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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Sea monsters!

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Waterboy
Navigator

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USA
204 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/06/2006 : 21:22:14

One of the best things about sailing is being in a beautiful environment for extended periods. While we were in the Sea of Cortez, I saw for the first time the most outstanding natural phenomenon I think I've ever seen. Rita took many photos, but none came out as most of our world was pitch black.

Glowing dolphins.

Whoa.

Many of us have seen dolphins playing at a distance, and some have had the creatures swim and play along with the boat (this was a first for me). Some have seen bioluminescence. What happens when in biolumuninescent water, in the dark, a pod of dolphins begins to pace and play with your craft?

It's really hard to describe, but I was motoring along at 4 knots or so, and these glowing torpedo formations started coming by. Later they'd break the water off my coming as I'm at the tiller. Rita was napping below and I woke her with a yell - she sat in the dark in the pulpit for about half an hour as at least a dozen dolphins, visible with a neon green bioluminescent aura, swirled and dived and charged our C250. Sometimes, 2 or 3 or even 4 would appear 75 yards or so perpindicular to our bow, coming towards me at a vector that made them look like a salvo of torpedos! I had to steer. They never hit the boat. Rita later remarked there's no way she'd have believed me had I not demanded she un-nap and come above.

Has anyone else, like you Fla. or gulf sailors seen this? Was this unusual or common? Pretty dang cool either way.

see http://cybertiggyr.com/gene/Dolphins/
and http://www.lifesci.ucsb.edu/~biolum/

Greg C250 #48 Sabrosa

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Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1893 Posts

Response Posted - 04/06/2006 : 22:31:25

<center>Biolumuninescence and swimming sea creatures</center><blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Has anyone else, like you Fla. or gulf sailors seen this?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Yep! It's magical! Here in the Banana River we have lots of Mullet. I remember on many summer night sails in my old wooden Lightning I'd see glowing fish trails. It seemed the fish would be holding still until they realized I was ghosting up on them in nearly still air. Then they'd flinch (flash), and take evasive manuevers, leaving neon green glowing zig-zag streaks in the water. Once a pod of porposes came by while this was going on, and proceeded to grab the startled glowing fish.

The Lightning's centerboard trunk was open at the top, and glowed like there was a cylume stick down in it when the boat got moving in the dark. The rudder blade left a long glowing trail in the wake of the boat.

Every time I get around to taking my C-25 out on a summer night when the water is glowing, I kick myself for not finding the time to do so more often.

-- Leon Sisson

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JJM
Navigator

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USA
170 Posts

Response Posted - 04/07/2006 : 11:16:53

Greg,

I'm on the west coast and unsure if we have those glowing kinds of dolphins. However last year my wife and I were heading across to Channel Islands (about a 12 mile sail), and off to the port side in the distance we noticed churning in the water. We also noticed that the churning was moving and if we maintained our speed and reckoning, we were heading right for it.

Well it turned out to be a pod (or multiple pods - a herd) of dolphins. Not 20 or 40 dolphins, but easily close to a thousand or more of them. We sailed through them for about 15 straight minutes. My wife grabbed our camera and went to sit up at the bow of the boat and take pictures of this event. They swam by us, swam under us, played in the water around us and seemingly were in a very energetic mood!!! It was something that will be etched in our minds forever!

Now that wasn't as 'illuminating' as your experince, but just as awe inspiring!

Edited by - JJM on 04/07/2006 14:24:35

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 04/07/2006 : 11:49:44

Well, I've had glowing pee. Not quite as mystical. Also I've seen my fishing lures glowing during slow retrieves.

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panhead1948
Captain

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345 Posts

Response Posted - 04/07/2006 : 13:15:14

Year ago when I was on the Kitty Hawk in the pacific one night as we steamed along there were large green patches in the water. As I stood on the catwalk on the flight deck the light comming from the hangerbay would illumate the water. It was really something to see.

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TRogers
1st Mate

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USA
90 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2006 : 12:06:56

From my understanding, it's actually small organisms (plankton or such) disturbed by the passing object that is the source of the bioluminescence.

I've only seen this effect once on a overnight passage up the Washington coast and you could see the lights created by the wake of our boat. At first I thought I was imagining it.

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