How to Swim With Wild Dolphins in Hawaii

The ocean surface erupts with the glistening, steel-colored backs of spinner dolphins, cavorting through the waves in a synchronized dance. They dodge, they dive, they pirouette. They take a brief interest in you, perhaps even peering into your mask, and then they're off like pearly gray rockets. You're on the Big Island of Hawaii, communing with nature in a way that few people will ever experience.

The opportunities to swim with, or just observe, spinners in Hawaii are endless. You can go for a dolphin snorkel on boats ranging in size from small, inflatable Zodiacs to large boats that carry over 100 passengers. Mid-sized snorkel boats (24 passengers) often have snorkel guides who will jump in the water with you and make sure you are comfortable in this new environment. Although you have a higher chance of seeing dolphins on a boat since the captains radio each other on the location of the dolphins, you can also just grab a mask, fins, and snorkel and jump in from the shore. There are even tour groups with leaders who believe that dolphins are the oracles of the 5th dimension. No, not the 70's musical group. There are three spatial dimensions, time is the fourth, and the fifth would be communing with aliens and dolphins, telepathically. It's possible that humans can communicate with dolphins telepathically, why not? Wouldn't you like to try?

Spinner dolphins are much smaller than Flipper, who was an Atlantic Bottlenose dolphin. They weigh an average of 200 pounds, compared the the Bottlenose, which is closer to an average of 600 pounds. Contrary to popular belief, they are not endangered - far from it. The spinner population of the Kona Coast is estimated to be over 2,000, with a total of 6,500 throughout the island chain. Spinners have a long, narrow beak, or rostrum, and range in color from a light gray on their undersides to a medium gray on their flanks and a dark gray on top. They average about seven feet in length. They are playful, social, and fiercely protective of their young. Biologists have been studying the population of spinners along the Kona coast since the 80's, and they are still not sure of what impact human interaction may have on them.

Spinner dolphins feed at night and rest during the day. They are capable of "unihemispheric slow-wave sleep", a wonderful animal ability to allow one hemisphere of the brain to sleep while the other is active. Dolphins in this state will remain relatively motionless, popping up to the surface to breathe for a few seconds before they float back down under the water. Although they have periods when they spin, jump, and play, they also need the daylight hours to rest. If you chance upon a sleeping dolphin, stop. Just observe the beauty of this incredible animal without disturbing them.

• Do be prepared to jump in the water as soon as you see a dolphin, they certainly won't wait for you.
• Do listen to everything the captain and crew tell you if you're on a boat. Their first priority is not to see that you have a good time, their first priority is the safety of the passengers and the dolphins. The people who work in and on the water love these little critters - let them show you how to make your experience all that it can be.
• Do respect the dolphins and their space. Appreciate this incredible opportunity for what it is. If the dolphins don't like what you're doing, they will leave.
• Don't chase, touch, or approach the dolphins. They can approach you, but you cannot, by law, approach them.
• Don't worry about sharks. Shark attacks in Hawaii are few and far between. Didn't you see the Flipper episode where he attacked the shark? Dolphins can handle sharks, and very few sharks in Hawaii will approach a pod of dolphins.
• Don't jump directly into a pod. Would you like a bunch of dolphins jumping on you and your family?

Spinner dolphins are not just indigenous to the Kona Coast - they are everywhere in Hawaii. Like an enormous litter of silvery gray puppies, they pop up everywhere from Kauai in the north to the Big Island in the south. They frequently follow the wake of boats and ships, jumping and diving in waves. If you're not sure where to find them and you don't want to to take a boat trip, try talking to some of the captains and crew that work in the bays and harbors. They'll point you in the right direction, although they're sure to warn you against touching the dolphins. It is believed that Native Hawaiians thought of the nai'a, or dolphin, as part of an oceanic tribe with rights that were equal to human villagers. Let's all strive to honor their rights as our ambassadors of aloha.