33 Swimmers Investigated for Harassing Dolphins in Hawaii

Federal authorities are investigating after 33 swimmers were caught harassing a pod of spinner dolphins just off Hawaii’s Big Island. Aerial drone footage shows the swimmers aggressively pursuing, corralling, and harassing the pod, violating federal law that prohibits swimming within 50 yards of spinner dolphins in Hawaii’s nearshore waters. The rule went into effect in 2021 over concerns that tourists were disrupting the nocturnal animals’ sleep. Hawaii’s spinner dolphins feast on fish and small crustaceans that surface from the ocean’s depths at night and rest half their brain while swimming during the day.