Dolphin Encounter Update July 2010
17/08/10
Welcome to the Dolphin Encounter® update for July 2010.
Unfortunately this month has been disappointing in terms of the numbers of tours that we were able to run which was predominantly due to adverse weather conditions and dolphin locations.
When we have encountered the duskies, they’ve been found in huge pods ranging from 200-1000 individuals. Typically, during the winter months the dolphin’s seasonal movement takes them further offshore and into deeper water which generally means into clearer water and with a longer travel time. As a result of the clearer water, we’ve seen some amazing interactions between swimmers and dolphins. Also this time of the year with the dolphins being well offshore, we often see fur seals out on the feeding grounds and sometimes this leads to a combined swim with dolphins and seals! Sometimes we have young playful seals wanting to interact and they have have frightened some swimmers by 'sneaking' up on them with those large alluring brown eyes, however they just want a little bit of entertainment too!!!
Our swimmers are most determined at this time of year, especially with the water temperature decreasing to 10-11°C, however most of them expect it to be a lot colder so it’s a pleasant surprise. The warmth of the wetsuits, booties and gloves definitely contribute to keeping them as comfortable as possible with the option of hot showers and hot chocolate after the swim.
Travel time to the dolphins has been considerable ranging from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours in areas known as The Kelp, Conway and Waiau. Although the journey time is significantly longer than in summer, it gives passengers a fantastic opportunity to be on the lookout for the diverse marine life we are so lucky to have in Kaikoura. At this time of year the area supports an enormous variety of albatross species including the photogenic black-browed albatross and the impressive wandering albatross.
Resident sperm whales that feed here year round move inshore over winter months; no doubt as a result of the groper (Hapuka) run and on occasions sperm whales have been seen surfacing as we’ve travelled south. A few humpback whales have also travelled through Kaikoura recently. Humpbacks travel through Kaikoura in winter on their lengthy annual migration from the cold Antarctic waters to the tropical Tongan waters for their breeding season. We haven’t seen huge numbers of whales compared to previous years, although this could be more to do with weather conditions hindering our operational tours, rather than fewer whales passing through.
So, once again we wait for an improvement in the weather.
Till next time...........
Translation in Japanese