After having to flee from Hurricane Dorian, we returned to the Bahamas Sunday, September 29, 2019 Looking out over an aft deck filled with construction and roofing materials, I watched as the rooftops of mainland Florida disappeared behind the sets of rolling blue waves. Since Dorian’s passing, an ever-persistent NE swell has battered Florida's eastern seaboard. Finally, the winds subsided, and by an act of grace, a lull actually occurred within the selected dates of our miss

Chronicling the ferocious path of Hurricane Dorian Tuesday September 03, 2019 I look outside to the edges of a monster as it slowly passes by. Knowing the full brunt of its fury is still presently overtop the northern edge of the Bahamas, I remain in a state of awe and usual amount of wonder due to the forces of nature. I watch through my porch as the feeder bands make their routine arrivals, continuing to sweep across the state of Florida every thirty minutes or so. More tha

The stark-white cruising craft, accented with age and outfitted with purpose has given us another tale from its cozy, accommodating passages through the vast and watery Bahamian space realm. August 14, 2019 The trip was off to a bang, with fun, friendly passengers already folding themselves into the mix by having fresh conversations and getting to know one another. No one was being shy (not that being shy is a bad thing) and the wheels were turning for finding out what makes

Summarizing the fifth trip for the Wild Dolphin Projects 2019 field season, we begin with a hot, sultry exploration and finish with a tussle against ocean tempests. July 08, 2019 The first work day of our fifth trip was spent in an otherworldly environment, cruising up the bank into what seemed like some hot, phosphorescent gassy planet that was sitting too close to a giant, boiling sun. The horizon was non-existent. There was only a faint separation between the layers of bli

Summarizing the second trip of the Wild Dolphin Projects 2019 field season. May 23, 2019 Nothing has ever been more grounding conceptually to me than the idea that, in order to experience the highs, one must also undergo the lows. Since the term good is relative, we simply cannot have one without the other. As if championing this concept, as both a direct and literal metaphor, the high and low pressure systems that drive our weather across the globe stand to serve as a metric

The Wild Dolphin Project begins its 34th consecutive season. May 08, 2018 Day 1: As if the last seasons requests had been heard, we broke through the inlet and were met by gentle strolls of less than two foot waves shimmering like a layer of wrinkled plastic overtop a dark blue liquid. A pair of jet skis were sitting idle in 100 feet of water without even rocking in the slightest. The conditions were favorable to say the least. During the entire crossing I made constant squea

Covering a multitude of events, ranging from a third and final sawfish excursion to the first time teaching a shark conservation specialty course. March 06, 2019 THE SAWFISH DIVE Ten dives and fifteen days after the last sawfish expedition, I am once again back aboard the dive boat preparing to lead a final trip out to see them. My requests had been heard and we would only be putting in a total of ten divers. The sea conditions were favorable, with less than 2ft on the foreca

Summarizing the eighth trip of the 2018 Wild Dolphin Project field season August 17, 2018 In the early hours.. When the clouds have gathered on the horizon and are awaiting the suns daybreak, our boat, Stenella, is slowly coming to life. Along its white, fresh with morning dew deck-space, a collective shuffling has begun on board beginning with myself, usually up on the aft deck by 0615. Starting with a short, calisthenic warm up to get the blood flowing, followed by a series

Summarizing the seventh trip of the 2018 Wild Dolphin Project field season August 01, 2018 Tomorrow would be the opening season for lobster and the seas were on! A mate from the year before and I were running the trip as co-captains. We would be sharing in the responsibilities and rock, paper scissored for the captains quarters. It went four rounds, but I lost at the end. The minute our bow broke past the outgoing tide line of the Lake Worth inlet the seas began to pound. Sta

Summarizing the sixth trip of the 2018 Wild Dolphin Project field season July 17, 2018 I like most all music, but the blues digs in deep. It's a little known secret, but I actually enjoy the hours of isolation on the boat when the bridge is empty and the blues I'm listening to starts to crank. The strum of the chords matches the chaotic tussle at the surface between wind and water. Contemporary acts like Ben Harper or Gary Clark Jr. squeal their guitars at a feverish pitch, w

July 05, 2018 Summarizing the fifth trip of the 2018 Wild Dolphin Project field season Photo by: Brittini Hill Embraced by the fingertips of the ocean, I dive deeper, stay down longer and am wrapped up by the pleasure of being a bystander to all that passes by. Sensing the all-connecting flow, I rock to its rhythm along with everything else. The corals dance with the penetrating light and the fish seem to take turns being massaged by its radiating presence. As I sit on the bo

June 08, 2018 Summarizing the third trip of the 2018 Wild Dolphin Project field season An interesting thing happened on the third day of the third trip with the Wild Dolphin Project. On this particular voyage we were spending some time up in the Northern Bahamas, with our anchor point each night being along the shoals of a particular cay. In the morning, as we took off to motor around, I heard an old, croaky voice repeatedly calling for Old Bahama Bay over the radio. His voic