Photographing and Swimming with Dolphins

  Narrowing down what to do on a day off here in Oahu can be a daunting task. There are waterfall hikes, beautiful beaches, historical sites, rainforest, volcanic craters, delicious food, tropical drinks, and of course, the ocean. Surfing, scuba diving, and underwater photography are what really make Hawaii such a special place to live. Almost every day of the year you can head out into the ocean and do any of these three things. If there are big waves in the north you can scuba in the south, if there are high winds in the east I'll head west. On this day I chose to head west and look for the pod of spinner dolphins that often hangs out just off the coast near electric beach.

  At first I thought I was out of luck. The conditions were overcast and grey, but flat calm. I could see the dolphins were there and a few snorkelers with them. I hustled to get ready and kicked hard to get out to where the dolphins were. Just as I got to the group of snorkelers the dolphins cruised away. The four snorkelers were talking about what a playful group of dolphins they had been. I thought how funny that would be if I just missed the dolphins by thirty seconds. I saw the dolphins cruising back our way but much farther out. I knew I couldn't reach them on this pass so I settled into wait for them to turn around and head back toward me. I waited, and waited, and waited...Pretty soon the dolphins were out of sight, and I could no longer hear their loud squeels underwater. They were gone. Blast.

  But as you can tell with all the pictures, my waiting paid off. As I was kicking back in after kicking myself for not getting there earlier, I heard a dolphin underwater. They must be getting close again! I lifted my head and sure enough, they were right back where I had been waiting. It was pretty far out but I decided to kick back out to see if I could get lucky and snap a few pictures. What came next was truly spectacular. I spent the next two hours with the dolphins, almost like one of the pod. And it was just me. There were baby dolphins, dolphins playing keep away with leaves and a plastic bag, and a very playful group of young males nipping and biting at each other.

  The dark overcast conditions made taking pictures a little tough but I had enough time to really zone in and get some close up shots. I really did feel like one of the pod. Enjoy the pictures and I hope you can relive some of my excitement. Anyone ready to buy your plane ticket now?