JoJo is designated as the national treasure of the Turks and Caicos Islands
JoJo is a male dolphin that loves to interact with people all the way along from Grace Bay to Pine Cay. He is an Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin He has been injured several times by boat propellers and jet skis and has many scars. JoJo met Dean Bernal his protector, wild life warden and friend in 1984…..a friendship that lasts till this day. He was declared “a national treasure” of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
JoJo travels alone and seeks out humans and loves to spend time with them. These types of dolphins are known as lone, sociable or ambassador dolphins.
JoJo and his offspring, Dreamer and Scooter are three of the most famous dolphins in the world, known for their friendly and curious behavior towards humans. During a boat tour, visitors can interact with these magnificent creatures and even have the opportunity to swim with them in their natural habitat.
Here’s Dreamer playing and swimming in circles
Should you be so lucky as to go swimming with JoJo and his offspring in the Turks and Caicos Islands, it promises an unforgettable adventure that will create memories to last a lifetime.
Dreamer is so playful and often is spotted playing with shells he finds on the sandy bottom.
JoJo’s often spotted in the crystal-clear waters around Providenciales
I have to thank Jodi from Snuba TCI for some of these terrific photos of JoJo taken at the Bight Reef (also known as the White House Reef at Coral Gardens). Also my son Mike who was happy to swim with Dreamer one day.
Jodi tells me that when he comes in, he usually wants to play and so it’s hard to get a photo as he is right in and far too close.
JoJo loves to interact with humans in the waters of Providenciales
Jodi says JoJo loves to play tricks and hides behind her so she can’t see him or he hides behind her divers. One time he was right behind and in between a couple with her and his head was about a foot away from their faces. It was a priceless sight but then the girl put her hand out to touch him and Jodi had to stop her instead of taking the photo. Remember that JoJo is a wild and beautiful sea creature and you should never touch him. Look and be amazed but please don’t touch him.
JoJo is an Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin about 7 to 8 feet long and these dolphins can weigh 250 pounds.
Dolphins are wild so please do not touch them should you have a chance to snorkel with them
JoJo comes up to Jodi with a big smile and wanting to play……..do dolphins smile?
And now here’s our JoJo story…………….yes, Barry and I were very lucky years ago when we first came to Providenciales. We were snorkeling together at the White House Reef when all of a sudden something huge was coming towards us. I was on the outside and in direct line of the fast approaching object. I was terrified and tried to scramble over Barry’s back to get on the other side of him so he could get it first. Nice of me don’t you think???? In a split second JoJo popped up and his head was right in front of us. Wow, my heart was in my mouth hammering away. He was so close that Barry put his flippers up in front of him to make JoJo back off a little. I can tell you we were some relieved that it was JoJo. He stayed but a minute or two and with one flip of his tail he disappeared into the blue. You realize how powerful and fast these creatures are and we wouldn’t have stood a chance if it was anything other than JoJo the dolphin.
A few years ago we heard JoJo has a female mate named Chenoa and together they had a calf named MoJo.
Dolphins swimming wild and free for all to enjoy
Swimming with JoJo, Dreamer, and Scooter, the famous dolphins of the Turks and Caicos Islands, is an extraordinary experience that will leave you in awe.
Remember. Should you be fortunate to see JoJo on your vacation here in the Turks and Caicos Islands, please do not attempt to pet or touch him. Thanks again Jodi and Mike for the photos.
Don’t forget to call Jodi and she’ll take you on a snuba underwater sightseeing tour of the reef .
Marta
Hello Marta,
I have followed the story about JoJo quit a while and but wonder why the last entry in your blog is from 2009. Is JoJo still happy and alive?
Thank you for a short reply
Thank you in advance greetingd from Germany
Dieter
Hi Dieter,
Yes, JoJo is still alive and has been sighted by many people. I personally have only seen him a couple of times and have to rely on friends and people I know for up dates.
I “met” JoJo a long time ago, in 1990. I was at Club Med, and they told us about him, and reminded us that he is a wild creature, and not to try to touch him. They didn’t say he might try to touch us! I was taking a windsurfing lesson, and got a little tired. so I was resting with my body over the board and my legs dangling in the water. I felt something swim between my legs, and was very frightented until I realized it was JoJo! I didn’t try to touch him, but he swam in and out between my legs a few times, then swam away. He sure gave me a good scare though! What a beautiful creature. I’ll never forget him. Back then, Club Med was about the only resort on the beach, so we saw a lot of him.
We are in Turks and Caicos and saw Jojo along with two other Dolphins as we were going out on a snorkeling tour! What a treat!
JoJo’s mother was a fixture on the north shore back in the late 1970s and swam with us often during dives. Around 1980 she showed inside the reef off of what was then called The Bight (now the west end of Grace Bay) with a young JoJo. His mother was friendly but would stay out of ‘touching’ range. JoJo seemed to learn to trust people from her. My daughter used to play with him in the very early 1980s just a few feet of water when she was 4 years old (they were probably the same ages). I have a picture of him circa 1982 swimming with my dog Ben and nephew Danny next to my anchored Whaler.
JoJo isn’t harmed by propellers in general. JoJo actually likes to come up directly behind the boat propeller and rub his nose on the backside of it. For this reason he’s obviously made a few miscalculations and suffered some cuts. He followed us the whole time while we sailed down there for several weeks along the eastern coast, with him constantly playing with us and nosing himself in our prop (this is a true story)