Robotic Tom

About a month ago, 15-20 dolphins entered the Navesink River near Sandy Hook, between Sea Bright and Middletown, NJ. It has become quite the local media story, as they have made their home in a semi-narrow waterway that is populated with speed and fishing boats. Federal officials have been involved in discussions on what to do with the dolphins, but the latest decision is to leave them be as they have plenty of food and are in no immediate danger.

This has become a big local media story, with all of the New York City news stations having near-daily updates, during the 11 o’clock news, on the status of their dolphins. Even the Today Show and CNN have ran stories about it.

I took a ride to Sea Bright to check it out for myself and was amazed at how many people are lining the River to get a look at the dolphins. McLoone’s in Sea Bright has become the hub for all things dolphin-watching. They’ve opened up their parking lot to people who want to see the dolphins and yesterday, there was at least 50 people there and an NBC News truck. The dolphins weren’t even in the area - they were at least a mile up river. Everyone just wants to see the dolphins up close.

I was able to find a side street, in the northern end of town, that allowed us a great view of the dolphins and it really was an interesting sight to see up close. There are a lot of boaters in the area, but the State Police also has a heavy marine presence there. With the upcoming busy holiday season, I hope boaters do the right thing and keep their distance.

I won’t be winning any awards for cinematography, but here’s a quick video I shot of the dolphins about 75 feet in front of me: