AULANI - Dolphin sight seeing and snorkelling sail help!

[ILovePixieDust]

Hi all! I'm looking for those who may have had experiences with one or a couple of the following companies that offer dolphin sight seeing and snorkelling excursions.

I have been looking at Hawaii Nautical, Ko Olina Ocean Adventures and the Dolphin Star.

Any recommendations? Thanks!

 

[pinner33]

me and my family did the dolphin star in march and had a good time they made hamburgers lunch then we went snorkeling we saw lots of dolphins during the trip

 

[MountainMouse]

me and my family did the dolphin star in march and had a good time they made hamburgers lunch then we went snorkeling we saw lots of dolphins during the trip

Since you were there in March did you see any whales? We've been to Maui in March, but never Oahu. Whale watching in Maui is ridiculously good that time of year. You could see at least one every few minutes from the beach/hotel. We've been thinking about Aulani.

 

[pinner33]

no we never saw any whales just a few dozen dolphins didn't go out to the outer edge of our bay to look but will this time

 

[MountainMouse]

no we never saw any whales just a few dozen dolphins didn't go out to the outer edge of our bay to look but will this time

Thanks, I was concerned they wouldn't be as plentiful. Also, apologies to the OP for taking the thread a little off topic.

 

[ILovePixieDust]

Thanks, I was concerned they wouldn't be as plentiful. Also, apologies to the OP for taking the thread a little off topic.

No worries! It's all good info.

 

[ILovePixieDust]

me and my family did the dolphin star in march and had a good time they made hamburgers lunch then we went snorkeling we saw lots of dolphins during the trip

Thank you for your input! What did you think of the boat? Was it crowded? Okay?

 

[pinner33]

the boat wasen't crowded at all and the staff was really friendly and had my wife and daughter jumping off the side of the boat when they were finished snorkaling

 

[DenLo]

We did a Sunset cruise with Hawaii Nautical. We saw turtles and Spinner Dolphins. The crew was very attentive and made sure we saw as much wildlife as possible. It was wonderful seeing the sunset with water all around. And then they hung around for the moonrise as well it was spectacular as well.

We were told by the Holo Holo Tours at Aulani that there would many whales that swam right in front of the resort during December through early March. Holo Holo has a tour for whale watching planned for the winter months. I have seen posts on the DisBoards of people reporting seeing whales in the waters off the Ko Olina coast, no one mentioned vast numbers of whales though. Just that they saw whales, even while standing on the beach at Aulani. You could see the whales blow holes spouting.

Although I have always read that the best place to see whales was in the Maui Channel (between Maui, and the Kona Coast on the Big Island). I know when we were on the Big Island in late January one year we could see whales in the water north of Hilo (we were on a helicopter tour).

 

[peacefrogdog]

We did Ko Olina ocean adventures in March. We went in the afternoon - the guides guessed that since they had seen dolphins at snorkeling sites in the AM that we wouldn't see them in the pm. Therefore they suggested we just sail off to sea and see what we could see. We ended up seeing pods of dolphins, pilot whales, and a bunch if humpbacks. The crew was fantastic. We would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[Mom of three]

We are staying at the Marriott Ko'Olina, right next to Aulani, next month. I booked 9 of us on a dolphin excursion through Dolphins and You. It was $99 for adults, $75 for kids and includes lunch. They have a website but also have specials with Groupon and Living Social which is where we found that price.

They will do pick up/drop off from your hotel, it's included in the price.

 

[Lissete]

We are staying at the Marriott Ko'Olina, right next to Aulani, next month. I booked 9 of us on a dolphin excursion through Dolphins and You. It was $99 for adults, $75 for kids and includes lunch. They have a website but also have specials with Groupon and Living Social which is where we found that price. They will do pick up/drop off from your hotel, it's included in the price.

We also purchased a Living Social deal for Dolphins & You. We went last month. The crew is fantastic! So much fun! We saw Dolphins and a bunch of turtles.

I would make a couple of suggestions though. Take your own water. We were given a Dixie cup with a bit of water. I need to stay hydrated. Also, take a reliable water camera. They sell the photos that they take, but it's quite pricey. My full review is on TA.

Have fun!

 

[Mom of three]

We also purchased a Living Social deal for Dolphins & You. We went last month. The crew is fantastic! So much fun! We saw Dolphins and a bunch of turtles.

I would make a couple of suggestions though. Take your own water. We were given a Dixie cup with a bit of water. I need to stay hydrated. Also, take a reliable water camera. They sell the photos that they take, but it's quite pricey. My full review is on TA.

Have fun!

Fantastic info! Thanks for sharing!!

 

[brewcrew]

Hi all! I'm looking for those who may have had experiences with one or a couple of the following companies that offer dolphin sight seeing and snorkelling excursions.

I have been looking at Hawaii Nautical, Ko Olina Ocean Adventures and the Dolphin Star.

Any recommendations? Thanks!

We used Ko Olina when we were there in July a couple of years ago. We had an amazing time! There were about 20 people on the boat (that included our party of 6) and it never felt crowded. We stopped at 2 places to snorkel. We saw turtles and tons of fish. My two younger children (14 and 11) even went on the snuba portion (extra fee). They said it was awesome!!! The best part was the Dolphins! The swam under the net part of the catamaran, beside the catamaran and spinning in front of us. It was just great!!! I can't remember our exact departure time but I know we ate lunch on the boat and it was good.

Have fun in Hawaii! It was the most beautiful place that we have ever been to. I pray that we can get back there someday!