Pintail Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 (edited) Well, <any> day on the water is a good day -- of course -- but this day (Tuesday 18th) was good because of warm (no, hot!) sunshine and swells in which to play along the edge. I was working all along Folly Cove, then towards Halibut Point (think "haul about" and you have a clue as to the real naming process), then turned around, thinking to go back to the cove from which I had started in order to put in some practice, when I thought for an instant that I saw a kayaker, far seawards. I stared hard at the spot; but...nothing! Then...something very dark, moving quickly in the water; then another. Fins: tall dorsal fins -- and lots of them! The penny dropped: there was an enormous school of dolphins seawards of my position (I was about two hundred yards offshore, between Halibut and Folly, but closer to the former). There appeared to be dozens of them, perhaps hundreds, covering an acre or two, at a guess. One nearby lobster boat turned to follow their progress -- observing and not engaged in fishing (too many souls on board) -- and there was one other small fishing craft following them. I estimate that some of them came within thirty yards of me and I even saw one of these turn a complete somersault, high out of the water -- exquisite!It took about ten minutes for the entire lot of them to pass and they seemed to be moving further out to sea, northwards. They were gone as quickly and quietly as they came; but they entirely made my day!Now: species? I am thinking these several (Can anyone indicate which ones are most likely to be seen hereabouts?): Atlantic Spotted (Stenella frontalis), Short-beaked Common (Delphinus delphis) or simply the Common Bottlenose (Tursiops truncatus). I do not think they were Atlantic White-sided (Lagenorhynchus acutus) because no yellowish-tan marking towards the rump and tailfin. The one that jumped out of the sea left an impression of spots on the pale part of its undersides; but it was only a fleeting moment during which I saw the whole animal. Perhaps it was, after all, an Atlantic White-sided? Maybe the "spots" were just water streaming off it? The dorsal fins were big and erect, the animals looked very black on the dorsal surfaces.I wish someone could shed some more light on this exciting encounter for me... Edited August 19, 2015 by Pintail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suz Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 What a lucky man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prudenceb Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 No light to shed... But... Wow! Wow! Wow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbjorn Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Pintail,You lucky guy!! I've paddled that stretch for many years keeping my eyes peeled (antiquated expression??) and never saw even one animal. So can't help you with the identification.Blaine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katherine Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Wow Christopher! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancysan Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Thrilling for sure :-) The only whale watch I was ever on (mid-eighties), was out of Gloucester and included the boat running with a school of dolphins. But being in a kayak and having them so close must have been amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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