One thing that researchers have discovered is the daily pattern of the dolphins around the islands. NOAA Fisheries Service reports that they are night hunters, foraging cooperatively to capture squid, shrimp, and fish. According the Polynesian Voyaging Society Website, the spinner dolphins sometimes accompany "a voyaging canoe, riding on the wave at the bow. At night, when they stir up phosphorescent organisms as they swim, they look like glowing torpedoes." Come morning, they swim along the shallow bays for what researchers have termed "rest." During this time, vocalizations and acrobatics taper off and the dolphins swim closing together in a behavior called milling. Dolphins don't sleep the way we do, but what they can do is shut down one hemisphere of their brain at a time. This allows them to remain watchful enough to respond to threats such as tiger sharks. Come the late afternoon, they get ready to resume their evening hunt.
Adult spinner females may have several mates and give birth about once every three years, after about a ten to eleven month pregnancy. The Wild Dolphin Organization reports that the calves are born fluke first, and may display fetal folds, or evidence of wrinkling while in the mother's womb. They form strong bonds with mother, and become very active, often seen "playing" with others as they practice, often humorously, their aerial skills.