A group of 33 swimmers have been accused of harassing a pod of wild dolphins in Hōnaunau Bay, Hawaii, authorities said.
The swimmers, equipped for snorkeling, were filmed using drones.
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They can be seen “actively” chasing spinner dolphins on Sunday morning, according to a press release from the Hawaii Department of Wildlife and Natural Resources.
The swimmers are accused of “aggressively pursuing, kidnapping and harassing the group”.
In Hawaii, it is illegal to swim within 45 meters of spinner dolphins.
Once back on the beach, the group was stopped by uniformed officers.
State and federal authorities are actively investigating the incident, US media report.
It became illegal to approach dolphins in Hawaii’s coastal waters in 2021.
This law came into effect due to the influx of tourists to the island who wanted to swim with the dolphins.
The problem is that these spinner dolphins live at night and therefore need to rest during the day, which had become difficult for them.
Without the necessary sleep during the day, nocturnal animals cannot hunt and feed successfully at night, putting the species at risk.
Spinner dolphins earned their name for their ability to spin through the air multiple times.
They can jump almost three meters above the surface of the water. During the day, they linger in shallow bays to avoid predators in deeper ocean waters.
While dolphins may seem awake during the day because they are swimming, they are partially asleep.
They sleep by resting half of their brain and keeping the other half awake to come to the surface and breathe. They can sleep even when maneuvering in water.
