Ultimate Oahu Dolphin Swimming Guide
One of the most exhilarating things you can do in Hawaii is swim with or alongside dolphins. There are only a few places in Oahu where this is possible which we will share in this Oahu Dolphin Swimming Guide!
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Oahu Dolphin Swimming Guide
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Snorkeling with Dolphins in the Wild
These dolphin tours consist of you going out on a boat with a guide to spot dolphins in the wild. These tours also provide general snorkeling for an opportunity to see other marine life.
The one downside to the wild dolphin tours is there is no guarantee you will spot dolphins but in our experience, and based upon numerous online reviews, there seems to be a very good track record of having an encounter. We did a tour off the west side of the island and spotted a few different pods of spinner dolphins. In one pod, we counted over 20! See our short video below to see what to expect:
The dolphins are wild, so they will not come to you, but they are also not shy and have no problem swimming within several feet of you. We enjoyed the thrill of helping our guide keep an eye out to spot and observe the dolphins while keeping still and quiet in the ocean.
Soon after spotting a few dolphin pods, we headed further north up the coastline to snorkel on the reef where we spotted tropical fish and sea turtles, so the experience was much more than just a dolphin spotting adventure!
The time commitment is about 3 hours, with snacks and drinks provided. The main difference between the various wild dolphin tours is the type of boat and the size of the group. Some tours operate off larger catamaran boats while others operate from zodiac-style inflatable boats, which is what we rode on.
All snorkeling gear and optional wetsuits were provided. We both opted for wetsuits on shore before we left and were glad we did since others who didn’t were a little chili sitting still in the water waiting for the dolphins to appear.
Jonathan got “hangry” and had to scarf down his lunch early!
Dolphin Quest at Kahala Hotel & Resort
The Dolphin Quest program at the Kahala Hotel and Resort program is a much more curated experience with the dolphins in a controlled environment. Nothing is left to chance here, but it’s also a much more compact experience timewise which you may or may not appreciate. The Kahala Hotel and Resort’s Dolphin Quest offers three dolphin swim programs:
Dolphin encounter
With the Dolphin Encounter tour, you will interact with dolphins in the lagoon’s shallow waters and learn a dolphin’s natural habitat, as well as the behavior and anatomy of dolphins while you feed, touch, swim, and play with them. The total time with the dolphins is 25 minutes.
dolphin adventure
This option is a more intense experience with the dolphins. You will swim alongside dolphins, learn to communicate with them, and learn about dolphin training and care. The total swim time with the dolphins is 35 minutes.
family swim program
With this tour, your whole family will swim and interact with the dolphins and their experienced trainers in the lagoon. This program is also the most expensive offering of Dolphin Quest at over $1,560 per family when this blog post was published, so it may not be worth it unless you have a large family.
Sea Life Park
Like Dolphin Quest, the dolphin tours at Sea Life Park are also in a controlled environment. Each tour grants you access to the entire park as well. The two primary dolphin swim options are:
dolphin exploration Tour
With the Dolphin Exploration Tour, you will get time with the trainers to learn what it takes to care for dolphins. You will get about 30 minutes of interaction time with the dolphins out in the water. The total swim time with the dolphins is 30 minutes.
dolphin encounter Tour
If you choose the Dolphin Encounter tour, you will stay in waist-high water, and the dolphins will come to you! You will get an opportunity to touch and interact with the dolphins but unlike the Dolphin Exploration tour, you will not get to swim with the dolphins. This option is great for those with smaller kids since everyone will stay on a shallow water platform. The total swim time is 30 minutes.
As a side note, Sea Life Park also offers a Sea Lion Encounter as well as a Hawaiin Reef exhibit that will get you up close and personal with tropical fish, sting rays, and other marine life!
Wrap Up
Which Oahu dolphin swimming tour you should choose depends on whether you prefer an up close and physical contact experience with dolphins or an observational experience in the wild while snorkeling.
There is no guarantee you will see dolphins on an ocean tour but these wild dolphin tours also provide a secondary snorkeling experience for a chance to observe sea turtles and other marine life in the wild.
The open ocean experiences are also much longer than the controlled environment programs at around 3 hours versus 25-35 minutes.
On the other hand, the dolphin programs at Sea Life Park and Dolphin Quest will guarantee dolphin interaction in a more intimate setting. The controlled environment may also be better suited for those with small children.
For us, the wild ocean experience seemed far more appealing and we didn’t have any regrets; however, the dolphin experiences at Sea Life Park and Kahala Hotel and Resort will certainly appeal to some others which is why I also covered them. Whatever you choose, I am sure you will come away with unforgettable memories of dolphins in Oahu!
Check Out Our Other Hawaii Travel Guides!
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Where to Stay on Kauai: A Lodging Guide
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