Dolphin Survey

Here are the scientists working, while I took a short video, "Spinner Dolphins at Midway Atoll."  Cynthia Vanderlip (above) and her crew conducted a dolphin survey while visiting Midway, before traveling onto Kure Atoll for a summer of work. As we approached the SW channel leading from the deep blue sea into Midway's shallow, turquoise-colored lagoon...there they were! LOTS of Spinner Dolphins, Nai`a in Hawaiian, or Stenella longirostris!  For an hour or two we observed their behavior. Cynthia took pictures; individual dolphins can be identified by distinctive markings on their dorsal fins.

Ilana Nimz (left) used a special instrument to record the depth of water;

and Matt Saunter (right) logged the data onto the clipboard data table.

Surrounded by 175 Spinner Dolphins

Spinner Dolphins at Midway Atoll from Barb Mayer on Vimeo.

Adam and I went on a dolphin survey. It was truly an amazing experience. In my next post, I'll concentrate on the science of the survey, but for now I'm hoping I've successfully uploaded a short video. My camera is really just for snapshots, but it does have a video setting. I hope this simple video gives you an idea of how amazing the experience was.