Swimming with Dolphins in O'ahu — The Flip / Side Travels

Hawaii Oahu North Side Dolphin Snorkeling — Photograph by Dolphin Excursions

I’ve been a swimmer my whole life, so when planning a trip to Hawaii I knew I wanted a chance to swim with some of the amazing marine life that call the islands home. I wanted to avoid captive dolphin swimming experiences that are popular with hotels, and I only pick eco-conscious tours that respect the conservation of the environments and animals encountered. After a bit of research I landed on Dolphin Excursions because they are operated by seasoned island naturalists with years of experience on the Waianae Coast, and they always practice responsible wildlife viewing.

Dolphin Excursions is located on the west coast of O’ahu, which is well known for the calmest and clearest waters around the island. The tours are early morning (7am or 10:30am) which is the best time to encounter pods of spinner dolphins. They have the option for transportation to and from Waikiki, which was perfect since we were without a car for most of our stay. There is also a wet box on the boat where you can store your towels and other belongings, however I didn’t trust my main camera in there just in case of leaks, so I went full GoPro for the day. Each tour has a professional photographer on board with waterproof housing, enabling them to get in on the action and photograph both above and below the water. The photo package is an additional fee, but even as a photographer with a GoPro myself, I would still say the photo package was a worthwhile deal. The photographer on our tour took some fantastic pictures throughout the day!

We enjoyed some early morning coffee as everyone gathered on the boat, and off we went. We had an amazing experience on the boat, and our captain, Jenna, had a truly wonderful gift for Hawaii and ocean related dad jokes to keep everyone entertained and chatting. Pretty early on we found a rather large pod of spinner dolphins, and into the water we plunged. We were advised to stay near the surface of the water, as diving too close to the dolphins would make them feel threatened. We swam with this pod for quite a while, and then returned to the boat for lunch. We found another pod in the afternoon and also encountered a lone sea turtle drifting along. As we were cruising back the crew got word that there was a pod of bottlenose dolphins nearby, so we headed out that way and got to speed along as the bottlenose dolphins swam and jumped alongside our boat.

With all the sun and saltwater we were exhausted by the end of the trip, but thrilled with the experience. The excursion was a late-half day, so we got back to Waikiki with enough time to take a quick cat nap and head out again for some dinner and late night explorations.