Living in Hawaii has its perks. This morning my wife and I decided to go to a protected bay where dolphins usually can be found, and do an underwater photo shoot. We were in luck!
A pod of spinner dolphins were using the bay as a resting area, swimming back and forth over the sandy bottom. They can't fall asleep like humans because they would drown. So instead, they shut off half their brain and rest half their body while still swimming and coming up for air in an auto-pilot mode. Then they can shut off the other half of their brain and rest the other half of their body later.
They still move pretty fast, so getting in the proper place for good photos is very difficult. My favorite is the one of my wife diving down with the pod of dolphins. It is almost like she was accepted into their family.
These two dolphins were being quite amorous with each other. The broke off from the main group to come close and give me a curious looking over. It was the perfect moment to capture on camera.
What a morning!
-Dai Mar
