BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS

The first time I actually was up close to a Bottlenose Dolphin was during my nine month cruise and shortened charter operation aboard my 37 foot Beneteau Blue Grace in 1991 - 1992. I was cruising down the Intracoastal Waterway and all of a sudden, right beside me, is a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins. By the time I had made it over to Grand Bahama Island several months later, I had become quite familiar with them and even more so once I arrived in the Bahamas.

By my third year of teaching in Belize, I had becomed quite accustomed to seeing dolphins, but never tired of it.

On dozens of occasions, they would be following me out on my boat wake-riding the bow and often, we would stop to allow guests into the water with them, where they would curiously come to see what we were.

On one occasion, while leading a Whale Shark tour off Gladden Spit in southern Belize, I heard some 'clicking' and turned in time to get the third shot from the top as these two very large dolphins passed within ten feet of me. That was the day I decided I needed a better camera. One which would refresh and charge the strobes much faster.

Bottlenose Dolphins are indeed one of the fascinations of the ocean for most people, myself included, which is why we offer our trip to Anthony's Key. Their dolphin experience is world class and something everyone should experience who spends any time in our oceans.

The Bottlenose Dolphin is the most common and well-known dolphin. Recent molecular studies show it is in fact two species, the Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin (T. aduncus). It inhabits warm and temperate seas worldwide and may be found in all but the Arctic and the Antarctic Oceans.

The Bottlenose Dolphin is gray, varying from dark gray at the top near the dorsal fin to very light gray and almost white at the underside. This makes it hard to see, both from above and below, when swimming. Its elongated upper and lower jaws form what is called a rostrum, or beak-like snout, which gives the animal its common name. The real, functional nose is the blowhole on top of its head; in fact the nasal septum is visible when the blowhole is open.

Female Bottlenose Dolphins live for about 40 years, whereas males rarely live more than 30 years.