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What time is best is our most popular question and the hardest for me to answer.
As you know they are wild animals, so if they are better on a particular time then it is random. We do document when we have voucher days (no dolphins) and at what tour times. I can tell you this, the tour time that these vouchers are given out does not have a significant trend. I can also tell you that we only give out our vouchers about 12 times in an entire year. So the odds are definitely on your side for either time.
I suggest going at the time that is most comfortable for you and your traveling companions. Here are some factors to consider when comparing tours:
Early tour: *Less intense sun radiation. We have no shade on the boat so you want to sunscreen up, but if you are super duper sensitive, morning will yield less radiation. *The sunrise over the Waianae Mountain range is very tranquil and calming as you head out. *The conditions tend to be calmer at this time, with winds picking up as the morning transitions to mid day (if winds are forecast) adding a bit more of a bump in the boat ride. However, during the summer months we tend not to get much extreme weather.
Later tour: *More sunshine if you are into achieving a tan while you are out. *We already know where the dolphins are, so getting to them is usually the first thing we do on the second tour. The early tour, we explore a bit more while looking for them. *If you are not a morning person, this is the time for you. No need to force it on the early time. The statistics just do not drastically support you or your friends/family being miserable for three hours if early is not how you roll.
The tours are the same in all our goals to view the dolphins and snorkel with sea turtles and fish. We are always on the look out for other species of marine mammals, so finding those guys is a bonus. We are a boat of marine geeks, so the captain and crews’ desire to find these extra gems is a high excitement for all.
My favorite time to go is the early tour… I love the calm serenity of being on a boat as the sun rises over the mountain range. I also love exploring the coast while we search for the dolphins. AND … I can make it back in time for happy hour! There’s nothing like a sweet mai tai after a salty day at sea.
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We do not allow children younger than 4 years old on a public charter.
Please do not think we are not fond of young children, our tour can be a high stress environment for children so young with no shade and no restroom for the duration of the three hours out at sea. A young child may fuss with an impressive vocal range and require a change of scene. This may cause a decision to turn around and go back to the harbor, cutting our tour short for the others on the tour… which we do not want to do.
If you privately charter the tour however, there is no age limit. With a private charter, it is your tour so if you need to cut it short or the child just does best with only those he or she knows, then that will work.
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Our boat is a 32 foot RIB: Rigid Inflatable Boat.
It has a fiberglass hull with pontoon seating on the side backed with a railing. It is low lying, fast and maneuverable which is perfect for what we do.
There is no shade, so make sure your are sunprotected with spf 30 or more, hat and sunglasses.
There are no restrooms, we do as the dolphins do.
Getting into the water would be no problem for guests as you would just slide right off the pontoon and into the water. Getting back in, we have two drop down ladders: One, on the starboard (right side) and one on the port (left side) of the boat. These ladders are rigid and sit vertically at a slight angel. The ladders go beneath the surface allowing guests to begin their ascent easily. Two to three steps up (below the water,s surface) to a platform that sits on top of the pontoon then one step down to the boats interior deck. I always say as long as guests have good/normal elbow and knee strength it should be a comfortable and minimal effort.
We are very patient and if a guest with limited mobility would like to give it a try he/she is welcome to do so. If they decides to just stay on the boat and watch the animals from our vessel, well that is fine too. We never pressure anyone to get in and snorkel… it is always optional.
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General rule of safety is if you can not swim, you should not snorkel.
If you do not swim well, we do have life vests that will keep you a float, but best to remain calm and not panic. If you at anytime feel uncomfortable, you do not have to go in the water. Most of the animals are well seen from the boat including the dolphins. If you do panic, the crew will make suggestions on where you should or should not go in the water depending on conditions that day. Just make sure you tell them that you are not a good swimmer.
If you can not swim at all, I do not recommend getting in the water at all. This is not a safe environment for someone that has never swam, or to learn how to swim. The open ocean is vast and we are focused on all our guest. We can not give personalized swim instruction during the tour.
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No! If you do, your mask with leak and fog up… bad stuff. But no worries, we have prescription masks!
If you are near sited, we have corrective lenses that will aid you to see while snorkeling. We have -1.5 to -6.0 prescriptions at intervals of -0.5.
If you are far sited, then you really should be just fine since everything we will be looking at will be at least 3 feet from you.
You can certainly wear your glasses on the boat. If your glasses are not UV protected, then I would also suggest you have a hat to keep the sun out of your eyes.
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As for why we are the best tour on Oahu, compared to the others:
-We only put 15 guests max on our tours. This gives us more room to mingle and our crew the ability to give more personal service.
-Our Captains are the most experienced in the area where we roam. Our crew are also loyal to our team, with little turnover. We are a family of Marine Biologists and Naturalists, with an amazing expertise in guiding guests on how to properly observe wild life on and in the water.
-Our boat is fun and fast. Not a catamaran, our RIB gets us where we need to go with less travel time. This way you can spend more time in the water snorkeling and at more locations opposed to slowly cruising a long.
-We have a physical location for check in at the Waianae Boat Harbor. When you meet us out there, you can, with plenty of free, secure parking. The gear you are provided with is cleaned and disinfected at our location. Our facility provides a place to properly care for the equipment you will be using.
Those are some off the top of my head notions of what sets us a part. With most tours, I feel the quality of the crew makes a trip the most fulfilling… and as I mentioned, we have the best.
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Renting a car is the easiest way to get here. One hour drive from Waikiki. We have many car renting facilities on the island, but there is also a car renting app called “Turo” if you want to check that out. It works like a VRBO, renting private sector cars.
The Bus has a route C “Country Express” that is the best from Waikiki to our Harbor and back. This is the most inexpensive but time consuming. Make sure you plan properly for enough time, the but is a lot slower.
Ride share companies like Lyft and Uber are usually available from Waikiki to Waianae Boat Harbor. You can ask them to return to take you back to Waikiki, but some will not. In that case, you can take the bus to the next city, Kapolei and ride share back from there.
Some will also split the bus with ride share companies to cut the cost.
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If in doubt, prevent. The most uncomfortable scenario on any boat is sea sickness. It will just ruin the whole thing. I recommend taking oral medication like Dramamine or Bonine tablets one hour before your boat departure time to help prevent you will not experience nausea. Behind-the-ear oils have also been proven to prevent. Remedies like pressure point wrist bands and ginger, taken after you get sick do not work as a preventative, more for just soothing your symptoms.
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I can not make that call, your comfort level at your time of the month is yours alone to address. But, from my personal experience: I am a women and have worked these tours for many years, and I have never not gone because it was that time of the month. We boat gals have it figured out… but we are used to it, so make sure you can deal. There are no restrooms on the boat, so make sure you are comfortable with a quick “deck” change with a towel and a quick chuck into our garbage bin. Worse case scenario, we are out there for only three hours, so if you wear a super plus tampon with a maxi pad for extra protection and not go in the water … you should be fine. If you want to go in the water, just bring an extra tampon to “deck” change into after. Do not wear a maxi pad in the water, it will soak the salt water like a sponge. We have restroom facilities before you board our vessel and right after where you checked in.
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When it comes to weather, the Captain will make the call to cancel when he or she can make the best decision for that morning. Sometimes it is the day before and sometimes it is the morning of. We will contact you via email or contact number if we cancel. If we cancel the tour, you will get a full refund or you may reschedule. We will not run if the conditions are extreme or dangerous. We will run if wind or rain is light or infrequent. Keep in mind that our boat location is not always in the area where you are staying on the island. Just because it is raining at your villa, does not mean it is raining in Waianae, where we will be boating. 🙂 HOWEVER… If you wish to cancel you have until 9:00 am the day before, making your own decision on the matter.
Cancellation Policy: 24 hours. If you would like to cancel or reschedule you must do so by 9 am the day before your tour date with out charge. It is a full charge for cancellations, no shows, or reschedules made after 9:00 am the day before the tour date.
No Shows: Fail to show on time to the designated hotel pick up location or check in (if self drive). If you are not at check in thirty minutes before the tour time and the boat departs with out you, it is a full charge no matter what.
This policy is pretty standard for tours here on Oahu due to demand and limited seating.
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Yes, but it’s complicated. This question difficult because we like to manage expectations. Everyone has a different idea of what swimming with dolphins should look like. We NEVER guarantee that you will get in the water near dolphins on our tours. We do guarantee that you will see dolphins on our dolphin excursion time slot. We understand that many of our guests would like to see dolphins underwater, and we will do our best if conditions allow. If we get the chance, the experience is more of a “float and look” as opposed to a “swim with” situation.
First hurdle is finding a species of dolphin other than the Hawaiian spinner dolphin. Federal law as of 2021 prohibits anyone from getting in the water near spinner dolphins when they are in shallow waters because they need their rest. Any company advertising otherwise is not being truthful.
Hawaii is home to many species of dolphins, but the other species are usually in considerably deeper waters. These deeper waters are not for everyone; yes there can be sharks; no you can’t see the bottom; sometimes the seas are a bit more choppy.
The dolphins have to display appropriate behavior and tolerance for us to consider getting in the water. If the animals are showing signs of stress, avoidance, or if we are disrupting their lunch, we won’t try to get in.
Our team has a lot of experience out there, and we will do what we can to fulfill hopes and dreams if it doesn’t compromise the law and safety (your safety, but also the animals’ safety).
