Dolphin Encounter Update January 2010
23/02/10
Welcome to the Dolphin Encounter® update for January 2010.
Well it's 2010 and initially we started off the year with lovely calm and sunny weather, however it didn't stay that way unfortunately. From the first week in January we’ve had rather unseasonal weather with quite a number of southerlies with cold rainy days.
However despite some of the conditions, remarkably we did not lose many trips during the month, but as you can see from some of our photos, there were a number of dull dreary days with no sunshine. Swimmers still had a great time with some amazing interaction with dolphins and let's not forget those cute calves who are growing ever bigger as the summer goes on.
The young calves seem to be getting bolder every day finding the energy to practice repetitive jumps in a bid to reach perfection. They also appear to be keen to experiment with the whole idea of “swimming with humans”, just what do they think we are???
Pod numbers have slowly been on the increase with numbers ranging from 100-700 individuals, an incredible sight. The dolphin’s location has been very consistent this month being located in areas such as Goose Bay and Black Rock, all within a short 30 minute travel time.
During our tours, we’ve certainly been experiencing the diversity of marine life that the Kaikoura region has to offer. Swimmers have encountered young New Zealand fur seals keen to interact and show off their aquatic gracefulness and even a sunfish being harassed by the duskies. Definitely swims with a difference!
We’ve also been delighted to see the small Hector’s dolphins on quite a few of our tours. Due to these dolphins preferring shallow, coastal waters we rarely see them as the duskies are usually further offshore. However the Haumuri Bluffs and Black Rock area are favoured areas for Hector's and it was a pleasure to view them especially when these sometimes elusive creatures decided to play with the boat or even interact with our swimmers.
Once again we’ve had a sighting of orca. 2 individuals known to us as Koru and Nicky who passed through this area last month travelled through once again with a pod of at least 8 individuals right next to the boat. Then, one day while we were in the fog, an amazing sighting of a huge pod of orca of at least 15 individuals. This was the biggest thrill, not only finding orca but also being able to see them in such dense fog. Travelling together in a concentrated group were lots of females and their calves, the largest of the males bringing up the rear. The male had an identifiable dorsal fin however he is so far unknown to us and we are keen to hear from our researcher for information regarding this pod.
The changeable weather has also placed a few recreational boat users in difficulties and our vessels have had to assist on 2 occasions. One incident involved a lost scuba diver who was successfully located and taken back on our boat to South Bay. We also assisted their small boat by providing shelter from stormy seas helping them to safety. The other more serious incident involved the rescue of 2 local fishermen whose boat had capsized several hours earlier and were rescued as they clung desperately to their boat. They were very lucky we were operating in the nearby area and were able to save them.
As we enter into February, we hope for the traditionally more settled weather this month and keep fingers crossed for summer to finally be on its way.
So, till next time…………
Translation in Japanese