swimming with dolphins in "The Big Blue"

[waxlips]

the big blue is the best movie of the 80s

 

[The111]

the big blue is the best movie of the 80s

Yours is the best post in this thread of the 2010's!

(I haven't even visited these forums in ages, but I guess I still have a lingering subscription to this thread since I got an email notification about it, and your comment cracked me up)

 

[nostres]

So did You find Your dolphin spot yet?

If not, Honaunau Bay on Big Island is home to more dolphins You can handle
They are Spinner kind, they are protected and live in two bays - Honaunau and Kealakekua just few minutes apart.
Best time to interact with them is early morning but I was meetining them 11am-noon. During that time they are at rest (so I was told) but I was surprised how playful they are despite their resting mode.
We had lots and lots of them hanging around us, often circling us around playfully and getting close to us within reach.
There are "local activists" as I call them snorkeling around making sure people
don't touch them during they sleep time.

For me having two dreams come true - excitement of coming to Hawaii and diving with dolphins for the first time, yes I admit I was the one to blame. Didn't really touch it but extended my arms and almost touched it in 40-50 ft of water feeling safe from any surveillance. Wrong, upon surfacing woman starts yelling at me, literally yelling calling me an asshole dolphin molester.
After just watching "The Cove" movie I really felt than touching the dolphin is the best thing man can do to them. In some instinct reply I just yelled back
don't remember exactly what, just know the word "hippie" was there, then I took off with my monofin leaving her far behind.

Still had many more uninterrupted "extraterrestrial" encounters with our mammal friends that day, it's a great experience that is must do for every freediver, I say. Memories like this bring tears to my eye...
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5tuiYw109A]YouTube - FII freediving camp Kona, Hawaii[/ame]

 

[The111]

So did You find Your dolphin spot yet?

If not, Honaunau Bay on Big Island is home to more dolphins You can handle
They are Spinner kind, they are protected and live in two bays - Honaunau and Kealakekua just few minutes apart.
Best time to interact with them is early morning but I was meetining them 11am-noon.[/url]

Thanks for the reply. Sounds very intriguing. As I now live on the west coast of USA, I was already considering a trip to Hawaii sometime soon... never been before. I will have to check out those bays you mention when I go.

How long ago were you there and saw the dolphins? What time of year? Also, are these bays accessible from shore/beach swim, or do you need a boat? I've already found some boat tours for interacting with wild dolphins, but that's probably not my style honestly. I'd rather be able to do it on my own, and I'm sure it would be less disturbing for the dolphins without a boat load of tourists with me.

 

[nostres]

How long ago were you there and saw the dolphins? What time of year? Also, are these bays accessible from shore/beach swim, or do you need a boat? I've already found some boat tours for interacting with wild dolphins, but that's probably not my style honestly.

It won't cost You a penny once You get there. That's the beauty of this amazing place - access from the beach, well lava rock actually. Shallow reef first and then sudden drop, after swimming maybe 200 yards You are in 250ft of water. Dolphins stay very close and hang around between reef and abyss

I was there just over Year ago in Nov 2009, You have big chance meeting them every day. If You don't see them in Honaunau most likely they rest @ Kealakekua Bay 5 minutes away.

After noon they fly into blue water far away for their hunt at night, when they come back in the morning they're most happy and playful, then they "sleep". That's how it goes with them, just like me 10 years ago

 

[The111]

It won't cost You a penny once You get there. That's the beauty of this amazing place - access from the beach, well lava rock actually. Shallow reef first and then sudden drop, after swimming maybe 200 yards You are in 250ft of water. Dolphins stay very close and hang around between reef and abyss

I was there just over Year ago in Nov 2009, You have big chance meeting them every day. If You don't see them in Honaunau most likely they rest @ Kealakekua Bay 5 minutes away.

After noon they fly into blue water far away for their hunt at night, when they come back in the morning they're most happy and playful, then they "sleep". That's how it goes with them, just like me 10 years ago

As luck would have it... I'm getting married in Hawaii next month, and the place we chose to stay (without even thinking about dolphins) is in Captain Cook, just minutes away from the bays you mention. So I might finally get my chance. Thanks again for the info!

By the way, I want to make sure I understand exactly where to go.

Kealakekua Bay
Google Maps (google maps link)
This bay looks to be almost a mile across. There are 3 different parks (green sections on map) on it. Where should I enter the water?

Honaunau Bay (?) is that the same thing as Keoneele Cove?
Google Maps
Smaller, but still large. Only one park though so I'm guessing that's where you enter?

Maybe I'm overthinking this... but last thing I want is to get there and be in the wrong place. :head

 

[nostres]

I'm getting married in Hawaii next month,


Kealakekua Bay
Google Maps (google maps link)
This bay looks to be almost a mile across. There are 3 different parks (green sections on map) on it. Where should I enter the water?


Honaunau Bay (?) is that the same thing as Keoneele Cove?
Google Maps
Smaller, but still large. Only one park though so I'm guessing that's where you enter?

Maybe I'm overthinking this... but last thing I want is to get there and be in the wrong place. :head

Congrats!


Yeah the bay is big and You can enter wherever You can park Your car, probably by Napoopoo Park/Banini Beach Rd would be easiest. But I really recommend renting kayak to explore this bay (that's what I'll do this year)
Check this link Kona Hostel and Inn on Hawaii's Big Island | Last Stop 'Till Capt. Cook where for 30 bucks, or 50 in Your case You get nice ocean kayak for 24hrs! That way You'll enter the bay wherever the hostel people will launch it for You. They used to do it right by Capt.Cook monument but now it's illegal.


Honaunau Bay has only one parking and it's right by world famous (and another must see place on Big Island) The city of refuge with some 500+ years old ruins. Nice beach and palms and very few people, You should take Your fiance there it'll be romantic as hell

Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park - The City of Refuge on the Big Island of Hawaii


And no, You can't miss it. Locals wouldn't let You anyway

 

[The111]

Awesome, thank you again for the info. I'm gonna bring a gopro so if I succeed I can post some video results after it's done. It really is a weird stroke of luck that this thread and my wedding location evolution (we had many locations in mind before we settled on this) both led me to this same tiny corner of the world!

 

[Simos]

Dolphins are highly sexual and will try to have a 'special' relationship with humans. Be careful! Lol

 

[The111]

Dolphins are highly sexual and will try to have a 'special' relationship with humans. Be careful! Lol

:inlove :inlove :inlove

 

[Simos]

I'm not joking, they can be aggressive apparently - have a look:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV31XaJOWuQ]‪Horny Dolphin‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaJviVjytQM]‪OMG! must see! horny dolphin rapes a chick underwater funny‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]

And this was a story a few years ago:

LONDON (Reuters) - Swimmers have been warned to stay away from a sexually frustrated dolphin off a seaside resort after it tried to lure unwary humans out to sea in a bid to mate with them.

The Times newspaper said on Tuesday that the bottlenose dolphin, nicknamed Georges, had arrived off Weymouth, Dorset, about two months ago after following a trawler across the Channel.

"This dolphin does get very sexually aggressive. He has already attempted to mate with some divers," U.S. marine mammal expert Ric O'Barry told the paper.

"When dolphins get sexually excited, they try to isolate a swimmer, normally female. They do this by circling around the individual and gradually move them away from the beach, boat or crowd of people."

O'Barry said the dolphin, which weighs an estimated 400 lbs (180 kg), would get very excited and rough and try to mate with the swimmer, possibly causing them to drown.

The dolphin also has a fascination for boat propellers and has been injured several times. But it has resisted attempts to move to less-populated waters, the paper said.

Since his arrival at Weymouth, Georges has become a major attraction at the seaside resort with thousands of people taking to the sea in boats to watch him play.

 

[The111]

Just a little update:

The very first morning of our trip, we went to Kealakekua Bay before breakfast (we had a commitment to be at breakfast by 8am). Even though there were no dolphins, I jumped in the water anyway and swam pretty far out. I hard to turn around to make it back for breakfast, and just as I pulled myself back up on the beach, I turned around and saw dolphins jumping where I had been. Oh well, I still had 7 more days to try again. One or two more failed attempts at Kealaekua, 1 day getting married, 3 days stuck on a boat in a SCUBA class (which was fun but honestly not mind blowing), then we tried Honaunua and failed there too. Now I'm getting nervous... only one day left on the island.

Finally, our last try at Honaunau around 1pm I found a pod. They were sleeping so I kept my distance, and the low light (cloudy) didn't work well with my gopro which I learned also won't focus well underwater in the standard housing. But I still got some ok footage and the experience was still mind blowing... way more than my first bubble blowing dives. ;-)

Much thanks to nostres for the heads-up! Some day I will go back and do it again and catch them awake this time!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaEDwR7OLJU]Freediving with spinner dolphins on the Big Island - YouTube[/ame]