The mahi-mahi is also known as dorado and dolphinfish.
They get their name from the Hawaiian language which means “strong-strong” or extra strong and don’t let dolphinfish confuse you – they are in no way related to the mammal dolphin.
Mahi mahi
Why dolphins are arseholes!
“Look dolphins!” Cue the squeals of joy and the fumbling of iPhones to capture the playful cetaceans as they dip in and out of the ocean.
“Look a shark!” Holy shit quick get out of the sea…. sweating, panic and possible heart failure.
Well in my bid to turn you all into shark fanatics I’m going to throw shade over another species.
The dolphin; playfully frolicking in the waves, leaping and spinning. That’s when they aren’t saving capsized sailors, or playing with dogs in a harbour. They sound like the saints of the sea, well sorry to burst your dolphin loving bubble but these guys are muderous, sexual predating arseholes.
The creeps can stay awake for days without even the slightest loss of mental or physical strength. The two halves of a dolphin’s brain can sleep in “shifts” so that one part remains awake while the other is sleeping. Thats just weird.
Let’s start with their cute little faces, that smile is equipped with 80-100 teeth to grab their prey. A dolphins got to eat I hear you cry but hang on that beak doesn’t just get used for feeding it’s also used for clubbing seals to death for fun. They don’t just stop at seals there are many reports of them turning on their cute cousins the porpoise. One video from Monterey bay in California showed bottlenose dolphins indulging in a porpicide blood bath just for kicks.
If blood sports weren’t enough don’t worry the dolphin is about to take an even sinister turn. In Shark Bay Australia, gangs of male dolphins single out a female and coercively mate with her. Head butting, charging and bitting the female into submission. The gangs of males can be as big as 14 trapping the singled out female and taking it in turns to have sex with her.
When there are no females around they have been known to turn on another male instead and it gets worse, there is one more gem lurking in dolphins’ mating behaviour. A 2004 paternity analysis of the Shark Bay population revealed that they occasionally practice incest, real nice!
Next up, dolphins murdering their own children.
During 1996 and 1997, 37 young bottlenose dolphins washed up on beaches in Virginia. Superficially, there appeared to be nothing wrong with them, but necropsy revealed evidence of “severe blunt-force trauma”. Infanticide is real in the dolphin world, “calf tossing” would have seen these dolphins banged up for at least 10 years if they managed to escape the death penalty in the state of Virginia.
So next time you romanticise of enjoying an ocean encounter with these guys beware flipper is an arsehole!
To finish and now that I have totally thrown dolphins under the bus I take it all back. It’s funny to humanise animal behaviours but let’s remember nature is not cruel nor callous just simply indifferent.
Tags, Pyjamas and lab tours.
Data, data, data, sounds a bit dull but when you have to free dive and bring a shark to the surface I promise you it’s not!
We caught by hand 3 Pyjama sharks and 1 Dark Shy shark considering the conditions were mental that was pretty good going, the next day on the boat with hand lines we brought in 6 sharks which we tagged, measured and a took a fin clip before releasing. The tagging reminded me of a crazy night in Greece and a bottle of tequila that resulted in a wonky eyebrow piercing…sorry Karolina.
The sharks we caught free diving are currently in tanks in the lab, they will be there for the rest of the week and we are using them for lab tours with the public. They get up close with the sharks and can feed them before we release them back into the bay.
The tours are a great way of raising awareness about the vulnerability of sharks, teaching people about the endemic species in the area and dispelling any silly myths; duunnn dunnn… duuuunnnn duun… duuunnnnnnnn!
Back out again the next day on the boat but this time we were in the estuaries, taking water samples for the government. 15 locations on each estuary and at 50cm intervals from the surface to the bottom. Very geeky, I loved it! On a research boat you get clearing to go everywhere so hanging out in a closed nature reserve with all the bird life makes the data collecting all the more fun.
The next step…
Planning is such an exciting part of a trip. Deciding where to go and dive next or what fish you have to travel half way around the world to capture a glimpse of.
How far would you travel to see a shark? 6,922 miles to Malapascua? (a cleaning station at Monad Shoal around 30 metres down) Jump in the water at 6am so you can get a pretty much guaranteed sighting of these normally elusive sharks on nearly a daily basis.
Yep, me too!
So what’s different this time?
This time I want to learn, to develop skills in the field and most importantly use my free time to help an NGO.
So here I am, day 1 at SASC Hermanus, South Africa.
The South African Shark Conservancy (SASC) is an NGO based in Hermanus, Western Cape. Formed in 2007, SASC has become globally recognised for its work on sharks and ocean ecosystems. They employ a holistic and inclusive research approach, working to promote the sustainable use and informed conservation of living marine resources. In addition to their research, SASC is the parent company of the Shark Academy which is their skills development and training division, offering exceptional training opportunities for early career scientists and conservationists.
Today started early, we got to the lab at 7am, the pumps had failed the day before so the bigger sharks had to be released leaving just the four recently hatched pups.
We refilled the tanks with sand from the beach outside and then water, the water is pumped directly from the ocean.
The egg cases come from the sharks that lay them on sight they are not taken from the ocean, the bigger sharks are held for a week or so for data purposes and to educate locals and tourists before being released.
Feeding the pups was so much fun, they are seriously cute!
The rest of the day we spent learning about the different types of tags will be used and how we catch the sharks in order to tag and release them with minimal stress. Then the type of data and skin samples which need to be collected from each catch and how important this research is for the survival of these vulnerable species.
I can’t wait for tomorrow….
What’s the deal with sloths?
Sloths are so cute, I just want to hug them… well yes they are seriously cute, huggable cute? I’m not too sure.
There are two families distinguished by the number of digits on their front limbs all sloths have three toes but on their back feet.
Bradypodidae – Three-toed sloths
Megalonychidae – Two-toed sloths
Sloths are arboreal they eat, sleep, mate and give birth up in the trees. Only the three-toed sloth is a good swimmer.
Why wouldn’t I hug a sloth? Well firstly, the claws, (which are bone), are big and although sloths are known for being super slow when needed they can swipe those claws pretty fast.
Secondly, the two-toed sloth has two true upper canines and two lower caniniforms plus a snap-like bite – that could really hurt!
Another great thing about sloths is that algae grows on them. It makes them less huggable, but this algae and the sloth have a symbiotic relationship providing camouflage and possibly extra nutrients for their diet.
The sloth sanctuary in Costa Rica is a great place to get up close to the sloths and to see some of the brilliant work the sanctuary does.
About 30 mins from Puerto Viejo they offer tours daily. Book onto the Insiders Tour so you can see the babies and behind the scenes.
The world’s finest wilderness lies beneath the waves
Grand Bahama
Today’s dive was incredible, nose to nose with Caribbean sharks for over an hour.
Majority were female with two that were visibly pregnant.
Michael managed to remove a hook from one female by flipping her over and inducing tonic immobility.
Tonic immobility is a reflex that causes a temporary state of inactivity in an animal – similar to hypnosis. It’s been observed in a variety of different species, including many sharks and rays. Although it can occur naturally, it can be induced in sharks and rays by stimulating the tiny sensory pores (ampullae of Lorenzini) located on the snout.
The conditions today were perfect for capturing some beautiful photos of the sharks.
Herb & Brent
Boarding the Virgin flight to Miami I was concerned about my connection time but as it was the first time I had booked with a travel agent, I thought “they know best”. How wrong I was. I only had 1 hour 30 minutes between flights so I asked the cabin crew to upgrade me to First Class for the last half hour of my flight so I could get off as quick as possible. The Virgin staff were great and obliged.
My gate at Miami International was a 20 minute walk to immigration… easy, I have run a marathon! I sprinted and bashed that out in 4 minutes. Sweating and stressed, how I got through US immigration is a mystery. I must have looked like a poster child for international drug smuggling. Then the baggage carousel; obviously my bag was the last one off but I grab it and run to the check in desk… “Computer says no”.
Deflated and annoyed at being given a flight by STA Travel that even Bolt couldn’t make, I check in to a dodgy motel near Miami airport and put myself on a standby flight at 1pm the next day. I arrive at the motel which I’m sure was used as a location in Breaking Bad. I’m starving it’s midnight UK time so I ask the woman at reception if there is somewhere to eat. She passes me a Domino’s pizza flyer and says it’s that; McDonald’s two blocks away or a sports bar.
So what do I do, eat butt hole in a seeded bun or try the sports bar? Tom’s NFL bar it is. Three blocks later I’m in a bar with more tv screens than women, but it’s nice. The staff are friendly and the locals are already on the tequila shots. Brent is at the bar supping his bottle of beer telling me he’s just passing through on his motorbike; seven beers later after some mildly political conversation he has to leave because, “he’s driving”!
I shuffle up to Herb who said he has been pistol training people at a local shooting range and we chat about his military diving and experiences in Kabul, he’s a very interesting guy. I order a taco, down a couple of local IPAs and I’m ready for bed.
Morning! 4am and jet lag drags me up and to the motel gym. The treadmill has two settings, running to connect your flight fast or a slow stroll. I last about half an hour and then head for breakfast.
Breakfast in a Miami motel is an experience – a machine dispensed three flavours of batter into a plastic cup, you then pour this into a rotating waffle iron. Top with a few options of different coloured fruit gloop. I opt for a banana, the first of many during my day.
Standby – get there early I think, be really nice to the staff blah blah that might help my case. Three hours later the gate is about to close, I’m by the door and I can see the plane, the lady at the desk tells me there are five people left to board so things are looking up. With three minutes to go passengers slowly make their way down the escalator, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… and the flight is full.
Now what?? I ask the lady what I should do, stand by for the 5pm flight is her response. I ask if there are any seats or if she can suggest another option:
American Airlines “no Ma’am the 5pm is full”
Me “What are my chances getting on the next flight?”
AA “I can’t say ma’am”
Me “What should I do”
AA “No ma’am”
Me “That was an open question”
AA “I can’t help Ma’am”
Ok before I start raging and get a free night in Miami courtesy of the MPD I call the lovely UK travel agent who put me in this mess. Surely STA Travel will help, they caused this drama plus they deal with students who must miss flights all the time, they have to be more help than this American Airlines representative stuck on repeat.
Oh no no no we are back to.. Computer says no! Thanks For nothing Jeni from STA, you div.
Her solution was… ready for it…
1. Pay myself for another night in the death motel
2. Pay for a flight to Nassau
3. Wait 10 hours in Nassau for a connecting flight to Freeport.
4. Pay again for a return flight back to Miami because you can’t just use the return if you didn’t take the first flight.
I know from being a human being that the Bahamas is really close to Miami so I ask Jeni if she can find out about a boat from Fort Lauderdale..
Jeni “We don’t book boats”
Me “I know but I’m stuck in Miami and the free airport WiFi locks me out every 40 minutes, seeing as your behind a desk in Canterbury do you reckon you can have a look for me”
Jeni “We don’t book boats”
Me: “I know you don’t book boats but I’m stuck her on my own I don’t know what to do”
Jeni “We only book flights not boats”
You can only imagine the words going through my head right now. Now I’m in tears, blubbing in the middle of Miami airport! Stop crying, that’s not going to help you is it.
I know, call Shanthi. She’s good in a crisis! Straight away, Shanthi has Emily from Bahamas ferries on the phone, $140 dollars and I can be on a ferry from Fort Lauderdale tomorrow morning, a taxi can get me there in about an hour. The cut off for the ferry booking is 4pm and the next standby flight is 5:30pm. Book it I say, I would rather waste the money than wait in Miami until Thursday which is when the next confirmed space on a flight according to the unhelpful bint at American Airlines and the lovely “computer says no” from STA travel.
Then just before Shanthi hits send for the payment a guardian angel from global travel calls me, (after me repeatedly calling the 24/7 emergency line throughout the day also asking for help), we have you a confirmed seat on the 5:30 to Freeport as someone missed their connection. Book it I say and start jumping up and down like a lunatic. How I didn’t get stopped by security really is a mystery!
YES YES YES! Good bye American Airlines lady that I want to beat with her gate closed sign, good bye Jeni from STA, you useless keyboard tapping troll.
Changes and dramas add to the adventure of travel and that’s why I love it but this experience made me realise how great my business is and how customer focused my team are. If someone was clearly distressed we wouldn’t stop until they were ok. Not everyone is the same, hey?
The final straw.
Laine Pub Co, the Brighton based pub operator, has announced today that it is ceasing the serving of plastic straws with drinks in all of its 55 pubs.
Instead, the pubs will be offering customers reusable metal straws or paper straws which biodegrade. The company, which was an early licensed trade adopter of sustainable business practices, reckons this current move will stop over 2 million plastic straws a year from entering the ecosystem.
The idea to phase out plastic straws began after Laine’s management partners Becky and Matt Andrews, and their team at The Tempest Inn on Brighton seafront, decided to minimise the impact that their pub and others were having on the beach environment, particularly after a busy summer weekend. The team started by setting up a beach clean initiative which continues to this day, and out of that grew the “Straws Suck” campaign.
“We cut out plastic straws a year ago now,” says Matt, “and offered our customers reusable steel straws.”
“We initially had to explain the devastating environmental impact of plastic in the oceans,” continues Becky, “but pretty much everyone understood and has been supportive of the steel straws, to the extent that we now receive bookings solely based on our zero tolerance for plastic straws.”
But saving 400,000 plastic straws per year from The Tempest was just the start of the Straws Suck campaign and Becky and her colleagues were keen to keep the momentum up. They put the idea of banning plastic straws in the rest of Laine’s pub estate to CEO Gavin George, and then set about showing every Laine’s management partner how best to manage the transition from plastic straws to reusable or biodegradable alternatives. With Laine’s 55 pubs in Brighton and London now phasing out plastic straws completely, the Straws Suck campaigners aim to garner support for straw alternatives from other retailers in the wider sector.
Brighton MP and joint leader of the Green Party, Caroline Lucas, applauded the campaign saying, “It’s brilliant that the Straws Suck campaign is raising awareness about the damage plastic straws cause to our natural environment, in particular our oceans. I’m delighted that the Laine Pub Company have agreed to use alternatives to plastic, and I hope that others follow their lead. With The Tempest on the seafront using around 400,000 straws a year, the switch away from plastic will make a significant difference.”
Becky Andrews added, “As a trained scuba diver, I’m already acutely aware of the environmental impact that mankind is having on life beneath the waves. But I’m pleased that the persistence of environmental campaigners is allowing awareness of this impact to enter the general consciousness and that this is leading to change. I’m hopeful that in the not too distant future, plastic straws will go the way of the plastic shopping bag.”
becdiving 