The Kisite Marine Park and adjacent Mpunguti Marine Reserve, where we are working with Kenya Wildlife Service to research the dolphin populations, can attract over 200 tourists a day, drawn by the beautiful coral reefs around Kisite Island. The diving and snorkelling can be exceptionally rewarding with the diverse array of marine life. However it is the resident dolphin populations that are becoming increasingly important for tourism in the area, and therefore increasingly important for the local economy.

Above: A traditional dhow

As with all wildlife-based tourism though, if not properly managed the presence of tourists can impact upon the very creatures they have come to see. With this in mind, GVI have recently begun assessing the interaction between dolphins and the tourist ‘dhows’ - the traditional wooden boats that once served the monsoon trade routes between East Africa, Arabia and further across the Indian Ocean.

Above: Jim records the GPS position of the dolphins so that their location can be digitally mapped

Rachel, our Expedition Manager, was joined by Jim, one of our Expedition Members, as they set off at 9.30 this morning with GPS, binoculars, camera and clipboard, alongside the tourists and, rather unusually, a film crew from the UK! With the kind cooperation of the tour boat operators, who are enabling us to conduct this research, we are also taking the opportunity to educate both the tourists and their crew about the dolphins and our research. These tourist dhow surveys will enabe us to assess their encounter rate (how often they find the dolphins) against their search effort (how long they are out on the water looking for them). We hope to understand more about which species of dolphin they encounter, where they are finding them and how long they get to spend with these incredible wild animals. As well as helping us to understand how the seasons affect the dolphins in the area, it will also help us to detect any longer term changes in their populations or behaviour.

Above: One of the Indian Ocean Bottlenose Dolphins encountered Today, Rachel, Jim and the tourists they were accompanying were lucky enough to come across a group of 13 Indian Ocean Bottlenose Dolphins just an hour and a half in to their journey. The group, which included one calf, were travelling around the eastern end of Wasini Island in the direction of Lower Mpunguti Island, the dhow keeping them in sight for nearly an hour, thanks to some very calm seas.

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