Dolphins in Salem Harbor yesterday!!!!

matt_unique · Apr 19, 2005

I still don't believe it.....I was about to power up to exit the Salem side of Salem Harbor when two dolphins surfaced (flying in formation) 20 yards directly in front of my boat! I have never seen dolphins in the wild except in Costa Rica, and they were at quite a distance. I was really surprised this pair was so close to shore. They were literally 60 yards off Winter Island in Salem in 35' of water and heading toward Beverly Harbor.

I am still pumped about it today. I have been boating in this area for 5 years on a very regular basis and I have never seen them. Saturday of this weekend we were diving at Halfway Rock and a seal surfaced about 40 yards from the boat. What a great start to the 05 season!

--Matt

jchaplain · Apr 19, 2005

Yep, they're out there. Last season ( about this time of year,) I was boating in Boston Harbor and saw large schools of dolphins...probably hundreds of them right off the outer harbor islands.
I've seen them in the inner harbor as well! Always a great sight!
John C.

matt_unique:
I still don't believe it.....I was about to power up to exit the Salem side of Salem Harbor when two dolphins surfaced (flying in formation) 20 yards directly in front of my boat! I have never seen dolphins in the wild except in Costa Rica, and they were at quite a distance. I was really surprised this pair was so close to shore. They were literally 60 yards off Winter Island in Salem in 35' of water and heading toward Beverly Harbor.

I am still pumped about it today. I have been boating in this area for 5 years on a very regular basis and I have never seen them. Saturday of this weekend we were diving at Halfway Rock and a seal surfaced about 40 yards from the boat. What a great start to the 05 season!

--Matt

MSilvia · Apr 19, 2005

Likely harbor porpoises, but very cool in any case!

decapoddiver · Apr 19, 2005

Hopefully we can see them too

B.T.W. Was the gate open before 8 A.M.? Last year it was hit or miss. Somedays we would show up at around 7 and the gate was open. When we got back to the truck after diving there would be a note saying we needed to pay at the office. I'm hoping to get there earlier than 8. Thanks

Oh! What was the water temp? Hoping to do a couple scallop dives dry.

ScubaNorth · Apr 19, 2005

MSilvia:
Likely harbor porpoises, but very cool in any case!

http://www.theporpoisepage.com/porpvdolph.php

Thank you M you encouraged me to go find out the difference. Heck I still hear people call them both fish.

Do we have Dolphins in NE, that is normally? I know all things are possible, well after last years world series that is.

spectrum · Apr 19, 2005

ScubaNorth:
Do we have Dolphins in NE, that is normally?

That's what the guide called them when we saw them near Jerreries Ledge on a whale watch out of Kennebunk Maine.

Pete

matt_unique · Apr 19, 2005

ScubaNorth:
http://www.theporpoisepage.com/porpvdolph.php

Thank you M you encouraged me to go find out the difference. Heck I still hear people call them both fish.

Do we have Dolphins in NE, that is normally? I know all things are possible, well after last years world series that is.

I checked out the link above and found this key note:

"In addition, the dorsal fin of delphinids (dolphins) is often hooked or curved, while the dorsal fin in most phocoenids (purpoise) is triangular in shape."

The dorsal fin on these guys was definitely "hooked or curved". In fact it struck me as a bit odd, the dorsal fin was curved over like a soft noodle. Man there is great opportunity for a joke here but the dorsal fin was definitely leaning over to the side just as this article described from the link.

--Matt

Scuba_Jenny · Apr 19, 2005

Way Cool! Have no idea where you are talking about seeing them, but anytime seeing wild dolphins is a good day!

MSilvia · Apr 20, 2005

matt_unique:
"In addition, the dorsal fin of delphinids (dolphins) is often hooked or curved, while the dorsal fin in most phocoenids (purpoise) is triangular in shape."

The dorsal fin on these guys was definitely "hooked or curved". In fact it struck me as a bit odd, the dorsal fin was curved over like a soft noodle. Man there is great opportunity for a joke here but the dorsal fin was definitely leaning over to the side just as this article described from the link.

I'm almost certain that the curve they're describing is when seen from the side, not from the front, as in this picture.

As opposed to the less pronounced curve of the harbor porpoises' dorsal fin as shown here:

Dorsal drooping (to the side) is poorly understood last I knew, but is commonly seen in Orca (also members of suborder Odontoceti) that are kept in captivity.

Yes, there are dolphins around here... common dolphins and white-sided dolphins, but AFAIK, it's most common to see them out in the deeper water and rich hunting grounds of Stellwagen Bank.

matt_unique · Apr 20, 2005

Ha ha ha - definitely not whales! I was hoping to find a good representative picture last night online. The top was all black or at least very dark and the dorsal fin was thin and came to a point on top and appeared to be leaning to the left. I hate to keep saying this but imagine a hot dog held at an angle from front to back flopping over to the left. This was the case on both of them. They passed in front of me crossing my path (perpindicular).

I will keep looking - hopefully I can find a picture online to post. I am determined to find out as certainly as I can what they were. Based on everything I have read, they appear to be Atlantic White Sided Dolphins. The dorsal fin was definitely not triangular and came to a narrow point at the end, and as I mentioned was flopped over to the left on both of them.

--Matt

Dolphins in Salem Harbor yesterday!!!!

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