at me then we swam together. I wonder if she was warning me!!This once again reminds me of the late Ken Norris's quote "sex to a dolphin is like a hand shake to a human".

Whizzer A teenager Oh My from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Whizzer Has Quite The day!

Hi All, The water has calmed down enough for us to go out on Grace Bay. We find Bo and Whizzer out in front of Beaches. That area is always very clear no matter how windy it's been. I was able to get so much good video that I really haven't even had time to go through it all! Will get to the rest later and include it. When we pulled up, Whizzer came right over as I got in the water. He porpoised a few times and swam around me. Bo his mom chased him around a lot with her mouth open. She never touches him with her teeth. I'm not sure whether she's warning him not to be such a smart ass which he clearly is or something else! Whizzer seems fascinated with the branching coral. After swimming through it, he looks like he'd like to wear it! He also spent a long time looking and biting some coral. Later he has some coral in his mouth. He raises his head above the water and tosses it backwards over his head grabs it again and keeps repeating it! He is creating many ways to play with all that energy. He was his usual friendly self with me but got more rambunctious where he flicked his fluke almost in my face a few times. I think he was just playing. Bo came up to me and hung vertically and clicked loudly with a new click I hadn't heard before. I'm sure she was trying to communicate something. I wish I knew what. After she did that she let me swim right beside her so I don't think she was telling me to get lost. I'm not sure if it had anything to do with this but soon after Whizzer was feeling very randy. In the past he has rubbed himself against JoJo and Lemon Lips. He came right up to me and displayed but didn't try to rub. Dolphins are very sex oriented from an early age. Dolphins have been known to get sexually aggressive with humans. I hope he doesn't get too aggressive about it with me! They followed a route JoJo takes past Smith Reef and far out into Crystal Bay. We were in sight of the Northwest Point Resort when we lost them as they crossed a reef that we had to travel around. I was in with them around Smith Reef and Whizzer was having fun chasing a fish around a large coral head. They don't follow in the wake like JoJo but they keep coming back to the boat as if to check on us. Maybe they like the company and maybe they just hope I'll get in again!

Bo and Whizzer a mother and calf bottlenose dolphin playing with branching coral from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

South Side Dolphins

Hi All, As predicted a front came threw in a fury of high winds and big waves. Also, predicted that it would be gone by Wednesday AM. All came true. The water on the North side is all riled up but there's hope that the South side will be nice. A quick call to our friends Ted and Suz that have a house with a spectacular view of the South side and they confirm, its flat. We turn right out of the marina John cranks up the engine to get on a plain and we fly out past the wreck. The water in some places is only one foot deep at low tide and the only way not to get stuck is to fly! We decide on going to French Cay. The unbelievably flat water stretches on all sides. We travel for miles and are soon out of sight of land. As the sunlight hits the water it twinkles in every direction. I'm thinking we are in heaven on earth. There are some big sailing vessels taking advantage of the calm waters. We strain our eyes to see a tiny mound on the horizon. As the mound grows and turns into an island, we see many birds circling. French Cay is a bird sanctuary where pelagic birds come to have their babies. Once past French Cay, we motor out past the wall where the deep dark blue water surrounds the Caicos Islands. We drop the hydrophone in hoping to hear some whale activity. No spouts, no groans. John decides to snorkel on the reef surrounding the island. I stay on Spy Hop watching the brown Noddys swoop down searching for prey along the water. There are some frightening radio transmissions that start coming across our hand held radio. Apparently there is a fishing boat that is taking on water near North West Point. There is discussion about bilge pumps and ways to stay afloat until someone can get there. Then a truly awful one comes across. The Coast Guard helicopter it seems is spotting bodies in the water. Apparently there was a sloop with Haitians trying to sneak into Turks and Caicos that over turned yesterday in the really bad seas. Yikes here I am sitting on Spy Hop with the water looking like heaven on earth hearing this dreadful news. Never underestimate the sea's ability to change. Once John's done snorkeling, we take one last look for whales then start heading back. I see dorsals! There are three dolphins. We find them on the bank where the water is shallow but the water is murky and visibility is still terrible from the front yesterday. I get in and they swim up to check me out but when they dive they totally disappear from view. Once back on the boat I notice a new and distinctive dorsal has shown up. Now there are four. We sit in our little spot in heaven watching the dolphins as best we can. The only sound is the "kwok" "kwok" of the brown Noddys over head and the "Pffff" as the dolphins surface near the boat. I'm not sure why but dolphins seem to be drawn to boats. They sink down again then appear announcing themselves with the pfffs. Its time to head back across this beautiful flat, twinkly, blue water. On our way I see another dorsal and John notices his rostrum is a bit deformed. I want a better view but this dolphins is doing some speed fishing! There's no catching up to him! Its getting late and we need to head back to the marina before it gets dark. Away we go!

Whizzer and The Pod

Hi All, The winds are changing around to the Southwest. Apparently there is some weather moving in. After a quick look past the reef for any spouts we head past the resorts. I'm thinking JoJo may want a ride if he's back by himself. There is no sign of him on Grace Bay and it's clouding up. Per usual we decide on a trip to our favorite dining area in the channel between Dellis Cay and Fort George Cay. I like to watch the pair of osprey that soar over head looking for fish. They usually land on a corner of one of the abandoned buildings. They have made a perch over looking the water at the very corner edge of roof. This is an abandoned building project. Rumor has it that the company started building a huge complex with spectacular views of the ocean. A number units were units on spec then someone took the money and ran! It was rumored that Michael Douglass and Katherine Zeta Jones bought one. The ospreys now have the run of the island. The wind is continuing to rise, clouds are moving in and we are both feeling a little cold. We're thinking maybe an early day is a good thing. We head out and back down the gorgeous coast of Pine Cay with its long expanse of white beaches beckoning. I seriously hardly ever take my eyes off the water but the beach is amazing with a few casuarina trees. As I'm watching the beautiful blue water thinking about all the things I can get done at the condo, I see a dorsal. As we approach the dorsal turns into two and they are heading our way! I slip in. The visibility is next to zero. I wait looking around above the water. Whizzer greets me by circling at speed then darts off. I'm once again looking above the water hoping to see a dorsal. Pretty soon I see four dorsals surface right near me and I hear the pfffs all around me as they exhale then draw in fresh air. This is my favorite sound in the world. They sink down and I'm alone again watching for dorsals. Not for long. Whizzer comes by showing off his many tail slaps and spy hops. The dolphins are hardly traveling anywhere. They just keep coming up near me. I have the occasional collision because I can't see where they are. Bo, JoJo and Lemon Lips are so serene as they swim slowly along they hardly seem to notice as Whizzer darts all around them. He rubs into them occasionally opens his mouth and brushes them. Then tail slaps in their faces. Their patience and serenity is admirable. JoJo and Lemon Lips occasionally come close. I think they like it when Whizzer plays with me and gives them a break! I hate leaving them but I'm getting cold and tired. As I climb back in Spy Hop I watch them slowly making their way toward the reef past Pine Cay.

Whizzer and The Pod from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.