Swimming with dolphins in Hawaii

Swim with Dolphins in Hawaii

Swimming with dolphins in Hawaii will make your vacation a truly unforgettable one. Hawaii’s water is richly inhabited with eight species of dolphins, among which the bottlenose and the spinner dolphins are the most common ones.

Swimming with dolphins is one of the most desirable activities for everyone who comes to Hawaii. There are several companies on Oahu and the Big Island that offer a real swim with dolphins in the wild. However, there are many other companies on Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island who offer dolphin watching tours from aboard a boat. These tours usually go in combination with snorkeling, scuba diving, snuba or any other water sport.

Swim with Dolphins in the Ocean

Dolphins are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and it is against the law to come closer than 50 yards (45 m) to them. However, this does not mean they can not approach you. The dolphins are friendly and they may choose to come close to you and check you out. But if they prefer to keep a distance, you should not swim close to them to hug or pet them.

Some of the swimming with dolphins companies offer a guaranteed swim with dolphins, which means that if you don’t get the chance to swim with dolphins on your tour, they will give you another tour for free until you get to swim with them.

During the winter season, the whales come to Hawaii. So besides dolphins, you will get the chance to see many humpback whales as well.

Swim with Dolphins in a Park

If you want to make your Hawaii dolphin adventure guaranteed and unforgettable from the first swim, you might want to visit the Sea Life Park on Oahu. They have special dolphin programs that allow you to literally swim, hug, pet and even kiss the dolphins. There you will learn about the dolphins, their habits and the most important – you will really swim with them! At the Sea Life Park, you can interact with dolphins and also with other members of Hawaii’s marine life, such as sea lions, sea turtles, penguins and more. The park has a combo dolphin-luau package as well. It combines a dolphin swim adventure with an authentic Hawaiian luau in the park.

Dolphin Educational Programs

Kahala Hotel & Resort’s natural lagoons are home to six Atlantis Bottlenose dolphins. A marine research and educational center called Dolphin Quest is based there. The Dolphin Quest trainers offer daily education programs, where you can learn about the dolphins and get close to them in the water. The Dolphin Quest program is a unique opportunity to understand why dolphins are considered to be one of the most intelligent and fascinating creatures.

There is a free dolphin show at the hotel at 3 p.m. as well. It is for those of you who want to see the dolphins in action – playing, jumping and performing tricks in the water.

The Bottlenose Dolphin

The bottlenose dolphin is the most common type of dolphin and it inhabits warm waters. Its name comes from its elongated upper and lower jaws. Its native color is gray. The top part of the dolphin near the dorsal fin is dark gray, and the bottom part is light gray or white. The size of an adult bottlenose dolphin varies from 6 to 13 feet (2 to 4 m), and it is known that males are slightly longer than females. The average dolphin’s weight is from 440 to 600 pounds (200 to 300 kg).

The dolphin’s swim speed is known to be 3-6 miles (5-11 km) per hour. But if they want, they can swim much faster and reach a speed of 21 miles (35 km) per hour. However, if they develop such a high speed, it lasts just for a short while. The bottlenose dolphin breathes through its blowhole located on the top of the head. Every 5-8 minutes it rises up to the surface to breath through it.

Bottlenose dolphins usually live in small groups (up to 12 dolphins), called pods. Pods contain mainly females and their children. These are steady groups and they stay together for a long time. Male dolphins usually travel in 2-3 dolphins per group and join the pods for a short time. Sometimes several pods merge together and form a larger group of dolphins.

The bottlenose dolphin is known as a loving and friendly creature. They often get close to people. Their intention is just to get to know them and make friends. There are many cases when they have even rescued injured divers in the ocean. That’s why dolphins have been called Man's best friend of the sea.

Hawaii is one of the best places in the world where you can get close to bottlenose dolphins.