We were out cruising down the southern coast on the Maui Magic, just another beautiful day in Maui, and a pod of Spinner Dolphin joined us right in front of Big Beach.  The Spinner is a small dolphin found in off-shore tropical waters around the world. It is famous for its acrobatic displays in which they spin as they leap through the air, hence the name “Spinner”!

The Spinner Dolphin is usually dark gray, with a creamy-white patch on the belly.   Their beaks are distinctively long and thin, with a dark tip and their fins are lengthy for dolphins of this size. Adults vary in length from 51–93 in and weigh from 51–170 lbs.  Females reach maturity at four to seven years and males require seven to ten years.  They are quite social both with each other and the boats.  In fact you can often find them taking a ride on the boats’ bow-waves.

Dolphins echolocate and communicate using click-whistles and pulsed sounds which you can sometimes hear when they are right next to the boat. Echolocation allows the dolphins to track objects in darker water and to see further than their eyes will allow.  Spinners can actually identify themselves with sounds they make by trailing bubbles from their blowholes and sounds called signature whistles.  You will also see Spinner dolphins communicate by slapping the water with various body parts.

On the Maui Magic we see dolphins multiple times a week.  Most times the will be swimming along our bow or doing acrobatics just a few feet away.  It’s quite a treat!