GVI Kenya

Category: Cetacean research, Dolphins, Kisite Mpunguti MPA | Date: May 12 2009 | By: gvikenya

Between nauseous stomachs, blazing sun and turbulent waters, Shafii spots our first and only sighting of the day. With the boat bobbing up and down like a yo-yo and Kate calling out “dolphin, dolphin!” everyone rushed to one side of the boat to catch their look at the sighting. The unique nicks on the dorsal fin gave the game up straight away, it was the infamous Chizi, a familiar bottlenose dolphin for our research team, swimming along on a lazy Monday morning in its world under the sea.

‘Chizi’, a bottlenose dolphin is a very distinctive individual with the pattern of nicks on the trailing edge of its dorsal fin

One other tourist dhow full of extended lenses and safari hats nearly capsized their boat trying to photograph the lonesome Chizi. We spotted Chizi just off the east side of Kisite Island travelling along by itself, which was unusual as this individual he is not normally seen solo! The sighting lasted approx 10 minutes and in that time Chizi was not in a playful mood, no peduncle dives or cheeky tail flips in sight. Chizi means ‘crazy’ in Swahili however the dolphin was not living up to its name on this particular sighting.

After Andy captured some good photos and Chizi had been down for a while we decided to end the sighting and return to the rolling waters and samosa time! This has been GVI’s second sighting of Chizi this expedition.

Tags: bottlenose dolphin, dolphin behaviour, dolphin research, kisite mpunguti marine protected area

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Category: Cetacean research, Dolphins, Kisite Mpunguti MPA, Turtles | Date: May 04 2009 | By: gvikenya

Megan is working with GVI over the next few months and describes her experiences on our marine research project so far: 

Growing up in the central California desert, I developed a fascination for water. I followed my affinity to Washington State, where low clouds, mist and the Puget Sound shaped my existence for five years. I have come to know water in many ways. After only one week in Kenya, the unique anthropological and environmental culture of water begins to reveal itself. We experience it in late afternoon salt-water runs, thick humidity, dynamic rain storms, and most notably, the Indian Ocean.

Each day brings hard work, but also terrific amounts of beauty. Typically, we spend eight hours on the water in our research boat a traditional wooden dhow. The day is long and hot. Aided by Shafii the captain, we carry out turtle transects and dolphin surveys. We have spotted rays, reef sharks, hawksbill and green turtles, barracuda, and bottlenose and humpback dolphins. Often, the dhow startles schools of small, flying fish, which travel out ahead of the boat. One of our most interesting sightings this week involved a mother bottlenose dolphin and her calf. Using a dead parrot fish, the mother appeared to teach her calf to feed. The mother would approach, take the fish in her mouth, and then release it. The calf then tried. Significant amounts of time on the water allow us to witness many different dolphin behaviours.

Last night, the rains came. After a week in the hot sun and salty showers, we welcomed the fresh water. I look forward to more time in our small corner of the Kenyan coast. With little electricity, a vast range of native species, our proximity to the friendly Mkwiro villagers, and vast amounts of water on our doorstep, working with GVI provides you with a unique opportunity to push yourself physically, mentally and emotionally.

Tags: bottlenose dolphin, dolphin behaviour, dolphin research, indian ocean, mkwiro, turtle research

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