Day Trips

Down in the boondocks (Photo By Gerald E. McLeod)

Dolphins have their own theme song. If getting on a tour boat to see the dolphins doesn't get you humming the opening jingle to the old television show Flipper, then chances are one of the other passengers could sing the entire three-stanza ditty for you.

"They call him Flipper, Flipper, faster than lightning."

Most of the bottlenose dolphins we saw in the ship channel at Port Aransas slipped under the water faster than anyone could turn their head at the call "over there." "Sometimes they'll stay on the surface longer," Capt. Harry Reeves explained as we strained our eyes for a glimpse of the familiar dorsal fin on an arched back. "I've seen them throw a redfish into the air like they're playing with it."

While there was no tail walking or chirping like on the TV show, a couple of bottlenose dolphins did come alongside the 37-foot ferry and eye the passengers before quickly disappearing. With the Lydia Ann Lighthouse on the distant bank, the passengers seemed content watching the pelicans and other birds soar past our boat as we waited for the next sighting. Capt. Reeves seemed a little disappointed after our one-hour tour, but at $10 it was a fun boat ride.

Bottlenose dolphins are residents of the Gulf of Mexico, as are 25 other species of whales and dolphins. There was recently a manatee sighting in the Mustang Island area. Most of the sea mammals prefer the deeper waters farther from shore.

Research indicates that bottlenose dolphins form family communities and stay in one geographic location most of the time although they might travel great distances before returning. A calf will nurse for up to 18 months and stay with its mother for four or five years.

Capt. Reeves says that it is against federal law to feed the dolphins to entice them to the boat. It is also illegal to chase or approach the wild animals too closely. When several fins are sighted, he stopped or backed up the boat in an effort to appeal to the dolphins' curiosity. "Sometimes they'll come up just to see what we're up to," he says.

Intelligent and gregarious, the dolphins like the ship channels for the same reason that fishermen like the jetties and banks. Despite the constant traffic of boats and barges in the channel between Mustang and Saint Jo islands, the bay fish funnel through the narrow straits. Dolphins can also be seen following the car ferry to the island.

While the dolphins might seem abundant, Marine Mammal Stranding Network reports that by midsummer more than 183 dolphins had washed up on Texas shores this year, compared to 116 for all of 1995. In 1985 and 1993, the dolphin population was struck by a deadly virus that some scientists attribute to the pollution of our bays and estuaries.

Animal Rehabilitation Keep is one of the many groups along the Gulf coast working to protect the sea life. Housed at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, ARK is entirely supported by volunteers and donations. This summer the animal rescue network nursed back to health a spinner dolphin named Harley that washed up on the island in April. A Risso's dolphin found on the beach in late September didn't make it.

ARK has had tremendous success in rescuing turtles, especially the endangered Kemp ridley sea turtle. Shore birds are also common patients after failing to maneuver the numerous man-made obstacles along the channel.

The Marine Science Institute visitor center offers an interesting lesson in the ecology of the Texas coast. On the east side of the research facility, the center opens Mon.-Fri., 8am-5pm and has numerous exhibits and fish tanks as well as free movies Monday through Thursday. For info about ARK or the institute, call 361/749-6729 or point your browser to www.utmsi.utexas.edu.

Fisherman's Wharf in Port Aransas offers dolphin tours year-round at 4:30pm. They also have fishing excursions and whooping crane tours. For information, call 361/749-5448 or go to www.wharfcat.com.

Up the street, Woody's Sports Center's one-hour dolphin tours are an hour later. Woody's also offers fishing excursions, birding tours, and a two-hour nature tour. For information call 361/749-5271 or go to www.woodysonline.com.

697th in a series. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of Day Trips 101-200, is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.