Dolphin Swim Hawaii - Kona
An old hand at swimming with dolphins, Chisa Hidaka from the USA shares her experience at Kona Hawaii...
For anyone living on the west coast of the USA or in Asia, I highly recommend the Kona coast of the Big Island of Hawaii for an outstanding experience to go on a wild Spinner Dolphin swim.
In a recent visit in October, I stayed at the Sky Island Ranch. It is a retreat center run by Joan Ocean, the woman who started the swim-with-dolphins activity in Kona several decades ago.
She still runs 'dolphin retreats', which I have heard are lovely and informative. I stayed there during a time when there was no official retreat program.
It is a wonderful, large house with bedrooms for 3 guests and shared bathrooms.
Of course, you can stay almost anywhere on the Kona coast for the dolphin experience. Unless you are staying at one of the few inns at Kealekekua Bay, you will have to drive there from your hotel anyway.
The bay is about a 30 minute drive from Kona-Kailua where most of the hotels and condos are.
There are two or more resident pods of Spinner dolphins who regularly play and rest in three bays along the Kona coast: Kealekekua Bay, Honaunau Bay and Ho'okena Beach.
Swimming with these dolphins is an absolute delight! They are amongst the most friendly in the world (I have also been to the Bahamas, Azores and New Zealand)...and quite numerous, which is always fun.
The dolphins are most often found in Kealekekua Bay. To swim with them, arrive at dawn (6 to 6.30 am) and you will see them leaping and spinning in the bay! The bay is large (for a human swimmer), and while the dolphins are sometimes near the shore, other times they may be more than 1/2 mile from shore.
It is good to be a strong swimmer for these encounters. You might also choose to rent a kayak (available at the bay) and watch them from the surface, if you are not up for the 1 mile+ swim out and back.
The Spinner dolphins in Kealekekua Bay are incredibly friendly and interactive. They play the 'leaf game,' trading leaves that have fallen in the water. If you are swift, you can pick one up that they have dropped off and offer it back to them...become part of the game! If you dive down, they will be very curious and come to swim with you.
It is best to arrive early in the morning (definitely by 7 am). Later, the dolphins will be resting... swimming rather swiftly in packs of 8 or 10, within bigger pods of 30 - 80.
Once they've started resting, they will not want to play or interact, and may sometimes dive quite deeply to avoid you. Even during those times, they will occasionally surface very close to human swimmers...so if you want just to float and watch them, rather than try to interact with them, later in the morning is OK. However, in that case, do be careful not to disturb them. They look like they are just swimming... but they are enjoying their much needed rest.
If the dolphins are not in Kealekekua, simply drive down to Honaunau, which is just few miles south down the coast... and if they are not there, go to Ho'okena, which is another few miles south.
Sometimes, they are at none of the bays, but Ho'okena is a very nice beach where you can hang out for the day. When I was in the area, I saw dolphins on 4 out of the 6 days, 2 of the days, they were at Kealekekua. I think this is about average...80% chance of dolphins, 50% or more of the time in Kealekekua.
In all of the bays, there is a chance the dolphins will be more than 1/2 mile from shore, so if you are not a strong swimmer, sign up for one of the boat tours. You also increase your chances of seeing dolphins that way.
I did one trip on this boat (www.dolphinshawaii.com). The Captain was very knowledgeable and the encounters were very respectful of the dolphins. As a bonus we also saw pilot whales and an oceanic white tip shark!
Bear in mind that the Marine Mammal Protection Act states that you may not harass the dolphins.
In fact, there are signs everywhere that say 'do not swim with the dolphins'. Technically, you are not to approach closer than 50 yards (although if they come to you... which they will! that is fine). Chasing is frowned upon. Touching them is definitely illegal (although they may try to touch you).
There are sometimes park ranger types that patrol the bays... so beware! You can be fined or barred from the area if you are 'over enthusiastic'.
Also, some of the local people who live in the area and swim with dolphins are very protective. Don't be surprised if they give you 'friendly pointers'.
Indeed, it is important to remember that the dolphins come to the bays for REST. So especially if you arrive after 7 am, it is critical to maintain a respectful distance and also teach others to do so.
If you are as passionate about swimming with dolphins as Chisa, you'll find her "Dancing with Dolphins" project very interesting...
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