Dolphin Delivers Calf In Front of Ferry Passengers

First mate Frank Woodruff held gaze over the marina as the 3 p.m. ferry pulled away from Friday.

He watched with anticipation until the brushline obscured his view.

Woodruff has worked 17 years aboard the Caladesi Island Connection transporting passengers to and from .

But he never had a day like Thursday (July 28).

Woodruff said they went out at the usual time of day for seeing a small group of Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphins in the marina. They tend to hang out around the piers at high tide.

“They’re real territorial,” Woodruff said.

But on July 28, he witnessed a special moment shared with only the other dolphins in the pod. A memory that keeps him looking fondly toward their afternoon hangout.

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As days go, it was pretty typical.

Woodruff and Capt. Joe Graffley were with a boat full of passengers at the Caladesi marina that afternoon. It was high tide — dolphin-spotting time. And like clockwork, they were there.

Only this time, the female dolphin — recognized by a notch in her dorsal fin — was behaving rather oddly.

They usually "arch" around the water, but all of a sudden, he said, "It was rather surprising." She started "submarining toward us."

The ferry full of tourists watched her struggle a few minutes, and then, Woodruff said, he saw a small bit of blood in the water.

By 2:15 p.m., Woodruff, Graffley and their passengers saw her give birth to a calf.

And Friday — like clockwork — their dolphin buddies returned to their usual hangout, only this time, with their new addition.

“I’m sure it happens every day,” Woodruff said, with a grin. “But you don’t always get to see it happen.”