Will Hawaii’s Spinner Dolphins Finally Get A Rest From The Crowds? NOAA officials said they hope to finally issue a new rule this summer that bars anyone from approaching within 50 yards of the dolphins.
For several decades, boat tours, retreat groups and beachgoers have enjoyed swimming near Hawaii’s spinner dolphins. The animals reliably return each morning to the same shallow, sandy bays near shore to rest after spending their nights foraging for food in a dolphin ritual that’s unique to the islands, researchers say.
That up-close access might soon end, however, amid community outcry that the crowds in the water have grown too big in recent years and have overwhelmed the spinner pods, chronically disrupting their rest cycles and jeopardizing the population’s long-term survival.
The situation has gotten especially out of hand near Waianae, on Oahu’s Leeward Coast, and on Hawaii island’s Kona Coast, local residents say. The spinners in those areas encounter more tourism activities, including swimmers who get too close, than any other dolphin group in the world, according to researchers.
