We are thankful for all the creatures, big and small, in the warm Pacific surrounding Hawaii!
Here, a small pod of Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins rest during the day near Manele Bay on Lana’i. Day time for Spinners is typically comprised of circling a safe area over and over again in tight groups. This provides protection while they turn off a portion of their brain to rest. Rest time also includes mating and playful jumping and spinning.
Spinner Dolphins are thought to be the only dolphins that jump out of the water and spin as fast they can purely by their nature, without any human training. They are a bit smaller than more common bottlenose dolphins, but still very intelligent.
Spinners hunt and eat at night, traveling hundreds of miles to their favorite fishing spots. They hunt as a team and often dive down several hundred feet for many minutes at a time to capture their prey.
From the Photographer:
“These dolphin shots were taken while camping at the Hulopo’e campground on the island of Lana’i. I love swimming with Spinner dolphins!”
