Capturing the Moment

Dolphin Photos Here    I remember spinner dolphins often swimming through the snorkel area at Kealakekua Bay, also known as Captain Cooks on the Big Island. However with all the boat traffic these days its no small wonder that these dolphins give the snorkel zone a wide berth now. However, every once in a while we still get lucky, and today was one of those days.    I could hear the high pitched squeeks and squeals underwater before I saw the pod of spinner dolphins. Once they broke the surface with their telltale triangular dorsal fins I was able to plant myself in their probably path. There is always something so magical about a pod of dolphins appearing our of the deep blue. The intelligence is etched in the eyes as they swim by, looking deep into you. They gave me a couple of passes before heading back out to deeper water.  Find more photos of dolphins for sale at www.daimarsphotos.com

Known for their acrobatic displays the spinner dolphin, ( Stenella longirostris ) is a year round resident of our coastal Maui waters. They frequent shallow sandy bays during the day to rest, making them the most commonly encountered dolphins on our Pacific Whale Foundation eco-cruises. Some days you can find a pod over a hundred dolphins strong and coupled with calm, sunny conditions it can be great for photographing. Still, these are marine mammals only spending a fraction of their time near the surface so snapping that perfect photograph can be quite the challenge. I think that is one of the really rewarding things about wildlife photography.  The spinner dolphins are one of the smaller species that we find, often weighing less that a full grown human. What they lack in size they make up for in aerial flips, twists, and spins. Our research is looking into what purpose these acrobatics might have. The leading theory now is for communication. The splash sending a sound wave...