So Popular Tourist Activities, Hawaii Forbids Swimming With Dolphins

Spinning dolphin illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Alexander Vasenin)

JAKARTA - US regulators on Tuesday banned swimming with Hawaiian spinner dolphins, to protect the nocturnal animal from people seeking close interaction with the cute species.

Swimming with dolphins is a popular tourist activity in Hawaii. Some companies offer tours that take swimmers to areas frequented by dolphins, with the aim of giving them the opportunity to get into the water with the animals.

29, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) rules under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, prohibit swimming with or within 50 yards (46 meters) of spinning dolphins within 2 nautical miles ( 4 kilometers) from the coast of the main Hawaiian Islands. These rules apply to boats, canoes, paddle boards, drones or other objects.

NOAA is also proposing regulations prohibiting entry to certain areas between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m., in parts of the Big Island and Maui that are considered important daytime habitat for spinner dolphins.

Spinning dolphins hunt in the waters off the coast at night. During the day, they use areas close to the coast that have optimal environmental conditions for socializing, raising their young, hiding from predators and resting in preparation for night hunting.

Hawaiian spinner dolphins get their name from their habit of jumping through the air and twirling. Some scientists say such behavior is not always a joke and could instead be an attempt to warn others of danger