Tuesday 14 April 2015

Bottlenose dolphins in the shallows

By Olly Johnson - NDP Intern March 2015

What an amazing month I spent in Walvis Bay, from quad biking in the dunes during my spare time to recording the behaviour of bottlenose dolphins from the boat! Everything was incredible and I learnt a huge amount, not only about dolphins but the sea birds too, something which at the start of the month I wasn't particularly interested in but I grew to really enjoy! 

I met some amazing people during my time as well, all of whom I hope to stay in touch with! The accommodation was great as well, being so close to the lagoon where I regularly saw dolphins feeding in really shallow waters, just 5 meters from shore at low tide! 

I would love to still be there, and no way could I pick a favourite moment from my time but some would include seeing a Heaviside’s dolphins now riding, quad biking in the dunes and the Sandwich Harbour tour! Another great moment was during one of my bird counts with Titus where we confidently concluded that the water was too shallow for dolphins and right at that moment they swam immediately in front of us in the lagoon. 

Thank you so much to everyone whose my time there so incredible!

[All photos by Olly Johnson]