Welcome to the 38th annual White Marlin Open, the largest bill fish tournament held each year right here in Ocean City, Maryland, the white marlin capital of the world. This is a very serious competition... Forget the fishing derby you won as a kid with an earthworm. These guys are using the fish you caught as bait. Admittedly I kind of wondered what all the hype was about.

Welllll when the first boat pulled into the weigh station yesterday, the "Playmate" from right out of the tournaments hometown, they unloaded a 45-pound tuna. I was duly impressed, but my curiosity was piqued when the fish was disqualified for coming in 5-pounds under the minimum for the entire competition. Slowly I started to get the idea. This fish was kiddie sized.

One of the crew members on the boat said, "This is the baby brother of the other tuna we have on deck." The crowds anticipation came alive as the officials set to work offloading what we were about to find out was a 241-pound behemoth! Just take a moment to consider just how big that is. That fish outweighs me. And tuna is one of the smaller fish that they're actually going for. The record for the competition was a 15 foot blue marlin that weighed in at 1,062-pounds. That's 5 of me!

The angler, Dale Christensen fought that fish for close to an hour armed with a fishing rod and a hook to get it into the boat. Unbelievable! And I wasn't the only one who thought so as the crowd became jubilant. So do yourself a favor. The competition runs through Friday, August 12th. Go down to 14th street in Ocean City on the bay side between 5 & 7 p.m. and see what they caught that day and join the crowd in cheering these guys on. 'Cause you need to see a fish that weighs more than you do too.

Did you know that there are over 30 species of marine mammals and sea turtles that call Delaware's coast home throughout the year? Unbelievable right? Although they are generally better off when left alone, even the wild critters can use a little help from time and time.

With that in mind, Suzanne Thurman started The Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation Organization, otherwise know as MERR. She has taught thousands of people through her mentoring and education programs and organized volunteers to help with rescue and research. MERR had it's 11th anniversary this Spring and now responds to over 100 stranded animals each year.

We recently joined her and a team of volunteers at Herring Point in Cape Henlopen State Park for MERR's annual dolphin count. The dolphins didn't disappoint. There's something majestic about seeing these creatures in their natural habitat. As several groups of them poked their dorsal fins out of the water, their movements were calm and slow. It's a real treat to see.

If you're interested in getting involved you can reach out to MERR to find out about their other volunteer opportunities. Or you can help support the cause by participating in their events and fundraisers or donating directly.

TIP: We returned to Cape Henlopen State Park this weekend for some beach time and were pleasantly surprised by more dolphin sightings near the bathhouse beach despite the crowds and the hot sun. If you happen to be out that way keep your eyes peeled!

Everybody learns to body surf as a kid. You learn to paddle with the waves and if you get it just right they will chuck you right up on to the beach. Feeling the power of the surf pull you along is an energizing experience that never gets old. That is the same feeling you'll get from one of the newest board sports, skimboarding. It's essentially a mixture of surfing and skateboarding. We went to Alley Oop's free skimboarding clinic held just up the road from their shop on New Orleans Ave in Dewey Beach, Delaware to check it out this past Saturday. Alley Oop offers the free clinics every Saturday from 9-10am throughout the whole summer and that's just the scratching the surface of their offerings. They also have mini sessions, full sessions and advanced sessions to suit any skill level. So get skimming!

Uncle Sam makes his rounds on the 4th of July weekend looking high (fireworks) and looking low (kids bicycle gang) bringing you the hits.

There's always some commotion happening at night. I was up late working, and out my living room window, I saw a throng of spectators at a performance on the boardwalk. I had to check it out.

The band is called 'Parade the Day', with Clarke Nordhauser as lead vocalist, Nick Marfing on the backing vocals, and Blair Simpson on the piano. You can find out more about this band here.