Wild Side Eco-Adventures, Waianae

We had an absolute blast on the tour, and cannot thank the crew enough for the outstanding job they did for us. It was AMAZING! We would highly recommend this trip to anyone looking for an unique opportunity in a small group setting.

This was one of the best things that I did in Hawaii. It was a great morning and the crew was fantastic.

The "Best of the West" trip was the highlight of our visit to Oahu. I loved the small group (6 people) and the flexible schedule that this trip provides. We snorkeled over huge numbers of resting dolphins, then watched 4 humpback whales (including a calf) from the boat. Next, we snorkeled at a green turtle cleaning station: I worked on marine turtle conservation in East Africa for several years but had never seen anything quite like that before! And while watching the turtles, we could hear the humpbacks singing underwater. It's almost a week later as I write this, and my head is still full of the images gained on this trip. Our guides, Tori and Chip, were fun and knowledgeable, and clearly have a huge passion for marine wildlife. I also liked knowing that if there had been any unusual wildlife in the area (other than the absolutely amazing but seemingly standard (!) spinner dolphins, humpbacks, and green turtles) Tori and Chip would have given us the option of going to look for it. Yes, the Best of the West is expensive, but it was worth every penny. When we go back to Oahu, we'll definitely be going on another trip with Wild Side Eco-Adventures.

This was the highlight of our trip to Oahu! Tori, Chip and Paul were awesome! They were friendly and knowledgeable. The boat was clean and comfortable. We couldn't have asked for a better experience! I would definitely recommend these guys to anyone! Thanks for exceeding our expectations! You guys rock! Melissa North Carolina

This was one of the best experiences we had in Hawaii. The people were wonderful, had great knowledge of local wildlife, and showed a real passion for what they do. It was an experience we will never forget!

When you first arrive on this side of the island, it is not very impressive and you think, "where am I", but once out on the water the magic begins. This was truly one of those "best day ever" experiences. I have always dreamed of swimming with dolphins, but nothing could have prepared me for the thrill of actually doing it. I was so excited I could hardly breathe. It was pure magic! The guides were friendly and very knowledgeable. The trip is customized for each group, and they really take this to heart. Luckily we had a group that was eager to learn about the habitats and habits of the local wildlife, so it was not only fun, but a learning adventure. Healthy snacks and a delicious lunch just added to the delightful experience. Just make sure if you are driving from Honolulu to give yourself plenty of time, there is traffic in the morning. We stopped at the only ocean view Mcdonalds I 've ever seen on the way for some pretty decent coffee.

Tori and Melissa took us on a relaxed, informative, and TOTALLY great swim with the dolphins. They were informative and helpful to our small group. Individual attention let to great snorkeling for beginners. I would recommend this to everyone.

It has been a dream to swim with the dophins, and when I heard about this cruise and it being a 6 passanger cruise I signed up immediately. Sorkeling around all the dolphins was an amazing experience, one I will never forget. The staff was very accomidating to everyones wants and very plesant to be around. I HIGHLY recommend this tour for anyone who likes some good, fun snorkeling, and who want to do it with sea turtles and dolphins! The one thing you don't get with this tour that you do with larger tour boats is you don't get kicked and smacked by the 50 people around you that are trying to get near the dolphins as well. There was only 1 other couple that we had to share space with and that was worth the money alone! I really wanted to see some turtles but the surf was too strong that day to get to close into where they get cleaned, so the tour guides did what they could to find the turtles that were a little further from shore for us to see. One turtle finally came up to the surface and was just about an arms legnth away swimming with us. It was awesome! I wish the tour was longer, I think it turned out to be about 3 hrs, but still worth every penny!

Tori & Melisa were awesome & informative hosts of the "Best of the West" tour. We were in the middle of around 100 dolphins shortly after leaving the harbor. It was a truly breathtaking experience. We were not able to see any whales, however the group that went out before us saw a couple. It's still a little early in the season. The snorkeling was great & I was a first timer. We were on the way back to the harbor and came upon 10 spinner dolphins (1 with a calf). The group was able to get into the water with snorkeling gear on and swim with the dolphins. I highly recommend this tour to not only those visiting Oahu but also the people that live here.

We had a great time on our honeymoon on the "Best of the West" tour with Wild Side. We had the benefit of a small boat size (6 passengers, 1 captain and 1 crew) which gave us the opportunity to experience the beauty of the ocean on an amazingly personal level. Our captain, Tori and her assistant, Melissa were both incredibly knowledgable about the area's wildlife (which should be a given since they are both marine biologists) and catered to our boat's specific expectations for the tour. They were both eager to show us everything we wanted to see and realistic about our chances of getting close to the wildlife. Swimming with the dolphins was an experience that my wife will never forget. Seeing a live action version of the Discovery channel inches in front of me is an experience I will never forget. Overall, we could not have dreamed of a better experience out on the water than Wild Side.