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The Dream Team,
Inc. Wild Dolphin Adventures and Scuba Diving in the Bahamas. Dolphin Research, Adopt-A-Dolphin Project, Dolphin Gifts and more... |
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The Dream Team,
Inc. Wild Dolphin Adventures and Scuba Diving in the Bahamas. Dolphin Research, Adopt-A-Dolphin Project, Dolphin Gifts and more... |
Captain Scott Smith has been interacting with and recording the
behaviors of the Atlantic Spotted dolphin on the Little Bahama Bank since 1981.
As captain of the charter/research vessel, Dolphin Dream, he spends over 30
weeks a year in the Bahamas with his dolphin friends.
Scott first
encountered wild dolphins as a boy while fishing with his father in the Indian
River near Cape Canaveral. Bottlenose dolphin would play in the boat's wake and
often accompany them into the night. This began a life-long passion for the sea
and its inhabitants.
As a teenager, Scott began working with his family
in their liveaboard dive boat business. It was during this time he first swam
with the friendly and curious Spotted dolphin of the
Little Bahama Bank.
Between
dives, passengers would occasionally swim with the Spotted dolphin as a
diversion, and interest grew from there. Salvage divers had first encountered
this resident group of dolphin while working treasure wrecks in the area.
In 1986 Scott became captain of
the 65 ft. Dream Too. By this
time the focus had shifted from diving to dolphin encounters and the
human/dolphin relationship began to flourish. Scott didn't initially view them
as research subjects; he started to build a relationship centered around play
and trust. As he began to recognize individual dolphins with distinct
personalities, he started naming them and compiling an identification catalog.
Over time, Scott cemented a unique bond with these dolphin. Two generations of
them have literally grown up with Scott, allowing him to observe wild dolphin
behavior that has never before been seen.
Scott has identified and
keeps track of over 100 individual Spotted dolphin, about 30 of which he can
recognize on sight. Since the number of spots per animal incresases with age,
he must continually update his I.D. catalog. Photographs are taken of both
sides of each dolphin, then logged into a database. A detailed record of each
encounter is also maintained. Scott is an accomplished underwater photographer
and videographer, and his relationship with the dolphin has enabled him to
document a comprehensive range of behaviors.
Scott and the Dream
Too have played host to visitors from around the world including feature
film crews, National Geographic, The Cousteau Society, and many of the world's
top underwater photographers. Scott has been featured in a on-hour documentary
for Japanese television, educational videos, and the subject of books and
magazines worldwide.
Robin is co-captain of the Dream
Too, holding a U.S. Coast Guard 500-ton Master's License. She is also an
engineer and divemaster, and has been involved with boats and the ocean most of
her life. In 1981 Robin began a voyage on the Mechanic, a 60ft. sailboat, and
spent the next 10 years at sea, traveling the east coast of the U.S. and
throughout the Caribbean. She worked as a commercial fisherman, marine
mechanic, salvage diver and island trader, eventually joining the Dream Team in
1992. Robin's years of experience gives her a wealth of information and many
interesting stories she shares with the passengers and crew.
One of Robin's strengths is her
amazing mechanical ability - from routine maintenance to major overhauls. Her
skills are diverse' she is an accomplished diesel mechanic, electrician,
plumber and carpenter - all of which are essential in keeping a boat running
smoothly. She can fix anything!
Robin is a skilled freediver and enjoys
giving tips to passengers on swimming with wild dolphins. She is a favorite of
photographers, and has appeared in many magazines swimming with the dolphins.
Robin also loves fishing and collecting specimens for her onboard aquarium. She
even keeps a microscope on the boat for examining planktonic creatures!
©2000 Wayne Scott Smith, The Dream Team inc.,- all rights reserved.