Swim with dolphins in Hawaii

Hawaii is a special place to swim with dolphins in the wild. The most common dolphins to swim with are the Hawaiian spinner dolphin or the spotted dolphin. Hawaii is home to between 700 and 1,000 spinner dolphins.

The Kona coast on the Big Island of Hawaii is a favorite destination for people who want to swim with dolphins in the wild.

Although many species of dolphins live here year-round, the Hawaiian spinner dolphins are the most playful and curious. They feed offshore at night, returning close to shore each morning to rest and raise their young. Pods range from a dozen or so up to 200.

One can find the dolphins traveling to one of their many resting areas, playing, jumping, and spinning as they go. Once the dolphins arrive at these roosting sites, they begin to settle and spend the day in a sleeping state.

Spotted dolphins, Pacific bottlenose dolphins, and rough-toothed dolphins are generally found along the coast, sometimes intermingling with spinners.

You can enjoy some of the best snorkeling on Maui where, if you are lucky, you may have a good chance of encountering the magnificent Pacific spinner dolphins and bottlenose dolphins.

Maui is known as the fun capital of the Hawaiian Islands, with more than 100 types of activities to enjoy by land, sea or air. The island of Maui begins at the top of Mauna Haleakala, a dormant volcano whose crater is large enough to house Manhattan. The slopes of Mauna Haleakala drop to 33 miles of pristine beaches, then plunge into the waters off Maui’s shores.

Hilton Waikoloa on the Big Island is the only operator legally registered with the United States government that can organize swim with dolphins in the wild.