fingers
the dolphin? oh, guess you mean the dude.
w. humans it always pays to notice which finger.
True
but only if someone follows the correct guidelines for viewing marine mammals - upon seeing them, stop and observe, but don’t approach. In that case, then yes, your statement makes sense.
But anyone following, pursuing, and especially attempting to swim or paddle ‘with’ the animals, after which an incidental contact results is still guilty of a “take” under the act. Why? Because they put themselves in a situation to facilitate that contact; had the not pursued, etc., it wouldn’t have happened. This includes things as seemingly-benign as trying to get as close as possible to take pictures.
The general rule for all boats upon seeing MM is to stop and let the animals go on their way.
Swimming With Dolphins
He was probably just looking for food, or having some fun at your expense, which they will do.
When I was a young surfer in Florida swimming, or paddling my board, with Bottlenose Dolphins was pretty common.
Mostly they were just passing by. On one occasion one got very close with head out of water, and “talking” to me. I got the idea I was not wanted there. Had a felling I was being warned off for my own good, but that was just a felling.
I’ve also been swimming with Bull Sharks, and a Tiger Shark, but not on purpose. Spend a enough time in the water in Florida, and its going to happen sooner or later.
see them
almost every time I go out… I don’t try and get closer to them because I don’t want to bother them or any other wildlife… that’s the way I like it… but sometimes they pop up right next to me and give me a smile… never heard of one around here protecting or attacking a person…
that nasty old fear of yours
fear of the dog.
paddle with me
would you like paddle with some time?
Not far from where you paddle
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/10/ohio_woman_hit_by_leaping_dolp.html
you betcha
if you are are up this way drop me a line… I have seen a porpoise zooming real fast, although not at me, so that one probably was playing and didn’t see you… they are impressive!
if it has teeth it bites
Worked at a place where we had to ship three dolphins down to FL at the end of the season. Dominant female, 2 young males. Lowered the water in the pool but not enough. Understandably the female charged everyone. One guy got a nice set of dolphin teeth marks in his calf, on his birthday. Bled profusely.
If threatened by someone in the pool a dolphin would try to ram the swimmer. Feel save with the answer, ‘all people are nice’? Expect variations in behavior from all critters.
How about something a little bigger ?
[http://thumb10.webshots.net/s/thumb4/0/2/10/105500210tGwmgm_th.jpg](http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1105500210049732290tGwmgm)
We paddled with a pod of 13 for about six miles, then camped on a beach next to what they call their “rubbing beach”.
It is a rocky beach where they come right into the shore and rub their bellies, -kind of like scratching your back !
The next day on the way back, we pulled up on a rocky spit for a break, and when we walked over the rise to see the water on the other side, there was a black bear foraging along the shore line.
Needless to say, we didn’t hang around long.
Cheers,
jackL
Bears are known to attack humans…
In other states but there has never been a recorded bear attack on humans in Florida.
It was the dolphin’s way of saying…
“Yankee go Home!”
My take on this:
– Last Updated: Aug-02-09 12:43 PM EST –
When my daughter was 8 y.o. I often took her to Chassahowitzka. During a rising astronomical high tide there was a human-habituated dolphin that was following (or rather leading) the canoe. Apparently fishermen had been feeding it.
The dolphin lead us out of Potter creek, then upstream near the confluence of Salt Creek while still in the river channel. It located, then began to play with a yellow-breasted panfish. We enjoyed the show for about 10 minutes, then decided to move on to the back side of the islands.
The dolphin swam ahead, no longer interested in the panfish. I stopped the canoe over the sandy bottom. My daughter wanted to get in the water with the dolphin. Very slowly she got in the water, got a few feet from the canoe and sat down with her head just out of the water. The dolphin slowly circled her, closing in. When it got a few feet from her she gave out a "Wooo! Daddy, it thumped me!" probably just checking her out acoustically. It circled her for a few more minutes and then swam away. She enjoyed the encounter.
From that time on I'd set up our canoe/camping trips out there to coincide with the ast. high tide. The dolphin would often return but we were seeing less and less of it until the last visit on her twelth birthday and we never saw it again.
We've done the same routine with manatees in that river, always letting them come to her. She's had their calves come nuzzle against her.
Cautious situations? Maybe, but they were experiences she'll never forget.
FL dangers
There are lots of things you should worry about in FL. but dolphins are way down the list. So are sharks and alligators.
Sunburn, bugs, dehydration, boat traffic and even lightning should be much highe on your danger radar than the marine predators.
Now pythons, that is a different story…
Never mind the dolphins, beware of…
Never mind the poor dolphins, beware of the SHARKS. I live in Florida and I have been paddling for several years the ocean and the Everglades (Believe it or not, there are dolphins in the fresh waters of the Everglades), and I have encountered dolphins several times without any problem, quite the contrary I enjoyed it. Actually yesterday, two dolphins came out to breath right next to my kayak. I have followed them (for pictures), but for respect to nature, I always keep my distance.
For your comments, it seems that you are not at ease in the ocean. More dangerous than dolphins and Alligators, are SHARKS. I don’t know of any UNPROVOKED attacks of dolphins or even alligators to kayakers, but I have known of SHARK attacks to kayaks.
But your chances of running into a bad encounter with wild sea creatures are statistically very low. I advise you to be more mindful of DRUNK BOATERS, and don’t worry about our beautiful and friendly dolphins.
Freya has been attacked by sharks
twice in the last week or so during her circumnavigation of Australia. See her blog for the photos of her epic 18. She at least got some teeth in trade for the damage. Anyone else would have ended up in the water with the shark, Freya braced and stayed up right. She was also hit in the jaw a month or so ago by something that flew out of the water. That one almost knocked her out cold and did send her over. You salt water paddlers get he best and the worst of paddling, I think I will stay fresh, nothing to eat me leaves me with one less thing to think about. Bill
It’s called “The bambi syndrome”
Back in 83 used to watch brown bear
– Last Updated: Aug-04-09 9:47 AM EST –
feed in the Starrigavin River.
Starrigavin ridge is amazing in the winter.