Spinner Dolphins stop by

Spinner Dolphins in the waters off Hawaii
Spinner Dolphins in the waters off Hawaii

A couple of mornings ago, I was about to get in the water when I noticed something out in the bay. After a few moments, I realized they were dolphins, and they didn’t appear to be in a hurry to get anywhere. Often, dolphins zip up or down the coast and, even if I’m out there when they go by, it’s a fleeting encounter.

But when they move slowly, as they were on this day, there’s a fair chance they might hang around. So I jumped in and swam out in the general direction of where they were heading, hoping to cross paths. Each time I popped up to try and locate them, they were still there. Soon I saw the first one and then they were all around me.

After several minutes they headed back the way they came, but still in no great hurry. I followed at my own pace. There’s no way I could keep up with them and I knew my main chance of seeing them again was if they turned back my way. This they duly did.

The dolphins remained in the bay for half an hour or more, going back and forth. A few leapt out of the water as spinners do, but under water they twisted and turned and just seemed to be having a good time. It was nice to see several youngsters among them. Eventually, they took off in the direction they’d been going when I first saw them and I swam back to shore.

Spinner Dolphins in the waters off Hawaii

These are some of the photos I took during the encounter. I had one photo with 45 or so dolphins in it and I know I didn’t capture all of them. I think there were probably 50 or 60 dolphins in the pod, possibly more. It’s only the fourth time I’ve encountered a pod that size and it’s a wonderful experience that will never got old.

Spinner Dolphins in the waters off Hawaii
Spinner Dolphins in the waters off Hawaii
Spinner Dolphins in the waters off Hawaii

13 thoughts on “Spinner Dolphins stop by”

    1. Graham's avatarGraham Post author

      It really was. It’s the fourth time I’ve been among a large pod like this and it’s just magical watching them zip by and play with each other.

      Liked by 1 person

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