Tag Archives: Dolphins

Dolphins and turtles, oh my

A pod of Spinner Dolphins swims through hazy water off the coast of Hawaii

Two Hawaiian Green Turtles circle in the waters off Hawaii

In the water yesterday, my wife and I had already seen a small turtle, when this pod of Spinner Dolphins suddenly appeared in the somewhat hazy water. Often, dolphin pods travel fast, but are spread out, with mothers and calves bringing up the rear. This one was moving slower, but tightly bunched. I reckon there were at least 40 or 50 in the pod, and in a few minutes they had all gone by, heading south.

A dolphin encounter is always a highlight of any swim, but conditions were so nice, we carried on across the bay. When we turned to head back in, I saw two turtles, almost directly below me, swimming around in a tight circle. When one headed away, the other followed and the circling resumed. I don’t know what they were up to, but they were still doing this routine when we left them.

Two Hawaiian Green Turtles in the waters off Hawaii

Passing through

Spinner dolphins in the waters off Hawaii

Yesterday, when I went swimming, the swells rolling in were larger than expected, and the visibility in the water, worse than expected. Consequently, it wasn’t a banner swim until I popped my head out of the water and saw spinner dolphins heading my way.

I reckoned there were at least 60 or 70 dolphins in the pod, but I suspect there the number was closer to 100. I count more than 25 in the top photo and that was one group going by on one side. The traffic was continuous on both sides, and below, for several minutes.

The dolphins weren’t hanging around, but zipped by, heading for their daytime resting spot. Several minutes later, a much smaller group passed by, traveling at a more sedate speed. I’m not sure why that was. Sometimes it’s because they’re escorting calves, but I didn’t see any. Perhaps they were just tired and not inclined to get caught up in the rush of the main group.

More fins

Spinner dolphins swim in the waters off Hawaii

Yesterday, I posted photos of a manta ray encounter (here), noting that, if fins are seen in the water, manta rays are one likely reason. After the post went live, I went for a swim. I didn’t see anything unusual and was heading back in when I turned and saw fins in the water. This time, they were clearly dolphin fins.

Sometimes, the dolphins zip by as if they’re late for an appointment, but these were proceeding in a very leisurely fashion, so I thought I’d swim back out a ways and see if any came to check my out. As I swam, I’d pop up to see what was going on. Quite a few dolphins went by in small groups, but I saw more were following.

Luckily, one of these groups was traveling closer to shore than the others and as I ducked my head underwater, I saw them approaching. The lead dolphin did veer in my direction, but carried on its way, followed by a trio that maintained impressive formation as they passed. The whole encounter lasted just a few minutes, but I was thrilled to see them and happy to get a few decent photos.

Spinner Dolphins zipping by

Spinner dolphins off the coast of Hawaii

We have had a seemingly endless stream of swells rolling in from the west, west-northwest, northwest, and north. What they all have in common is that they make snorkeling miserable here. The water gets churned up, reducing visibility to near zero, and getting in and out can be an adventure.

A few days ago, there was a gap between the incoming swells, allowing the water to settle a little and visibility to improve. And, luckily, that was a day that a pod of Spinner Dolphins went by.

I had stopped swimming for a moment and popped my head up to look around when I saw fins arching through the water towards me. This pod of 20 or 30 dolphins was just passing through, but I was happy to snap a few photos, of which these were the best two.

The visibility still wasn’t great, but any dolphin encounter is a moment to be treasured.

Favorites from 2022

Surf crashes ashore on the North Kohala coast in Hawaii — January: High surf crashes ashore in North Kohala. (link)

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Your 2022 Year-in-Review.’ See more responses here. Like last year, I’ve gone with a favorite photo from each month of 2021, with a caption and link to the post the photo first appeared in.

A Common Waxbill feeds on cane grass seeds — February: A Common Waxbill grabs a mouthful of seeds. (link)

A Monarch butterfly on purple bougainvillea flowers — March: A Monarch Butterfly on a bougainvillea. (link)

A Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle swims by — April: A Green Turtle swims by. (link)

Three cats resting in Hawaii — May: A trio of cats hard at work! (link)

A photo of an owl in a car wing mirror — June: How to keep birds off your car. (link)

A view of Green sand beach (Papakōlea) on the Big Island, Hawaii — July: The green sand beach near South Point. (link)

A white-tailed tropicbird flying over North Kohala, Hawaii — August: A White-tailed Tropicbird glides by. (link)

A Black-crowned night heron struggles o get out of an algae covered pond — September: A Black-crowned Night Heron struggles to get out of a pond. (link)

A Spinner dolphin leaps from the waters off Hawaii — October: A Spinner Dolphin leaps from the water off North Kohala. (link)

Two manta rays in the waters off Hawaii — November: A pair of Manta Rays swims toward me. (link)

A cloud forms over the site of the eruption on Mauna Loa , Hawaii — December: Mauna Loa erupted for the first time in 40 years, capturing attention and changing the weather. (link)

Walking with dolphins

Wait a minute, I hear you say, isn’t that supposed to be swimming with dolphins? Usually yes, but in this case, I was walking along the coast when I noticed a splash in the water. Another followed and I quickly recognized the familiar shape and behavior of Spinner Dolphins.

For almost half an hour, I watched as a large pod of dolphins – at least 50 and possibly as many as 100 – cavorted offshore. We were all heading in the same direction and, in normal circumstances, dolphins would easily outpace me, but these were having fun. In addition to spinning, I saw a lot of other regular jumps. Sometimes the dolphins turned back the way they came or headed toward shore, surfing in the waves.

When I turned inland, to head back to my car, they were still in sight and still spinning and frolicking in the waves.

Posted for Jo’s Monday Walk. See more responses here.

Countdown

Ten sheep, and ten cattle egrets, in Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘A Numbers Game.’ See more responses here. I put all my fingers and thumbs to work for my response, starting with ten Sheep in formation (and ten Cattle Egrets, too, as a bonus).

Next we have nine Spinner Dolphins playing, eight Wild Pigs foraging, seven Cattle Egrets heading to work.

Nine spinner dlophins in the waters off Hawaii

Then there’s six Dung Beetles at work, five Black Triggerfish feeling blue, four Japanese White-eyes bathing.

Black Triggerfishes in an aroused state in the waters off Hawaii

And finally, three Horses watching, two Hawaiian Monk Seals resting, and one Pueo anticipating zero and lifting off.

A Hawaiian monk seal and pup on a beach in Hawaii

Spinner Dolphins stop by

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.

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.

Graham's Island

Life on the Big Island of Hawaii