Off the Kona coast we sailed out on crystal waters to look for whales. Hundreds of spinner dolphins chased the catamaran leaping and spinning and surfing off the bow. A few humpbacks spouted in the distance. Tails and flukes and shiny black backs glided past.
Then they cut the engines and dropped in the hydrophone. We listened to the haunting cetacean chorus. Was a mother singing to her calf? Was a male making a musical courtship? Were they discussing the long journey back to Alaska? Who knows?
For a few moments we were “Ohana.” Terrestrial mammals and marine mammals breathing together as family.