We have enjoyed being entertained by spinner dolphins in our anchorages along the west coast of the Big Island. They got their name by their trademark behavior of spinning on a longitudinal axis while leaping out of the water. Unbelievably, they can spin up to 4 times in a single leap!
Pod of spinners
Spinners move offshore at night to hunt, feeding on fish, squid and shrimp. During the day they return to calm bays to rest and socialize. While they are ‘resting’ in the bays during the day, they will often spend some time leaping and spinning. While we’re not quite sure how jumping into the air and spinning in circles is restful, their behavior is quite entertaining. You can’t help but think that they are having a great time!
Spinner coming by to check out Angie
Early one morning in Kealakakua Bay, Angie was up before Mike was out of bed. She made some coffee, went into the cockpit to enjoy her coffee and the view, and noticed a pod of spinner dolphins just of the bow of the boat. She had heard that the dolphins do not mind the company of snorkelers and will often swim around with them. So she donned her snorkel gear, grabbed the gopro and hopped in the water.
Spinners cruising along below
It was a pod of ~15 dolphins and they swam around, playing amongst themselves, completely unbothered Angie. Amazingly, you can hear them whistling and clicking to communicate with one another. They looked like they were having so much fun together. What an amazing experience!
