Yesterday was like no other day. Yesterday was STUPENDOUS! I got a call about a dolphin swimming in Souda Bay! Now this was very odd behavior so I alerted the coast guard and a wildlife specialist up on the island of Aegina. The coast guard was of NO HELP. Even if it is their obligation, they had zero interest in taking a boat out to see the animal. This saddened me greatly. Speaking with the specialist he pleaded with me to find a way to observe the mammal for signs of distress. I was to note the breathing rate,(how many times the dolphin came up for air), the angle of its dorsal fin, if the animal was swimming in circles (if so how big/small), swimming straight or figure eights. I was also to record its size, color and if I could its species. Since the dolphin was swimming in and around Hellenic Navy waters and since my husband and I are active members in the Naval community, I thought I would ask if the Navy was willing to take a boat out into the bay to help me observe. Without hesitation and with great consideration they set up a boat and a skipper to meet me down at the base. After about thirty minutes in the water we spotted it. It was a huge animal, about two and a half to three meters long. It was a Mediterranean Bottlenose Dolphin, like the ones that we see in aquariums and shows. When he noticed us approaching him he dove under and would not come up for a good 10 plus minutes. Then he reappeared 20 meters away in another area. He did this several times showing us that he was probably not so trusting of our company. He kept a safe distance away so we decided to shut the engines and just observe him from a distance. He came in closer. The rate of his breathing was normal. His dorsal fin stood straight up. He was quite energetic and at one point he lifted his body out of the water. All of the signs were good as far as I could see. After reading up on this species I learned that it was not uncommon for males to hunt alone. He spent a good six hours in the area. On the one hand I wished he would be there again the next day so that I could see him some more and then on the other hand I knew that he should be in the open sea. He was not there today, but I am grateful for having observed him in his habitat, acting like he should, a grand mammal of the sea and not a tortured clown for our entertainment. Below is a very quick video I took approaching the dolphin. My encounter with him up close I did not want to miss with a device shoved into my face. A huge thank you to the Hellenic Navy for their cooperation, much respect.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 22:30:39 +0000
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