Spinner Dolphins dive deep!

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Claire

Aloha,

We didn’t operate our Dolphin Watch Adventure today — the next scheduled cruise is on Thursday 5/17. So with no statistics to report, I’ll get right to your Dolphin Fact of the Day: Though Spinner Dolphins are only slightly longer than the average size male human is tall, and though they weigh about the same as an average size male human, they can dive 800-1000 feet and hold their breath for perhaps as long as 8 minutes as a time!

Join Ocean Sports on a Dolphin Watch Adventure and experience the excitement for yourself — call us at 886-6666 ext. 103 to reserve your adventure today!

Mahalo,

Captain Claire

Mother’s Day Dolphin Facts

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Claire

Aloha,

Our Mother’s Day Dolphin Watch Adventure didn’t encounter dolphins, but we had a great time snorkeling and we got to do a LOT of sailing on Alala. Between the nice breeze, the vibrant coral, the turtles and fish we saw, we had a wonderful day on the water.

Dolphin Fact of the Day: According to researchers, Spinner Dolphin Mothers nurse their Calves for as long as a year to a year and a half. Once weaned, the little juvenile dolphin will still stick close to Mom — and due to the fluid nature of the Spinner Dolphin pods,Mom and her offspring may keep in contact for their whole lives! Happy Mother’s Day!

Mahalo,

Captain Claire

Same Pod kept growing

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Claire

Aloha,

On Wednesday, we ran two exclusive charters on Alala out of the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. On the first trip, we encountered a pod of about 20 Spinners just outside of Crystal Cove (past the Pioneer building near Kawaihae Harbor) at about 9:30. At 10:30, we saw the same pod in the same location, but now there were about 50 dolphins! On our second trip, we went back to the same location, and saw what was probably the original pod…but they had been joined by even more dolphins, so we saw about 70 animals in all! We didn’t see any small calves in the group, but we did see several sub-adults. And the Dolphins did come to the boat to bow surf — they performed only a few spins and tail lobs.

Dolphin Fact of the Day. Researchers believe that Spinner Dolphins perform a large percentage of their aerial behaviors because it’s “their job”. It’s been observed that the frequency of leaps and spins increases right around the time the dolphins are waking up and heading out to sea in the early evening. Perhaps the dolphins can echo locate the bubble plumes created when they land from a spin more easily than they can echo locate each other — which means that spinning might be a great way to keep track of the rest of the pod. Of course, a lot of the spins may be performed for the same reasons that Humpback Whales breach….to knock off parasites, or just because it’s fun!

Mahalo,

Captain Claire

Spinner Dolphins Protected

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Claire

Aloha,

As I mentioned on Sunday’s report, we didn’t have a scheduled Dolphin Watch Adventure on Tuesday (but we will on Thursday, 5/11), so with no statistics to report, I’ll just send on my Dolphin Fact of the Day!

Though Spinner Dolphins are not considered endangered species, they are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, which means it’s illegal to “harass” them. Harassment is generally defined as doing anything that would alter the dolphins’ behaviors.

Join Ocean Sports on a Dolphin Watch Adventure. Call us at 886-6666 ext. 103 or visit www.hawaiioceansports.com for more information and reservations.

Mahalo,

Captain Claire

Dolphin Calves

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Claire

Aloha,

Our Dolphin Watch Adventure didn’t operate Sunday (the next scheduled Dolphin Watch is on Thursday 5/11, departing at 8:00 am from Kawaihae Harbor). So, here’s today’s Dolphin Fact of the Day: After about a 10 1/2 month gestation period, Spinner Dolphins are born tail first. The calf measures between 18 inches and 30 inches long.

Join Ocean Sports on a Dolphin Watch Adventure. Call us at 886-6666 ext. 103 or visit www.hawaiioceansports.com to reserve the adventure today!

Mahalo,

Captain Claire

Dolphin, Porpoise or Whale?

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Claire

Aloha,

We didn’t operate our Dolphin Watch Adventure today, so I don’t have statistics to report. But I’ll still share a Dolphin Fact of the Day with you….

Do you know how to tell the difference between Dolphins, Porpoises and Whales?

All these animals are members of the order Cetacea, and the sub-order Odontocete — which means all three are toothed whales. the word “dolphin” typically refers to animals who have pronounced beaks, falcate (curved like a boomerang) dorsal fins, and conical shaped teeth. “Porpoises” are animals with a blunt face, spatula shaped teeth (i.e. flat — like your own front teeth) and triangular dorsal fins. “Whales” are just really big cetaceans. to confuse the subject even more, a lot of local people here refer to the mahi-mahi fish as a dolphin, and the smaller toothed wales as porpoises. That’s why researchers prefer to use all these animals’ Latin names for identification.

Our next available Dolphin Watch Adventure is scheduled for next Thursday, May 10th departing on Alala from Kawaihae Harbor at 8:00 am. Please call us for information or reservations for this — or for any of our activities — at 886-6666 ext. 103.

Mahalo,

Captain Claire

Big Island Whale Watching

Hawaii Humpback Whale and Spinner Dolphin Sightings and Statistics from Ocean Sports Whale Watch Cruises.

Monthly Archives: May 2012

Spinner Dolphins dive deep!

Mother’s Day Dolphin Facts

Same Pod kept growing

Spinner Dolphins Protected

Dolphin Calves

Dolphin, Porpoise or Whale?