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Dolphin Issue

I've been reading this thread with interest. Many opinions and positions to consider, that's for sure. I just want to add that as an ocean swimmer here on the Kona coast for a long time, I have been blessed with many wonderful mornings when the dolphins swim up to me and stay with me as I swim. Just me and just them swimming together. No harassment. No pursuit. The issue for me was watching the "swim with the dolphins" tour operators absolutely explode in numbers over the past 10-15 years. It reached a point a couple of years ago when even the regular swimmers at the pier were begging for some type of regulation to stop what was happening. All of the tour boats have radios and the captains would cruise the coast looking for the pods. When found, they gave chase and usually dropped their boatload of tourists, complete with floaties and all, right on top of or in front of the pod. They were also radioing all other tour boats in the area and they'd all come zooming in to the location like mosquitoes and drop their boatloads of people onto the pod as well. Some tour operators even brought their boats, complete with engines running, into the Kailua Bay swim zone - inside the swim bouys. It really got out of control and something needed to be done. That's when things really escalated with the regular swimmers who had has too many close calls with boats in areas they shouldn't be. Videos were taken documenting the abuse, reports to authorities were made and NOAA and the state took action. All that said, I'm glad the tour operators were stopped from that disrespectful boat behavior and I'm glad the dolphins don't have to deal with the boat engine noise and the hoards of people anymore. When I'm out swimming, I never approach or pursue them. If they decide to come swim with me that's up to them. I'm just out swimming my swim and they come to say hi and then leave when they choose to. Aloha

   Δ P.S.
    Jane B -- Monday, 25 July 2022, at 11:21 a.m.
   Δ experience of a lifetime using similar technique
    Harry Smd -- Sunday, 7 August 2022, at 5:32 a.m.

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