Page 2) Ko Olina Ocean Adventures Snorkel with Wild Dolphins Rafting Tour [Open Soon] reviews, Oahu tours & activities, fun things to do in Oahu | HawaiiActivities.com

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Ko Olina Ocean Adventures Snorkel with Wild Dolphins Rafting Tour [Open Soon]

Overall Rating

4.71 4.71 / 5

Reviews

92 reviews
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Dolphin & Turtle Snorkle Excursion

Reviewed by: Denise, 2013/07/27

This was our families first trip to Hawaii, so we wanted to include as many exciting activities as we could while we were there. The dolphin and turtle snorkel trip was one our family will always cherish. Seeing the wild dolphins in their habitat(not in an animal park), was amazing. We hope to do it again sometime in the next few years and would highly recommend it to any outdoor enthusiast that want a memorable day. Our boat guides were very knowledgeable and friendly and made sure we had all the comforts we needed while out at sea. Enjoyed our trip very much!

Reply from activity provider

Thank you for joining us! We love to hear that whole families come out together. It's a great bonding experience. Many MAHALOS again to your whole family. A hui ho!

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Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2013/07/01
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Dolphin Swim

Reviewed by: KellyC, 2013/06/18

Best thing we did all week while on Oahu!!! Our crew put us directly in the path of the spinner dolphins twice. They calmly swam beneath us and carried onward. Crew showed high respect to the wildlife at all times.

Reply from activity provider

Awesome! Your enthusiastic satisfaction is what we strive for! It takes not only a great crew to accomplish these magic moments but also great customers that can share the respect and love of the ocean to make the magic happen. Thanks for joining us! Mahalo Nui loa.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2013/06/15
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Amazing!

Reviewed by: Rachel B, 2013/05/11

Went with 2 of my girlfriends and it was a blast! We saw 3-4 dozen dolphins all swimming together, a momma and baby and individual dolphins would swim right next to us. We did this all without disrupting them as they dropped us in the path of the dolphins and told us not to swim but to just float above them. All of the other tour boats around us had their passengers in their fins splashing and causing commotion which scares them away. Also saw sea turtles and tons of fish. Would recommend especially for a beginner snorkeler as their equipment worked well and a crew member even got in the water with us and showed us all kinds of neat things. Worth the money for sure and lunch was tasty too!

Reply from activity provider

Wonderful! Thank you for joining us, and your review. Also a huge thanks for remaining "passive" for the dolphins so they could enjoy their time with you all as well. The dolphins are incredible creatures that we want to share with others and it requires the respect that you have shown. From the dolphins, turtles fish and crew at Ko Oljna Ocean Adventures, thank you, we hope to see you again!

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
Activity Date:2013/05/10
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Amazing

Reviewed by: Sandra, 2013/01/05

I went with my sister and our 4 kids. The staff was great, very friendly and helpful. We saw lots of dolphins, turtles and fish. The crew made sure that everyone was comfortable and that all the guests got a chance to be in the water with the dolphins. They provided cold water for everyone and after we were done a fresh water rinse and hair conditioner. Lunch was good as well.

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Attended as:Families
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You will love this tour.

Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2012/11/12

Great & fun experience even for the first timer.

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Attended as:Families with Young Children
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Was good but.....

Reviewed by: Mike, 2012/11/08

It was my first time snorkeling and I was a little nervous yet excited. Our first site was really nice and the water was perfect. When we went off to see our second site where the dolphins hang out we were all disappointed to find that there were no dolphins. I really can't blame this on the crew. They did their best but to no avail. I suppose there is some risk involved that we may not see any dolphins since they are wild animals and it is a big ocean. But overall I had a nice time.

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Attended as:Friends
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An Excellent first experience

Reviewed by: Irene, 2012/10/22

Staff were very patient when giving individual tuition which was much appreciated as this was my first experience and am in my 60s. Will certainly be snorkelling again.

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Attended as:Couples
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Awesome

Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2012/09/22

This activity was awesome. We did see a lot of dolphins and did manage to get some pics of the dolphins. The Captain was very knowledgable of where to spot the dolphins and turtles but we only saw one turtle. We saw the Black Pearl from the Pirates of the Caribbean and I thought that was interesting. I would definitely do this again!!

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Attended as:Couples
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Nice trip but not great

Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2012/08/31

The crew were great, very helpful and entertaining. As far as seeing dolphins, yes we saw them, but as soon as we jumped in the water they swam away. The best view of the dolphins was from the boat. The additional snorkeling sites were just OK. Also, we froze once we came out of the water so I recommend getting the wet suit top at least. My wife did and she was comfortable.
I don't blame the crew for not getting to swim close to the dolphins, they did everything that they could to try to make it happen.

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Attended as:Families with Young Children
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Awesome!!!!!!

Reviewed by: LaToia Marks, 2012/07/19

We got there really early and they were a little behind on check in but once tour started it was amazing!!! 5 min out from the marina we saw a pod of dolphins! This was too advanced to begin the tour swimming with them so we went to a snorkeling location so people could develop ocean legs. Good thing too cause some people didn't listen and were freaking out. Next we went looking for dolphin and got in the water twice to swim wiith them... It was incredible to see them swimming under you. We even saw a baby. The experience was so great the captain (Austin) found us another pod and we had another swim! In all we saw maybe 50+ dolphin! No turtle unfortunately but that many dolphin made it all worth it!!! Thanks John and Austin! Oh yeah the lady doing the lunch/snacks was very efficient and my Teriaki sandwich was really good!!! Would do this again in a heartbeat!!!

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Attended as:Families with Young Children
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Dolphin Swim and Snorkel

Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2012/07/02

To see dolphins, turtles, eels, fish all in their natural environment was an absolute thrill and privledge. I highly recommend this activity to everyone. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. A must do event for anyone. Thank you for the thrill and adventure of a lifetime.

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Attended as:Families with Young Children
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Dolphin Adventure

Reviewed by: Mike Do, 2012/06/19

I was in Hawaii for 5 days with my girlfriend and we had activities planned every single day. This however was by far the best. Captain Mark and First-Mate Tim were very knowledgeable and very entertaining. There was definitely never a dull moment. We ended seeing about 20 dolphins throughout the duration of the trip. This is definitely worth the money!

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Attended as:Couples
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Great Tour

Reviewed by: Randy, 2012/06/02

Captain Spencer and his First Mate Jesse were both great. The boat is great, the snorkel gear is great, the sights are awesome and everybody at Ko Olina was friendly and helpful. Do yourself a favor and spend the extra $10 to rent the wetsuit, especially if you take the morning tour. The water is fine, but once you get back out on the boat, the wind is very chilly until you get good and dry. Also MAKE SURE and observe the instructions about PASSIVE swimming around the dolphins!!! If ANYBODY kicks you will probably not get to see these amazing creatures up close under water! We had quite a few in our group who couldn't seem to follow these very simple instructions and only a couple of people got to see the dolphins up close. We all got to see them swimming very close to the boat while we were onboard though. Capt. Spencer went way out of his way to give us three good tries though, and this tour was a real highlight on our Hawaiian vacation.

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Attended as:Couples
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Best excursion in Oahu!

Reviewed by: Nicole Mankowski, 2012/05/29

This is an experience you can't miss! The crew makes sure you get the most amazing adventure possible! We saw several sea turtles and dozens of spinner dolphins. The best time of my life was snorkeling with this crew under the amazing waters off the coast of Oahu!

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Attended as:Couples
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Amazing experience!

Reviewed by: Flippers Friend, 2012/01/12

This was a great day with everything going smoothly, there was nothing negative about the day! First we saw the sea turtles at the feeding station, then we had to gun the boat all the way up to north shore to view the dolphins and lastly we went to the power plant to see the fish in the reefs there. The only bad thing about this trip was NOT the tour's fault - First I got seasick, but the skipper and first mate had some lavender stuff that seemed to help and the dolphins were being pushed away by about 10 different groups of boats, also people were to busy splashing in the water instead of just floating there like we were told.

The advice about fish food is spot on from the previous post, just follow the other people who bought it.

The wet suit didn't look like it was worth it - everyone froze whether they were wearing a swimsuit or a wetsuit.

Transportation was easy and hassel-free.

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Attended as:Families
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Thoroughly worth it!

Reviewed by: Jess, 2011/12/10

This was a great day out, everything went smoothly and there was nothing negative about the day! First we went and saw the green sea turtles, then went to the a reef to see the fish (also saw turtles there). Lastly we went to see the dolphins. The only bad thing about this trip was NOT the tour's fault - the poor dolphins were being harrassed by about 10 different groups at once and they were clearly stressed.
Lunch was better than expected and filling.
Don't bother getting fish food - just follow other people who bought it (plus the tour people have some that they chucked in anyway). The snorkel equipment was way above average - well taken care of!
The wet suit didn't look worth it - everyone froze whether they were wearing a bikini or a wetsuit so definitely take a weather-proof jacket that you don't mind getting wet!
Transportation was easy and hassel-free.

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Attended as:Friends
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Unique Opportunity!

Reviewed by: - Kris Murphy, 2011/11/29

My daughter is a budding marine biologist, off to college next year, and this was the perfect opportunity for her, and for us. The captains understand dolphin behavior and were able to educate us as well as perfectly place us in the water so we could view them swim by and under us.

They were very respectful of the pod and instructed us on what to do to maximize our experience and not startle the dolphins.

As well we had the opportunity to view some turtles and a vibrant coral reef.

I would highly recommend this adventure.

Kris Murphy

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Attended as:Families with Young Children
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Awesome!

Reviewed by: Nicole, 2011/10/22

I was lucky to have a great crew! Captain Marc and Steve were awesome and funny guys, thank you for having a great trip! We also had been happy seeing the dolphins right away and didn´t have to search for them! The snorkeling was great, especially for first timer, because Marc took his time to explain everything and make people feeling comfortable in the water. They also explain how to behave in the waters with turtles and dolphins around you - so, please listen to them!! It is exhausting having people bumping into you, because they swim - what you should not do....well, some people don´t listen and don´t watch their environment!
Oh, and don´t imagine yourself actually swimming and playing with dolphins! you wanna do that, go to sea life (what I am not recommending - those poor doplphins!!) It´s wild animals - you are able to observe them and their behavior, swimming beneath you - that was awesome!
After the trip, we had a nice lunch with burgers of your choice (pork, chicken, veggi

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Attended as:Friends
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Wonderful day!!!!

Reviewed by: Tabatha and Stephen, 2011/10/18

Great day out. Dolphins are amazing. Thank you Captain Chip and Lyndon, you guys were great.

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Ms

Reviewed by: Esta Metekingi, 2011/09/17

Awesome day out with Captain Mark and Lyndon, definitely recommend this activity. For me, a somewhat anxious person getting in the open ocean for the first time, was made easy by the step by step instructions from Capt. Mark. Exellent day on the water, we not only got to see Spinner dolphins but swam with them and spotted them underwater 3 times! Appreciated the lunch and drinks. Well organised tour, thanks for great memories.

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Attended as:Families with Young Children
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Lots of dolphins

Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2011/09/16

Great day with the dolphins. The crew was outstanding, very helpful.

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Attended as:Families with Young Children
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Best Day of my Life!

Reviewed by: Claudia - Calgary Alberta, 2011/09/03

FANTASTIC in every way! This was the second time that I was lucky enough to attend this tour with Captain Mark, and it won't be my last! This is the true essence of Hawaii at its best! And GREAT VALUE for the money too! I will savour these memories forever!

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Attended as:Families with Young Children
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Amazing

Reviewed by: Sheryl, 2011/08/31

My teenage daughter and I went on this trip and between the staffs knowledge and enthusiasm and the locations that they took us to, this was an experience we'll never forget. I was concerned that we'd see a few fish and maybe a dolphin or turtle if we were lucky....I was not prepared for the abundance of wild marine life that we got to interract with. This is one of those rare experiences where what you get is WAYYY more than what you pay for. We will absolutely do this again and would highly recommend it to everyone. We would also highly recommend the wetsuit top upgrade....it's very worth it.

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Attended as:Families with Young Children
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Many Thanks

Reviewed by: C.C. from Burbank, CA, 2011/06/21

We were on the early Monday morning 6/14th encounter. I want to thank the crew for a very enjoyable time and keeping us safe. I have not been in deep open ocean water for over 40 years...it's a shark thing. The crew made it very worthwhile. The pictures on the CD are fantastic!

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Attended as:Families with Young Children
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Conqured my fear of Sea animals

Reviewed by: Ms. Rosie, 2011/05/31

Ko Olina Ocean adventures actually placed me on the wrong activity.. I wanted to be lazy, lay around on their catamaran, enjoy the sun , do some leisure snorkeling and drink Instead I was placed on a small ocean raft but I had a great dolphin swim adventure.

We started off checking in, which was actually pretty fast. Waited around for about 25 minutes until everyone was checked in and got on the boat (NO SLIPPERS ALLOWED), this is a barefeet type of activity, they ask that you leave your slippers on the dock.

First snorkeling site is just your normal site, this allows whoever is not familiar with snorkeling to get familiar. My sister and I actually drifted off because we had our head in the water the entire time, and we did not realize how far we drifted away form the boat. Luckily, the crew consists of awesome swimmers and they jumped in to pull us back to the boat. :-)

2nd and 3rd site was our Dolphin Drops, the boat is still moving and you slide off the boat into the wat

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Attended as:Families
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So So....

Reviewed by: The Langes, 2011/04/02

The tour was very predictable. There wasnt much "uniqueness" about this tour. The wait time to even board the boat was extremely excessive. There were 3 people at the check in counter and only 1 of them was accepting people and checking them in while the other 2 enjoyed the chaos. After waiting in line to check in for over 30 minutes we were herded outside only to hurry up and wait some more. Boarding the boat finally approached and we sat there for another 20 minutes while they explained snorkeling to the group. Once we got to the first snorkeling site we waited on the boat another 20 minutes before getting in the water. After about 30 minutes in the water the captain demanded that we all get back in the boat. Now we were off to see the dolphins. This was about a 40 minute ride up the coast. The view was great. Once we arrived at the dolphin site we all took turns getting in the water and watching for them to swim underneath us. Not with us but underneath us. Okay, it was pretty cool

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Attended as:Couples
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Choose this one

Reviewed by: James, 2011/03/20

Great crew. Best fun to value available. These guys have this down to the details. Pros all the way around. You can go with the others if you want but I know the secret.

I went with my family. My wife and daughter were first time snorkelors and apprehensive at the least. Mindy did a great job working with them and getting them into the water.

The captain went out of his way to find fun. The photographer took the best open water photos I've seen. I have seen a few.
The food was generous and tasty.

Thanks guys, see you next time.

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Attended as:Families with Young Children
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Hawaii Dolphin Swim & Snorkel

Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2011/01/28

Staff were great and lunch was nice however took a long time to actually see any dolphins. However we did eventually find them in addition to turtles, seals and whales. Stayed a long way away from them and couldnt get a close look. Boat ride was lots of fun which made up for the long wait. I was under the impression from the tours description that you could swim with or near the dolphins however this is not the case at all and only saw them for a few minutes before being taken far away to a snorkle spot.

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Attended as:Couples
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Snorkeling Trip!

Reviewed by: Jessica, 2010/11/21

We spent 8 days in Hawaii, and did a lot of activities. I have to say that this snorkeling trip was my favorite thing of the whole trip. We got to swim with about 40 wild dolphins, sea turtles, and feed tropical fish. It is so amazing to be with these animals in their natural habitat. So much cooler then doing any type of interaction at a sea park. I highly reccomend this to anyone. Any time I go back to Hawaii in the future, I will definitely be doing this trip again.

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Attended as:Couples
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Dophin observation

Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous, 2010/06/15

This activity was well worth the cost. The crew as great and did everything possible to make sure that everyone had the opportunity to "swim" with the spinnner dolphins and see other unique sea life while snorkeling. Don't go into this activity expecting the dolphins to swim right up to you. They are wild animals. Be content with seeing this wonderful creature in its natural habitat no matter how close they come to you. The two snorkeling sights that were great. Especially the turtle cleaning station. My best advice is to remember that you are being given the oppotunity to see these animals in their natural environment. Listen to the advice of the crew - this is a time for observation, a chance to see what the animals are like when they are not in a confined place. It is not the time to try and touch or chase these graceful creatures.

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Attended as:Families with Young Children
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