Last Swim with Snipper and JoJo

Hi All, The front has finally passed leaving churned up water and fairly rough water. As we travel past Grace Point I start seeing Laughing Gulls. This is the first we have seen of them this season. They are flying all around the boats picking the perfect spot land.

They seem to like this boat the best. We turn around and see Snipper surfing what's left of the rough water. He's heading toward Leeward at a pretty good clip. At Coral House where there is a little clear water he slows down a little. I get in and get a quick greetng before he moves on. I figure he's meeting another dolphin at Leeward and doesnt want to be late! As we pass over the lingering waves that hit the sand bar before Leeward, we see JoJo heading right for Snipper. They come together but don't stay together. I get a nice but short swim with JoJo then he makes it clear he wants his Uber ride. We go up and down the coast in front of the resorts numerous times. As we return to Leeward our engine starts acting up. John says our day is done but, he'll cut the engine so I can have one last swim. Unfortunately it's pretty churned up but it appears his mouth is not bothering him. This is a relief to me. We are leaving Provo until November and I will be worrying about him everyday.

Last Swim with Snipper and JoJo for the Season:( from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

JoJo's Mouth May Hurt but He can Still Sneek up on Me

Hi All, This morning a boat Captain calls over the radio "JoJo and his family are at Big Water Cay". We race back from where we are with high hopes that JoJo is with many dolphins. Usually when this happens and we are pretty far away, they have moved on by the time we get there and we don't know which way to go! This morning is no different! However Big Water Cay has some nice cliffs which are attracting the Tropic Birds so despite the lack of dolphins we got to see more arial displays. Back to our original search. I see a dorsal in the very opaque water between Coral House and Leeward. When I get in I notice again that JoJo is opening his mouth. I decide to climb out and hope they travel to clear water. Out by the reef opposite Coral House is gorgeous crystal clear water and they head that way. Some tour boats see us with them and motor up. This again gives me plenty of time with Snipper who isn't interested in the boats especially when they put swimmers in. JoJo visits for a while then when I'm least suspecting it, he sneaks up on me! Seven feet of big dolphin swimming behind you and suddenly appearing by your side is quite something! I know he loves this game of sneak up on Jay and plays it numerous times in between entertaining tour boats. JoJo and Snipper love to roll in the soft sand by the reef. Both dolphins do some crater fishing and catch some little jaw fish that live in holes in the sand. JoJo catches about three fish then his mouth really bothers him. I saw him shake his head and open his mouth really wide. I wonder if he hit the spot that's bothering him? I really wish I could help him but I can't see exactly the problem. Whatever it is JoJo is feeling good enough to take numerous rides in the wake behind different boats. Snipper is left on his own as JoJo goes up and down the coast behind various boats. Maybe this takes his mind of his mouth or maybe it's a way to police his territory with the least amount of effort.

JoJo's mouth is Bothering Him 1 from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

JoJo Sneeks Up On Jay from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Snipper and JoJo in Crystal Clear water from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

JoJo and Snipper

Hi All, The wind has shifted to the East making boating on the North side nice again. Unfortunately the blow that came through for the last few days left the water very murky in most places. We are heading out with David and Emily his wife who are hoping to see JoJo. We pass out the channel and I'm relieved to see fairly flat water. After making the usual tour of Grace Bay, we head up to Pine Cay. I hear a distinctive bird call and look up to see a Tropic Bird soaring high in the air. It's magnificent tail stretched out behind, glimmering white against the blue sky. We are all watching as more birds join in until there are eight Tropic Birds all soaring above us. What a great way to start the day!

As they are making their way to the cliffs to pick out their nesting spots, we head off in search of dorsals. It has been working for us to stop along the sand bar between Fort George and Pine Cay. I'm hoping our luck will hold and a dolphin will come along. Our luck holds! JoJo is heading to our boat with Snipper not far behind. I get in and swim in the opaque water trying to follow the dolphins. JoJo sonars a big catamaran yacht and follows it over to the beach near the Meridian Club. Snipper and I wait around knowing JoJo will be back after checking out the boat. Sure enough JoJo appears in his usual stealth fashion. This scenario unfolds numerous times. Of late he seems to prefer the fancy big boats! Snipper and I in the mean time have a nice long swim with me losing him occasionally in the murky water while we wait for JoJo. A few boats start coming by to look at Snipper of course thinking it's JoJo. One boat let swimmers in which drove Snipper and I farther out toward the reef where its slightly more clear. I see a big turtle deep under me and swim down to take a closer look. JoJo comes back again and both dolphins disappear into the murk toward Fort George with JoJo this time in the wake of a Zodiac. We head out past the reef for a nice snorkel where the water is crystal clear. I figure we might see the dolphins heading back toward Grace Bay when we finish snorkeling but we don't. However see them as are starting to turn into Leeward towards the marina, a boat Captain signals that he's seen a dolphin. Off we go past onto Grace bay where I see JoJo and Snipper. JoJo wants to get in our wake, so we take him as far as Seven Stars leaving Snipper behind. The water, other than Sargasso floating around is very clear. I get in and JoJo is staring at our propellor as if willing it to go! He then comes to me and opens his mouth. I think he's showing me something. All I can see is that his front teeth look really worn down. I will send pic to Mark the island Vet and see if he sees something else. JoJo swims off and we return to the marina. David and Emily pretty much spent the day with dolphins with some Tropic Birds thrown in!

JoJo and Snippper Is JoJo's Mouth Bothering Him? from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Dolphins on a Mission

Hi All, What a day! The sun's streaming down and the water is flat and in most places clear. There's barely a boat left in the marina. Everyone's out enjoying this magnificent day. There is a call for 30% rain later in the afternoon but it's spectacular now. The quandary, do we go out past the reef and look for Spotted Dolphins or stay inside the reef and look for JoJo and his friends? I'm down to my last week on island and I want to see the dolphins I know as much as possible. That decides it. As we head past Ocean Club on our pass back to Leeward both John and I spot a dorsal. It's Snipper heading toward Leeward. I get in and get a swim-by through the crystal clear water. It woud be a great day to film on a reef with Snipper but it's not to be. I'm back in Spy Hop as we follow Snipper who's traveling fairly fast toward Leeward. I feel a little guilty at what happen next. The boat captains all know that if we are traveling slowly or stopped, there is a dolphin with us. Because everyone travels in and out of Leeward there are many of boats coming and going. Snipper who is just trying to make his way across the channel gets surrounded by tour boats. At least 15 boats stop by to let their passengers see him. Some are respectful and stop a good distance from him, leaving him the choice of going to their boat or not like JoJo. Others not only ran up to him but right over him and won't leave him alone even after he makes it clear he isn't interested by trying to swim away. When the water is murky it's easy for the dolphins to disappear but today with the clear water Snipper doesn't have a chance. Finally they all go on to whatever activities they had planned. Snipper makes his way across the channel and over a patch of reef and disappears. We head to Pine Cay where we figure he is going. We pass Norm and his wife who are stopped along the cliffs of Pine Cay. They are hoping to see the Tropic birds. We told them about the Tropic bird we saw way out past the reef floating in the water with her long tail cocked up behind her so it wouldn't get wet. Norm is an avid bird watcher and great bird photographer. Once we motor past The Meridian Club John stops and after a brief swim we dove into our lunch. It was short lived when I see a dorsal not far off, then another dorsal in the distance. A boat comes by and one of the dolphins get in the wake clearly that was JoJo. I figure he'll be back because he won't want to leave the other dolphin. I get in and find Bo chasing a trunk fish around. She likes to play with them but doesn't eat them. Pretty soon she starts heading off at a good clip and I get back in our boat. Now I see a third dolphin heading toward her. Snipper has made his way there and both are heading right for the swim area near the Meridian Club. Whenever I see big dives where they propel themselves down I know they are fishing. As we get closer we see one dolphin right near the buoy. JoJo has come back and joined them. I get in and see schools of fish swimming by. No wonder they were heading this way! JoJo seems more interested in the buoy. There's a lot of marine life clinging to the buoy including clams. He sonars it as he hangs vertically. He swims off and makes it clear he wants a ride by swimming out in front of our boat in the direction he wants to go. I find it strange that he wants to leave them but we drive by and he gets in our wake. I'd rather not leave the others but they are darting all over fishing and don't need a slow human tagging along. By the time we take JoJo way far in the other direction past Beaches Resort, the 30% chance of rain is heading our way! We manage to take him back toward Leeward where he branches off and we avoid the rain that is fast approaching.

Dolphins on a Mission from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

JoJo Finds Bo

Hi All, JoJo made full use of his Uber rides this morning! We see him at Grace Point, he swims past us and takes a long ride with Dream Aweigh II, a large catamaran motor boat. We follow them as they go back to Leeward into the channel, turn around and out toward the reef. JoJo decides he'd rather go back toward Grace Point and switches to our boat! He then follows us up and down the coast to Pine Cay and back. He doesn't stop for any leisurely swims with his friend Jay! Typically when he does this, he's looking for another dolphin and is more than happy to swim with me once he finds his friend. Just as we come to Half Moon Beach, Bo suddenly appears and swims up to our boat. I get in and get a great pay off for all those trips up and down the coast by swimming with them both. JoJo keeps coming up to me. He seems agitated about something regarding his mouth. He keeps opening and shutting it. The last time this happened Mark, the island vet, told me he may have a fish bone stuck in his gum. As I'm looking at JoJo I notice a small fish that keeps swimming right by his side. JoJo rolls in the sand but the little guy stayed very close. Boats start coming up and people get in the water. Bo immediately swims away and I go with her while JoJo does a brief swim-by and comes right back. With no dolphins very close, the people climb out of the water and the boats leave. I have noticed before that JoJo goes to Bo's fluke area and seems to be checking it out. I think he's sonaring to see her status. Is she in estrous? Is she pregnant? Bo also behaves the way she has before when she doesn't want JoJo too close. There's no stroking, flipper footsie or hanky panky. She even lies still on the bottom like I saw her do once before. I'm not sure what that means but it happened when JoJo was around and there wasn't any affectionate interaction that day either. JoJo takes off after a fish and I don't see him for a while. Bo who usually doesn't like me around when she fishes was fine with me watching this time. She whizzes off after a few fish and catches them. I see her use her rostrum to move a chunk of coral to find a fish hiding under it. She catches one rather chubby fish and shakes it violently. I'm not sure why. Dolphins don't chew their food. they swallow fish whole head first. Perhaps she was incapcitating the fish before she turned it around to swallow. I have gotten some great time with no boats to disrupt my time with Bo but now boats are starting to see we have a dolphin with our boat. John tries to tell people that it's up to them but she probably won't swim with them. Some of them try and as predicted she swims away. JoJo will usually do a swim-by if people get in but Bo would rather not! Now we are surrounded by boats and one boat has dogs barking wildly because they can hear the dolphins and sometimes get to swim with them. I watch Bo as she blows a what I think is a warning bubble and swims off. She has done that before when surrounded by tour boats. JoJo is enjoying the boat traffic this time entertaining each of them.

JoJo's mouth is bothering him from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Bo Goes Fishing from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Snipper and Bo

Hi All, Everyday I wonder who I'll find and who will be traveling with whom. Yesterday I left JoJo and Snipper pretty early in the day. I wonder if JoJo minded that. John and I are sitting at the far end of Pine Cay enjoying the sun. I'm snoozing in between looking for dorsals. There's no better place for a snooze than on the water, with the sun beating down and Spy Hop gently rocking in the waves. No one seems to be around so we head back past the Meridian Club when we notice these weird little boats circling around. They are one man boats that look like sit down lawn motors in the water! Of course the dolphins want to check them out! We motor up and see Snipper's dorsal and figure JoJo's with him. Once I get in the REALLY murky water, I see the other fluke and it's not JoJo's. Eventually I get a look at the dolphins side and see blemish below the dorsal on the left side. Its Bo! The water is seriouly murky and I have to look on the surface and hope to see a dorsal to figure out where they are. Snipper is in a playful mood and keeps surfacing right beside me. I'm looking all over knowing he's somewhere and he pops up right beside me! This game goes on for a long time! I think he's totally aware I can't see anything and wants my company! Both dolphins are staying with me despite my losing sight of them every time they dive. How lucky am I to have these amazing dolphins popping up all around me and wanting me to accompany them as they slowly make their way toward Leeward. I go through three scooters as we travel to Leeward. I have to get out a few times so I can warm up and rest. The water starts to clear up in spots as we get to Leeward. There are so many tour boats coming by to see the dolphins but the dolpins really aren't interested. They are milling around Leeward maybe waiting for JoJo to join them. I decide it's time to go in. My scooters are dead and my legs are cramping up from all the swimming! What a great day: to have Snipper and Bo want my company.

Snipper My Buddy from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Snipper and Bo from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

notice big Southern Ray and both dolphins looking up at tour boats then turning the other way!

Good Dolphin Day

Hi All Finally a great water day! As we come out of Leeward, I don't know which way to go; it's perfect past the reef and perfect up and down the coast. Maybe there's one last whale that hasn't made his way past the island on his way to the Silver Bank. We go past the reef and drop our hydrophone to check. Not a peep! I decide going back to find JoJo and see if Lemon Lips is with him this morning is the way to go. We turn around and head in. I see glistening specks coming our way. The sun's catching two dorsals as they make their way through Leeward Channel. As we motor up I see JoJo's distinctive dorsal and Snippers even more distinctive dorsal. I get in and have a long leisurely swim with them as they make their way toward the resorts. Their route lately seems to head toward Seven Stars turn around and head back. Tour boats start seeing us and come to see JoJo. The dolphins aren't one bit interested in greeting this morning. They aren't fishing, playing or interacting with boats. They are just happy to swim along peacefully in no apparent hurry. We have David with us, who's dying to get in with JoJo. I tell him if Snipper gets a little ahead, he should climb in and maybe JoJo will look at his camera. This has worked for Nic and Ted. As predicted JoJo stops to check out the Go Pro on a stick then swims back to me and we head off to find Snipper. Having a seven foot dolphin come look at you is pretty terrific even if he didn't choose to swim with you. The dolphins head out toward the reef and mill around. The water is so inviting past the reef and there is a cut right in front of us. I decide we should leave our friends and see what's out past the reef. I of course have visions of whales, perhaps new whales we haven't seen before and spotted dolphins whirling around my head! David has in the mean time found on his phone a picture of what we think we saw the other day, a Cuvier Beaked Whale. It's head is white and with age more of his body turns white. He has a small dorsal located fairly far back on his body which is exactly what we saw. Mystery solved! Apparently, they can dive really deep and not surface to breath for three hours! This makes it hard to study them. We were so lucky to see one. We head to Northwest Point and drop in the hydrophone. There is only the swishing of water and crackling of shrimp. I want to go back to where we saw the Cuvier Whale. So we head in the opposite direction toward Parrot Cay. I'm so loving the flat glistening water with welcomed sunshine beating down. It's the middle of the day and we stop for lunch hoping to see some activity as we float in this vast ocean. There isn't even a bait ball. Nothing broke the surface of this magnificent flat sea. After finishing our usual P,B and J and tuna fish we are off toward Parrot Cay. Just as I spot the ritzy Parrot Cay Inn in the distance, I see some splashing as a pod of Spotted dolphins heads toward our boat. John entertains them driving in circles and they join us riding the bow wave and surfing the wake. We see some very tiny calves also riding the bow wave. Yikes! Sort of like kids playing in traffic but they are so adept even at a young age they have great fun and don't get hurt. David and I get in and have some fun swimming with our new friends. Once we leave them the sky is starting to cloud up and I'm determined not to get soaked like yesterday so we head in.

JoJo and Snipper 3-18-18 from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Spotted Dolphins outside of Pine Cay from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

Lemon Lips and JoJo Meeting

Hi All, The past few days have been difficult for boating with a big swell coming from up North. We are happy to finally be out on Grace bay without bouncing all over! After not finding JoJo in front of the resorts, we head to Pine Cay. I have been hoping everyday that I would see the Tropic Birds coming to the cliffs of Pine Cay and Fort George Cay to nest and have their chicks. Tropic birds are pelegic and only come to shore in spring to have their babies. Today we see lots of beautiful Tropic Birds flying over the cliffs surveying where they want to make their nests.

On our way back after dodging a few rain storms we find JoJo at Leeward wanting a ride. We take him past all the resorts then back to Ocean Club. We had company on board and one passenger needed to climb off at Ocean Club. We drop him close to shore, JoJo branches off and we lose sight of him. With the impending rain we decide to head to Leeward. There were some serious black clouds pretty much everywhere and just as we decide to head in John see's a dorsal. We figure whoever it is must be on his or her way to meet JoJo. I'm happy we are all in agreement to get wet so I can figure out who is meeting JoJo. I get in and get an enthusiastic greeting from Lemon Lips! We are pretty sure JoJo will show up any minute however the rain is closing in and its nasty! We decide to race back to the marina to beat the rain. We didn't make it in time!

Lemon Lips Is Happy To See me from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

I'm adding the picture of the whale or dolphin from the other day. We didn't get the camera out in time to get his white head. He was about 20 feet long and looked just like a Rizzo's dolphin all except the dorsal.

Whales,Dolphins and ?

Hi All, There is lots of activity on the dock everyone knows the wind is down and it will be a good day. The captains and crew are hustling around preparing their boats. There are mounds of food and rum punch being loaded. There is much excitement in the air and everyone is discussing where they are going. They want to know if we are finding JoJo or whales. There's a procession of tour boats leaving the marina hoping for adventure! Ted and Suz our friends join us at 8:15 sharp with their lunch, cameras and snorkel gear. We head to North West Point with visions of whales and dolphins whirling around in our heads! I see some activity on the horizon before we even get there. A pod of Spotted dolphins are porpoising out of the water. One high jumper is a good 10 feet off the surface! I'm hustling around to get flippers and camera for a quick entrance as John entertains them by whizzing around in circles as they bow ride and porpoise in our wake. As John slows down, I hop into the deep dark blue water. Immediately two dolphins come over to greet me. For some reason there always seems to be a mother and calf that want to play with me. They circle wildly as if staking me out as their toys! There are other dolphins around but these two have laid claim! I play with them for a half hour then figure we should get on with our whale search and return to the boat. I see the mother come back wanting her human toy to stay a little longer. As I climb on board, I'm told the rest of the pod had moved on leaving my friends behind.

Spotted Dolphins 2 from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

The wind and waves are coming from the South West making it a bit more choppy than we anticipated at North West Point. After putting the hydrophone in and not hearing any whales, we decide to go back in the other direction past Pine Cay and outside of North Caicos. It's a beautiful smooth ride toward Pine Cay as we glide along with the wind and waves at our back. There are battalions of flying fish taking off as we approach, a frigate bird soaring over head and it's snowing like crazy at home. How lucky are we! We aren't seeing any spouts at all as we pass Pine Cay, Parrot cay and on towards North Caicos. We drop the hydrophone in again and can hear a whale but only faintly. After turning around and heading into the wind and waves I finally see a spout way out on the horizon. John immediately turns to investigate and Ted's very special, favorite hat flys off his head into the water. We have to retrieve it before going out! This turns out to be a stroke of good luck. We don't find the whale but as we are all getting hungry and decide to go to Pine Cay to hang out for lunch Ted spots the most interesting whale? Dolphin? Its head was white as it surfaced and breathed. It stayed on the surface for quite awhile. It looked to be about twenty-four feet long. It had a small dorsal fin. Ted hustles around to take pics before it sinks down into the depths. We are all so excited and are speculating on what we have just seen! We are hoping his pics come out so we can try to look it up. We head back inside the reef to discuss our find and chow down our lunch. I'm wondering if we can find JoJo before the day is done! We head back to Grace Bay and we see a group of boats milling around Leeward. Everyones jumping in to try to swim with JoJo who is nonchalantly swimming up and down one of their anchor lines while Snipper is patiently waiting for his friend. After the tourists all check it off their "to see" list, I get a nice swim with the boys. JoJo goes down to the bottom where there are tufts of weeds swaying in the current. There he finds some fish trying to hide. I am so happy to see him catch and eat them. Now I know for sure his mouth has made a full recovery. He comes straight up to me after eating a few fish. I think he wants me to see that all is well! I believe dolphins use telepathy to communicate and I think we just did the same!

JoJo Fishes with Snipper from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

We are Back and get a Nice Greeting

Hi All, We got out of New England in the nick of time! There's another Nor'Easter heading their way! So great to be in Provo! We gather all our equipment and head to the marina. I bought yet another water scooter and brought back the scooter with the repaired on/off switch. The trick is usually getting through security with a lithium battery. This time however John sailed right through with the battery and a small knife he forgot he packed! I however was pulled aside for a box of raisins! Go Figure! The weather is great especially knowing what's about to happen at home. I'm eager to see JoJo I figure all his cuts and the puncture wound are healed. The important thing is if he can open his mouth wide enough to fish. It was pure luck! I spotted the dolphins quite near the reef along Pine Cay. There is a huge tanker that I am watching just outside the reef. They aren't usually in this area. As I'm looking to see how massive this ship is, I see a black speck which turns out to be a dorsal. We head toward the speck and JoJo and Snipper appear. I got into the very murky water and got a nice JoJo greeting. He seemed quite interested in the new scooter which makes a slightly different noise than the old one.

JoJo and New Scooter from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

I see JoJo open his mouth really wide which makes me happy that all is working correctly again. I really think he knew I was concerned and showed me. The murky water makes it hard to follow the dolphins so, I get back in Spy Hop and hope they will eventually head into clear water. We go all the way past Club Med before it's clear enough to get in. This time I get in and a fish immediately swims between my arms. I look to the right and see a fairly large barracuda with his sharp little teeth glistening as he hovers right near me. He is clearly after the fish that has taken refuge between my arms and my water scooter! This is way worse than the episode in my book with a dolphin after the fish! JoJo swims right under me and I'm asking him to please come take the fish but he's not even slightly interested! Snipper comes along and he's equally uninterested. By this time the fish is now swimming around my legs and I'm envisioning the barracuda mistaking my knee for fish! Dolphins are supposed to come to your rescue but they didn't see any need apparently. The fish swims of or at least I couldn't feel him running into my legs. JoJo goes off to investigate a Hobie Cat and Snipper and I swim along together. I for one was happy to have some company. Snipper turns back slightly and locates the barracuda (I knew that sneaky devil was still following me!). He looks at it then off we go. I haven't seen JoJo for a while and am enjoying Snippers company when JoJo appears right beside me traveling on his side. All seven feet of him appearing suddenly at your side can be a bit startling which of course is his plan!It kind of reminded me of Kramer making an entrance! How vulnerable we are in their world and how lucky I am they are my friends!

Fish takes refuge In My arms from Barracuda! from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

New Scooter from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

how I miss this face when I'm away

More whales

Hi all, Spectacular day on the water! With almost no wind the conditions are spectacular for anything on the water. Knowing this was the forecast, we had invited David along with hopes of more whale encounters. Whenever it's this great we head to Northwest Point. We are rewarded with two whales. I thought I heard something as we are watching them spout them dive. I asked John to turn off the motor and we could hear them vocalizing right through the boat! As soon as David and John got in the water, the vocalizations stopped. They didn't see the whales. As soon as they got on the boat, the vocalizations started up! David put his Go Pro down for evidence!

We traveled through the blue green water to the end of West Caicos not seeing any spouts but totally loving the crystal clear water as Spy Hop quietly motored along. It was so clear David spotted a school of fish from the boat and I got in to explore. Its pretty clear when you can see schools of fish and barracuda swimming along without even getting in the water! There was a large school of Horse Eyed Jacks, my favorite fish (for watching, not eating). When I dove down I think they felt sorry for me for not being able to stay long! They followed me up.

Horse Eyed Jacks from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

We start heading back hoping for more encounters. We find two more whales that were equally as disinterested in swimming with the boys! Still a great day. I am off island for a week. I will miss JoJo and his family more than you can imagine but will be back soon with more updates.

Yahoo Whale and Dolphin Bonanza

Hi All, As predicted, the wind is down and we are out at day break. A King Fisher flies over the channel as we pass by Mrs Osprey who's eating her fish breakfast. All good omens! There are waves coming out of Leeward Channel hmmm. We go past the channel markers and there are big rolling swells that make large waves on the reef. When Spy Hop climbs to the top of a swell we can see way out on the ocean. My favorite kind of day! No chop, no bouncing, no splashing just gentle swells a perfect day for cetacean viewing! We drop the hydrophone in at Northwest Point and feel like we are on the whale thoroughfare. We look and look don't see a spout but, we know they are around! Off to West Caicos with the gentle swells gently pushing us along. We see a Coast Guard Helicopter flying along and John kiddingly goes on the radio and asks if they have seen any whales. They come back with coordinates fairly far out to sea! We go to the location indicated but don't see any spouts. As we head back toward West Caicos I see a spout then that gorgeous turquoise color of the water washing over their pecs as they surface. We get pretty close and John gets in. He gets a brief glimpse as a mother and calf swim by. He gets back in Spy Hop and we find them again. This time John gets in and they swim under the boat and come up beside Spy Hop, before swimming away. I was debating getting in then trying to film but it all happened so fast I didn't get anything done! John gets back in Spy Hop and asks if I'd like to get in. ARE YOU KIDDING!!! WOULD I LIKE TO GET IN!?!?! I've been trying to be a good sport and let him swim with the whales since he always drives the boat and rarely gets the fun part of swimming with the dolphins. I climb in. Whoa! Its deep and really dark blue. Visibility is not great. I see a white pec up ahead, now a whole whale comes into view. She's hanging quietly in the water. I stay a respectful way off hoping she'll be comfortable with my company. Pretty soon her calf comes up to breath and sees me. He sinks down again under Mom's chin but next time he comes up to breath, he comes closer. Every time he surfaces, he comes a little closer and Mom's not minding at all. It's now been about 20 blissful minutes and she slowly surfaces to breath. As she drops back down she and junior start slowly swimming and they are perfectly content having me swim along beside them. She swims with her calf under her just like the dolphins. They start to slowly descend into the deep dark blue. I really think they would have been ok if I had followed them but thought if I wanted to keep my boat driver, I'd better go back and try not to gloat too much :)

Mother and Calf Humpback from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.

There was no music that would have been better than the peace of their existence. If that wasn't cool enough, on the way back as I'm grinning reliving how cute junior was coming to check out the human, we see a dolphin porpoise ahead of us. Spotted dolphins start racing the boat, riding the bow wave and porpoising. I get in and a mother and calf take an immediate interest in me. They whirl around me so close it's slightly unnerving! They are whistling loudly as they circle me. I try to swim toward other dolphins and they cut me off and swim right in front of me! I am their human toy and they arent sharing! The mother has lots of spots and her calf doesn't but will as he ages. She seems the most interested in playing with me. The calf gets some one on one with me after she calms down. We've really had a great day and need to head home so I leave my new dolphin friends and head back to Spy Hop. While we are motoring off through the gentle swells I see a boat way behind us making circles! The party dolphins have no doubt found another boat to play with! I don't think we can top today but I'll let you know tomorrow!

Spotted Dolpins Play Play Play from Jay Sargent on Vimeo.