Recent pictures show just how strong their bond is

Sep 7, 2012 14:55 GMT  ·  By

Leina Sato is a free diver who spent the past eight years swimming with a group of dolphins, near the coast of Hawaii.

The fact that she is utterly fascinated by these animals comes as no surprise. Still, what is interesting is that, judging by their behavior towards her, these marine mammals also like Leina quite a lot, and pretty much enjoy spending time in her company.

“Dolphins have always been a strong part in Hawaiian life and culture and swimming with them is like completely losing yourself in another world,” Leina told members of the press.

According to some sources, these dolphins occasionally enjoy teasing Leina, mainly because her ways of getting about in the water are considerably less gracious than theirs.

Apparently, this becomes even more obvious when the dolphins start playing with various leaves found at the bottom of the ocean, and Leina tries to keep up with them as they bounce one leaf back and forth between them.