People don’t just harass other people. They also harass sea creatures that don’t even bother them, like these dolphins in Hawaii that were pestered for no reason at all by 33 swimmers off the Big Island.
Hawaii authorities on Tuesday say they already have referred the 33 people to U.S. law enforcement after they allegedly harassed a pod of wild dolphins in waters off the Big Island.
Harassment cases have already been opened against each of the swimmers, who were not identified by name, Hawaiian officials said in a press release in the dolphins harassment case.
Prohibited To Harass Dolphins
It’s against federal law to swim within 50 yards of spinner dolphins in Hawaii’s nearshore waters. The prohibition went into effect in 2021 amid concerns that so many tourists were swimming with dolphins. This hinders the nocturnal animals not to get the rest they need during the day since they need to forage for food at night.
The rule applies to areas within 2 nautical miles of the Hawaiian Islands and in designated waters surrounded by the islands of Lanai, Maui, and Kahoolawe.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources said in a news release that its enforcement officers came upon the 33 swimmers in Honaunau Bay on Sunday during a routine patrol.
Aerial footage shot by drone shows snorkelers following dolphins as they swim away. The department said its video and photos showed swimmers “who appear to be aggressively pursuing, corralling and harassing the pod.”
Enforcement officers contacted the group while they were in the water, and told them about the violation. Uniformed officers met the swimmers on land where state and federal officials launched a joint investigation.
Snorkeling Trip
Officials in the Aloha State earlier this month announced a similar investigation into a man who refers to himself as “Dolphin Dave.” Officials said he was caught repeatedly harassing a humpback whale and a pod of dolphins during a snorkeling trip.
Hawaii’s spinner dolphins feast on fish and small crustaceans that surface from the ocean’s depths at night. When the sun rises, they head for shallow bays to hide from tiger sharks and other predators.
To the untrained eye, the dolphins appear to be awake during the day because they’re swimming.
But because they sleep by resting half of their brains and keeping the other half awake to surface and breathe, they may be sleeping even when they’re maneuvering through the water.
Note: The photo above is from Pexels