Oahu - swimming with the dophins
 

We are spending the month of November in Wakikiki. Our daughter and her husband are going to be joining us for a couple of weeks. For our daughter's B-day we want to give the two of them a day of swimming with the dolphins. Where is the best place to go for this - both cost wise and activity wise? Thanks

There is much controversy with the swimming amoung the dolphin trips. I'll think others explain why.

You may need to enter the witness protection program after your query.

Hope you and your guests enjoy Oahu. It's beautiful and relaxing.

No where on earth can you buy a day; maybe an hour. Read up on it (then don't do it).

PLEASE read up on swimming with dolphins in captivity. It is a highly controversial practice.

Most of the regular contributors on this form will advise against swimming with the dolphins and therefore won't comment on which is the best place (cost and activity wise) is the best place to go. Unfortunately, as you can see from the prior responses that doesn't answer your question.

If you do decide to partake of this highly controversial activity your best bet is to do your own research. A simple google search of "Swimming with the dolphins, Oahu" will bring up numerous "dolphin swim operator's" websites where you can research the differences in programs and costs for the various operators on Oahu so you can make your own decision.

Just say no...

Agree not to do this. It is

1) abuse of the animals

2) dangerous for the people

These are wild animals and very large and strong. they can do major damage without meaning to - and may not be in a great mood on a given day.

Research the legal disclaimer that they would have to sign before doing this - then decide if your "present" should have so many risks attached.

I am not sure that there are any captive dolphin encounters on Oahu anymore. I think there used to be dolphin encounters available at the Kahala hotel/Mandarin Oriental/whatever it's called now - a long time ago, but I don't think they offer that anymore (or if they even still have the dolphins there).

There are businesses that do whale watching (in season)/wild dolphin encounters, but the trip is maybe only a couple hours long, not an entire day. There is a general consensus by many that these tour operators tend to harass the dolphins by chasing them down and getting way too close to the pods.

On your own wild dolphin encounters are possible if you are swimming off the Waianae coast and happen to be in the right place at the right time (and very lucky), but this is not something that you should do if you are not very familiar with our ocean conditions.

you can swim with the dolphins at the kahala mandarin but it is quite expensive. over $200 per person for an hour to an hour and a half.

you can get more information at https://www.dolphinquest.com/index.p...b&AgentID=6926

as for the danger. i cannot say that i've heard of someone being attacked by a dolphin at the kahala mandarin. its a fairly safe activity from my experience.

there are many people who argue against it purely on ethical grounds. i can't say whether or not the dolphins are mistreated at the Kahala Mandarin. My friend took his girlfriend there a few months ago and she had a good time. she also came home safely with a smile.

you can also do it at Sea Life Park which is about 10 miles east of waikiki(and a very scenic drive). the price is about the same at sea life park.

dolphins living in captivity have a dramatically shorter life span. just for starters.

If you put the words "dolphin swim" in the search box here there's lots of information (more for Mexico, but also general discussion about the practice).

My wife and I did the Royal Swim at SeaLife Park several years ago. It was an amazing experience. We'll never do it again due to the cost, but if you can afford it, it's well worth it.