Oahu and dolphins
 

Going to Oahu and daughter is interested in swimming with dolphins. Any feedback on good/bad companies doing this activity?

My daughter had a very positive experience with this company:

http://sailhawaii.com/

I agree that sailhawaii.com is a great company and your best choice.

please please please do not encourage your daughter or anyone else to participate in any captive dolphin program. these beautiful animals are captured at sea, separating families and potentially separating babies from their captured mothers, before they have been taught how to survive. these babies die. as a result of katrina a group of adult captives got free and will die unless recaptured as they have no idea about predators or how to feed themselves. dolphins exist in family pods through their entire lives. just like we humans do. futher, captivity dramatically shortens their life span. one of numerous reasons for this is that everytime you go in the water with your deoderant, conditioner, suntan oil,etc it gets into their bloodstream through their skin and poisons them. also touching them is very harmful. (at all dolphin reasearch facilities staff are required to shower before contact and all wear special gloves!!!)
there are ways to see these magnificent creatures, however. find fishermen. they will know where the dolphins are swimming that day and can let you experience what they are really like. and some places there are tours available that go the same place every day and the dolphins just come play of the own volition because they seem to enjoy the interaction as much as those on the boats. (no chumming) wouldn't you daughter like to know that she has experienced these animals in a way that has not harmed them?

Virginia....if you look at sailhawaii.com, I think you you'll agree that this company keeps the safety of the dolphins in their interest...They don't promise to allow anyone to swim with the dolphins. They first educate their customers on swimming with wild dolphins (no touching, swim with - not at, etc.) and then decide whether that person should be allowed to swim. If someone is intent on trying to experience swimming with wild dolphins, I would recommend this company over any other. Also, I think it would be better if they actually went with a skilled guide to teach them and to be there for the safety of both the dolphins and the human.

Yes, but the OP said that her "daughter is interested in swimming with dolphins," which is the program that Virginia was addressing in her post.

-Bill

And if she uses the company that Trav and I recommended, shows that she's responsible and has respect for nature and these magical creatures, then that's exactly what she'll do!!!

Tell your daughter that when she's swimming in the ocean, she's swimming with dolphins.

We loved Wild Side Specialty Tours out of Wai'ainae (sailhawaii.com). Partly because we hit it just right and saw tons of stuff on our tour. Once again, it is wild life, so you might not see anything. But we got to swim with a pod of dolphins on our tour which was a memory of a lifetime. Here is a post on another board with my trip report from that day:
http://www.hawaii.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=845

too cliche...if i hear one more person saying that one of their goals before they die is to swim with dolphins, i will scream.

I want to swim with dolphins before I die.

Now scream.

My daughter and I went on one of those swim with dolphins programs in Nassau and it was awful. It was exciting at times because they made the dolphins push us through the water and do other tricks, BUT the trainers spoke roughly to the animals and to us. It was all very hurried and money-oriented and gave us the general feeling that the dolphins were not cherished. I'm sure other places are better/more responsible but I would not do it again... It kind of made me feel ill.