Video- Flipper Leads The Way

This took place on my last day. After spending the night at Oyster Bay Chickee I made for the Joe River and Flamingo. As I crossed the last section of the upper bays this dolphin began to cruise beneath my canoe criss-crossing only just below my keel. Once across that last stretch of open water I made a wrong turn and ended up in Mud Bay. The dolphin had stopped following when I went to the right when I should have gone to the left. As I retraced my path and corrected course he rejoined me where he left off earlier. His reappearance at the very spot where I made my navigational error, and his then frequent surfacing ahead of me made it seem that he was telling which way to go. I called out to him that I had gotten the message, "okay, I get it, 'this way dummy', alright, I understand, I'm coming",.

This is the same dolphin that appears in two of the photos already posted. It was just after he sprung completely out of the water and somersaulted back in just feet from my bow that I remembered that I had a video function on my little camera. I caught the end of his full breach with the picture I call Dolphin Splash. The wake from his re-entry rocked my craft, an amazing moment in time.



A panoramic view of the sights from the camp ground where I stayed upon arriving at Flamingo. The camp ground is part of the National Park, and, though I came in from off the water after hours, I did seek out  the ranger the next day and paid the fee for use of the ground, the shower, and the view.

Visible are some of the islands of Florida Bay, I was surprised to learn just many there are as the maps never seem to show them, it always was my impression that the Keys were the only land south of the mainland.

This was taken at sunrise, not sunset, so when that orb comes into view I am aiming somewhat to the east.



A quick video, and the camera was not on target. But, if I tell you that the splash was a gator I made nervous, and his methods of escape was to get in the water it makes some sense. I showed this to a friend and Shirley was completely freaked out, and needed no explanation, she could see that it was a gator, and that it went in the water, and it gave her the creeps. Imagine if she had been there. It did not attempt to eat me.