Dolphin Sighting on the Homosassa River! (Jan 23, 2018)

On January 23, I went on the Homosassa River for the first time in my life. I'd been wanting to explore the Homosassa since April of 2017. Now, finally, almost a year later, I did it!

Though I hoped and dreamed that we would see dolphins - even just a few fins roll - on the Homosassa, I still had many doubts that we would. I mean, in July 2017, we spent a whole day exploring Crystal River and searching for dolphins, but never found any in the river. "How would the Homosassa be any different than Crystal River?" I wondered, "They're basically right beside each other." So I kinda figured that we wouldn't see any dolphins.

Thankfully, I was very wrong.

After launching the jon boat at the public boat ramp by MacRae's of Homosassa, we decided to head eastward, toward the spring, first. So, up into the freshwater we went.

As we passed Buzzard Point and neared the entrance of the Halls River, I was sure I spotted a dorsal fin skim through the water ahead of our boat. My heart leaped, and my first thought was "dolphin?" I figured it probably wasn't, but to my great delight, I saw it again, and this time I was sure. It was a dolphin!

We followed it a little ways. It stayed close by the shore, in water so shallow its dorsal fin trailed above the surface. Once we got to Buzzard Point, we lost sight of it.

bottlenose dolphin in the homosassa river, near buzzard point
We spotted a dolphin in the Homosassa!

bottlenose dolphin in the homosassa river

bottlenose dolphin in the homosassa river

bottlenose dolphin in the homosassa river

It was very interesting seeing a Bottlenose Dolphin in freshwater. Bottlenose Dolphins cannot survive for long periods of time in freshwater, as it causes their skin to develop open, almost blister-like lesions, which can let in harmful bacteria, viruses, etc. However, because the Homosassa River is only about eight miles long from the head spring to the Gulf of Mexico, dolphins can easily swim into freshwater and back to the saltwater without doing any damage to their skin.

No comments:

Post a Comment