Likely · mornings
Hawaiian spinner dolphins
Acrobatic pods that rest along the coast by day. Seen on most morning trips, and guaranteed on our Dolphin Excursion — if we do not find them you get a return-trip voucher.
Waiʻanae · West Oʻahu
Dolphins, Whales & Wildlife Viewing
A friendly guide to the wildlife of West Oʻahu, when to look for it, and how we watch it respectfully. Sightings are likely on most trips, but these are wild animals, never a sure thing.
SPINNER DOLPHINS
Hawaiian spinner dolphins
Hawaiian spinner dolphins have made their home on the west side of Oʻahu since well before recorded time — ancient Hawaiians built mythology around them, Mark Twain wrote about them, and scientists have been studying them ever since.
They travel far offshore at night to feed, and return to shallow water near shore by day to socialise, nurse their young and rest. They are the most common cetacean around the Hawaiian Islands: around 6 feet and 175 pounds, in pods of ten to a hundred.
Resting looks like a tight group surfacing together to breathe, gliding over the sandy bottom in what is called a carpet formation. As they wake through the late morning the aerial behaviour picks up — the spins they are named for, and head and tail slaps.
HUMPBACK WHALES
Humpback whales, a winter visit
Humpbacks migrate to the Hawaiian Islands through the winter, mid-December to March, to calve and mate. The warm inshore water gives the young whales protection from predators while they build the body fat for a 3,000-mile journey north.
Males reach about 43 feet and females about 45, averaging 35 tons. Only the males sing, and only in the mating season — the songs are built from themes, which are built from phrases.
They are acrobatic animals, known for breaching and for slapping the water with tail and pectoral fins. Humpbacks range from South America to Alaska, but few places show them as close as the warm water off this coast.
WILDLIFE YOU MAY SEE
Who shares these waters
Year-round
Green sea turtles
Honu graze on the reef and surface to breathe. On our afternoon turtle safari they are guaranteed, or we hand you a return voucher.
Seasonal · Dec–Mar
Humpback whales
Winter visitors from Alaska, here to breed and calve. Likely on whale season trips from December through March, but never guaranteed.
While snorkeling
Reef fish & rays
Snorkel over the reef and you may meet colorful tropical fish and the occasional ray gliding past. A different cast at every site.
BEFORE YOU BOARD
Viewing guidelines
Wildlife viewing here is governed by federal law, and the rest is what we have learned from watching this coast every day. Worth a read before you board.
Swimming with wild dolphins is illegal
As of 28 October 2021 it is illegal to swim with wild dolphins in Hawaiian waters. It is a law we support and defend — it gives the local spinner dolphin community more space and more control over their own surroundings. NOAA Fisheries publishes the official text.
Will we definitely see dolphins or whales?
Two of our trips carry a guarantee. On the Dolphin Excursion, dolphin sightings are guaranteed — if we do not find them you go home with a return-trip voucher. On the Turtle Safari + Reef Snorkel, sea turtle sightings are guaranteed.
Whales are different. Humpbacks are wild and migratory, so sightings are common through the winter season but we do not promise them.
Observe the law — the Marine Mammal Protection Act
Dolphins are protected under U.S. federal law by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, amended in 1994. Under the Act it is illegal to harass, hunt, capture, collect or kill any marine mammal, and swimmers and boaters should make every effort to avoid disturbing them in their natural environment.
Ask the captain for the Marine Mammal Protection Act Record if you would like to read it in full.
Know your limits
Stay within a safe distance of the boat — a safe distance is only as far as you are willing to swim back alone. Watch for changing weather and sea conditions; the captain and crew are watching too.
If you have any concern about your safety before you get in, stay aboard. Once you are in the water, use the signal the crew shows you if you need help, and we will come to you.
Common behaviours, and what they mean for a viewing
Spinner dolphins feed in coastal waters offshore at night, and move into near-shore water and protected bays by day to rest and play. Resting dolphins surface only briefly, diving together as a pod for a minute and a half to two minutes, and show little interest in people.
Play mode looks different — more aerial behaviour, more vocalisation, the pod splitting into smaller groups and speeding up.
Our sustainability commitment
Dolphin Excursions Hawaii, Inc. supports the Hawaiʻi Ecotourism Association’s principles of sustainable tourism, across environmental management, staff management, interpretation management, consumer evaluation management and marketing management.
More at hawaiiecotourism.org (http://www.hawaiiecotourism.org/).
How close do you get to the whales?
We keep a respectful distance and let the whales decide how close the encounter becomes. We never pursue or surround them. Often the most memorable moments happen when a curious whale chooses to come closer on its own.
When is the best time to see whales?
Humpback whales are in Hawaiian waters roughly from December through March. Outside that window they have returned to northern feeding grounds, so whale watching is a seasonal offering.
How do you protect the reef and the animals?
We give wildlife room, follow local and federal guidelines, and ask guests to look but not touch. Keeping groups small, never more than 16 aboard, also means a calmer presence in the water for the marine life we visit.