We board the boat, Ima Kai, at 4:15 p.m. and head for “Garden Eel Cove” aka “Manta Ray Cove” or “Manta Heaven” near the Kona airport. The crew cautions us that the trip to the site might be a bit rough and wet. Leaving the harbor, the boat accelerates and is soon on step. The wake from the bow tends to come over the freeboard into the cabin. The crew seems to approach every swell as a challenge to see how far they can skip across the surface. From all the whooping the Captain and our two dive guides are making from the steering station, they think they are winning the contest.
A broken
engine cancelled our dives that morning.
The crew quickly made repairs. I wonder if they are attempting to wring
out the repair of the freshly installed impeller. The boat movement does produce some
discomfort bordering on sea sickness among the riders in back. I feel it.
Everyone got wet. Once we enter
the cove, the sea settles down. The boat
approaches the mooring slowly. A couple
of boats are already moored and divers may be in the water.
We tie off to
the mooring and prepare for our dive. Imran,
our dive guide, briefs us on what to expect on the dive. We will descend as a group using the bow line
and ascend to the boat at the end of the dive via the bow line. Other boats are likely to be tied off to our
stern as the number of boats arriving for the night manta dive exceeds the
moorings available. I nod my head as he
describes the situation. I have seen the
same technique used in Orange Beach, Florida and Wreck Alley in San Diego.
At about 5:15 p.m., we entered the water and descended down the bow line as a group with Imran. On the bottom, I check my buoyancy. The b.c. that I rented for the evening dives seems a bit more buoyant than my personal b.c., but not enough to require additional weight. We swim past the rock circles that mark the “campfires” around which dozens of divers will gather in a few hours to watch the mantas feed. Continuing toward deeper water, I see an spiny puffer fish (Diodon holocanthus) swimming away from the group. I wanted to get a picture of it, but could not get in front to frame the photo. They are usually pretty photogenic. This fish seemed perturbed. I soon discovered why.
We follow the slope toward deeper water, about 70 feet. One of the diver spots a manta and we stop as it approaches. Soon, it is joined by a couple more. I snap a picture of Luke hovering vertically in the water column looking up at a manta. I move to get closer to some of the approaching mantas when a pod of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)swims by and stops. They hover just off to the right of us. It looks like two are trying to mate. Another lays on its dorsal fin, belly up in the sand, and still another roots around in the sand picking up sea cucumbers. They seem stoned. I ignore the mantas as they continue to pass overhead and concentrate on the dolphins! Quickly, the dolphins come out of their stupor, linger a bit and move away.
I have not
seen dolphins and manta rays on the same dive in nearly 40 years of diving! I
have seen manta rays and I have seen dolphins, but never together. What a fabulous sight we have on this
dive. The show ends too soon. Reaching my “low on air” point we head back
to the boat. Traffic overhead is
increasing as more boats are arriving for the night manta dive. When we get back to the boat we discover that
a vessel has tied off to one of the stern cleats.
We discuss
the behavior of the dolphins. I remarked
that they seemed to be “high on drugs.”
One of the crewmembers mentioned that dolphins have been known to play
with pufferfish and that the fish’s toxin (tetrodotoxin) produces a
hallucinogenic effect in the dolphin. I
mention the sighting I had of a “pissed off puffer” just before we encountered
the dolphins. A different boat crew on
our dive the next day repeated the connection.
Do Dolphin
Get High on Pufferfish?
While I am
skeptical that there is a cause and effect of pufferfish on dolphins, I decided
to look into the phenomena. A single report
with some very interesting video, appears to have been magnified through constant
repetition through media until it becomes widely circulated fact. What I
discovered is that in the internet/social media age, the more a story is
repeated, the more it is accepted as fact.
Smithsonian
Magazine citing press reports from late 2013 reported, “footage from a new
BBC documentary series, "Spy in the Pod," reveals what appears to be
dolphins getting high off of pufferfish. Pufferfish produce a potent defensive
chemical, which they eject when threatened. In small enough doses, however, the
toxin seems to induce "a trance-like state" in dolphins that come
into contact with it…”
Many
individual news outlets around the world carry the story with attribution going
to the initial report.
The BBC
series footage of dolphins interacting with pufferfish soon appears on social
media. It appears in two versions on
Youtube, the shorter Dolphins purposely
'getting high' on pufferfish and the longer Dolphins Play Catch with a
Pufferfish! By 2024, the former
segment has segment has 3.5 million views in 10 years while the latter has a
quarter million views in four years.
The behavior
the bottlenose dolphins exhibit in the BBC footage is similar to the footage I
took. So do dolphins habitually get high
on the pufferfish toxin?
As Whales on Line,
noted “a 2014 BBC documentary showed a pod of dolphins playing with a
pufferfish, prodding and grabbing it with their beaks while taking great care
not to harm it. Playing with the fish is believed to trigger the release of a
toxin that the dolphins can ingest. Are they looking for a high or are they
just playing?... According to Rob Pilley, zoologist and producer of the
documentary, the dolphins seemed completely euphoric. This would not be the
first time that dolphins have made use of this psychotropic element. On the
other hand, other experts argue that this is an anthropocentric over-interpretation
of the behaviour.”
The website, Dolphins
and You seems to put the behavior into context.
“Renowned for
their intelligence and playful demeanor, dolphins have been observed engaging
in fascinating behaviors, one of which is playing with pufferfish. This
intriguing behavior has intrigued researchers and animal behaviorists for
years. One possible explanation for dolphins’ interaction with pufferfish is
their curiosity and the desire for stimulation. Pufferfish have unique
features, such as their ability to inflate themselves into a spiky ball when
threatened. This novelty may attract dolphins and spark their interest, leading
them to interact with these fascinating creatures.
Another
possible reason for dolphins playing with pufferfish is their use as a form of
playtime and social interaction. Dolphins are highly social animals, and they
engage in various playful activities to bond with one another. Playing with
pufferfish could serve as a recreational activity, enabling dolphins to
strengthen social bonds within their pod. The playful interaction may involve
tossing or pushing the pufferfish gently, providing both physical and mental
stimulation for the dolphins.
Additionally,
some researchers speculate that dolphins’ interaction with pufferfish may have
a practical purpose. Pufferfish are known to produce a toxin called
tetrodotoxin, which can be lethal to most predators. However, dolphins have
been observed carefully handling pufferfish without triggering their defensive
response. It is possible that dolphins have learned to use their skills and
intelligence to manipulate the pufferfish in a way that avoids the release of
toxins. By practicing these interactions, dolphins may be acquiring valuable
knowledge and honing their hunting techniques
Pufferfish
contain a potent neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin, which is highly toxic to most
animals, including dolphins. Ingesting or coming into contact with tetrodotoxin
can be lethal. Dolphins are aware of the dangers associated with pufferfish and
have been observed engaging with them cautiously, often avoiding direct
ingestion or contact with the toxin. While dolphins may interact with
pufferfish, it is not for the purpose of getting high but rather for play,
exploration, or potentially learning about their defensive mechanisms.”
Who Wins in
the Dolphin-Pufferfish Encounter?--Enter Artificial Intelligence
Using
artificial intelligence, the Animal Matchup
website analyses the advantages and disadvantages of a dolphin and pufferfish
would have in contest between the two in a three round match. When I ran the query, the dolphin won in the
final round
“As the final
round begins, the Dolphin keeps up its assault, wearing down the Pufferfish
with precise strikes. Sensing defeat, the Pufferfish desperately puffs up in a
last-ditch effort to deter the Dolphin. However, the Dolphin outmaneuvers the
inflated Pufferfish and delivers a decisive blow, incapacitating its opponent
and securing victory.”
Dive Log Data
|
Date |
Dive |
Depth and Duration |
Dive Buddy |
|
Tuesday,
3-28-2023 |
Garden
Eel Cove, Kona Coast, Hawaii |
68
feet for 49 minutes |
Luke
Lima |
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