Spinner Dolphin

Photo: Craig Fujii · CC BY-NC-ND

Hawaiian spinner dolphins use Honolua Bay as a daytime resting and socialising area after spending the night hunting in the open ocean, making Coral Gardens one of the most reliable dolphin encounter sites in the state. Their iconic aerial spins are believed to serve communicative and parasite-removal functions rather than simply play, and groups at rest exhibit synchronised breathing patterns that facilitate deep relaxation.