We just wanted to take a moment to thank you for making our visit to Hawaii absolutely the best! We went on the Morning Wildlife Adventure the 1st Sunday in May & all we can say is "Wow!" The crew (Karen & Denise) were so professional & knowledgeable. We have not stopped talking about it. We loved how small & intimate the group is kept & so appreciate your effort to maintain 'zero impact' on the environment. The entire experience had a profound impact on us. Without a doubt the best money spent on our vacation--so worth the drive, so worth the extra expense of renting a car (which we did just to make the drive out to your boat dock). While on our adventure, my husband spotted a beaked whale!
Sincerely,
John & Patty Hoskins
Fresno, California
I'd just like to send a letter of thanks to the crew who took out my 2 aunts and myself on January 24, 2007. This was the best possible experience of nature I have ever had the chance to encounter. I loved that the crew had a genuine love and knowledge of the creatures we were seeing. I was impressed that an actual marine biologist was there to educate us first and that she allowed us to interact with the dolphins in such a way that was safe for both us and the dolphins and reinforced that loving wildlife doesn't mean handling wild animals trying to make them your pet.
I didn't feel like this trip was a bunch of commercialized planned events, and as the things we saw were once in a lifetime. I have always though of myself as a lover of nature and have always felt a great obligation in preserving our ecosystem, but this trip brought about a whole new feeling of joy in all that our world has to offer. Anyone can go to a park and see trained animals doing tricks on the queue of their trainers, but to see nature in its pure form brings a whole new respect for the animals in their natural habitat.
Thanks a million, Melissa Drouse
Aloha Wild Side!
We just wanted to thank Captain Ann and her crew for such a wonderful time on today's morning tour (September 7, 2006). Your crew was friendly and professional. The tour was, for us, an enriching and educational experience.
We lucked out because there were only 8 passengers on the boat for our tour. However, due to low visability underwater and the dolphin pod staying in deeper water during our tour, we missed seeing the dolphins underwater during our two in-water opportunities. We did however get to hear them squeaking as we swam with the pod, saw them swimming and playing in their pod (from the boat), and witnessed a few dramatic spins and splashes.
The highlight of our tour was seeing the dolphins at play, of course, but snorkling with the beautiful sea turtles, fish and coral reef was certainly a highlight of our Hawaii vacation. That dolphin cleaning station on the reef was absolutely amazing! At one point, we saw six adult sea turtles and one youngster on the rock, all at the same time!
"Breathtaking" just doesn't fully describe the experience.Overall, our experience was wonderful, and when we return we will definately choose your company again. We would recommend your service to anyone looking for an eco-friendly, dolphin-friendly, and research-oriented tour company.
Mahalo, and Aloha! Our warmest blessings on your future research efforts!
- Jason & Karin Kimenker; Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro
We went on the Morning Wildlife Sail April 23rd 2005 and had the time
of our lives. The 2 people giving the tour were excellent, the boat
was in great shape and animals were cooperative. We had a great time
and will remember it always.
I
know that a lot of times people only write to complain when something
doesn't meet their expectations. So I wanted to write to tell you
that it exceeded ours. It was the tour I was most looking forward
to and because of that I was pretty sure I would be disappointed but
it was a great trip - we loved every minute of it. We are planning
on returning to Hawaii some day but have decided to go to another
island - however we are already discussing a day trip to Oahu just
to take this tour again. Thanks
for making our vacation even more memorable. Linda Sullivan
I
saw you and the tour on the Travel Channel the other day, not as good
as in person but awesome nonetheless!! Then in surfing the Hawaii.com
site I ran into your website again and 
thought
I should write you about our experiences on your tours.
Nancy
and I have taken your tour the last two years we've been there and
fully intend on at least one tour with you this next month, February,
when we come to the islands again. We've taken whale watching tours
on most of the islands over the years and yours is far and away the
best, and that includes the tours we've done on Maui where there are
more whales than Oahu. We've learned so much from you and enjoyed
the tour so much we have just naturally assumed you to be part of
our every trip! I noticed an afternoon reef snorkel on your site and
as we'll be there most of the month, we will try to add that to the
usual tour with you we do.
I'm certain you have all the pictures you could ever want but I've
attached a couple of our favorites (see turtle photo above). I've
used them in my screensaver so your tour is seen and remembered every
day! Aloha,
and we'll see you soon, Dennis Katsis and Nancy Dunn
"THANK
YOU for showing me something new and different. After all of 
this
time doing what I do, it takes a lot to knock my socks off and you
guys did! My family and I will be back your way in April and hopefully
I can share this amazing experience with my kids."
Emily
Kaufman, - (a.k.a. the "Travel Mom", has traveled the world
with her husband and two children. You can find her "Destination
of the Week" pick on her web site, and get more of her advice
as segment hostess for CNN, MSNBC, CBS, Discovery, FOX and NBC and
Orbitz"
"Dear Tori and Armin, I want
to thank you both for such a wonderful day with the dolphins. Your
energies, added to the ones we brought along made for a perfect combination.
With my thanks again...and much aloha to you both ... Bobbie Sandoz,
author of Listening
to Wild Dolphins
and In
the Presence of High Beings
based on her ten-year friendship with dolphins and whales.
"Tori and Armin, Many thanks for an enjoyable day on the West
Side. You have a great operation and its great to know that visitors
and local people can go with you and have such a rewarding experience.
It truly was a memorable day for us all. Mahalo Nui and Aloha, Dale
Hope"
Note: Dale is a long board champion paddler and author of "The Aloha Shirt"
I just wanted to thank you for an AWESOME experience
.. We had wonderful guides and our dolphin swim/snorkeling was really
the adventure of a lifetime. Lots of people say that and so it becomes
diluted or cliche but I mean it in this case. There's just no way
to describe the feeling of being in the water with those beautiful
animals swimming around you on all sides! It is the purest kind of
joy! Wild Side Adventures is a class act and deserves every bit of
the good press it gets. Thanks for memories I will never, ever forget!
Michele and Tim McCawley Kansas City, KS (landlocked again!) Oct.
2004
"Since
we, literally, just got off the boat {your boat that is}, I thought
I would take this opportunity to be the first to thank you by e-mail
for the great time we had {I'll bet you don't get many written notes
within 2 hours of the return to harbor}. Not only were all aboard
{captain, crew and passengers} extremely friendly and helpful, but
the boat, turtles and, especially, the dolphins were great. My daughter,
Wendy, already misses her pod-mates; and my wife, the non-swimmer,
can't stop talking about what a terrific experience she had. All-in-all
a superior family adventure, one not to be missed and, surely, not
to be forgotten. Thanks once again, and, of course, feel free to share
my thoughts with others." Jerry
Wallack, July 4th 2004; Jerry.wallack@kutakrock.com
"Just a quick note to say mahalo for allowing me to be a part
of the group Friday. I've traveled extensively with promoting Oahu
as a destination and we always talk about the Wild Side dolphin excursion.
Now having actually experienced the activity, you can bet my descriptions
are going to be more enthusiastic and engaging. No one who goes out
on the sail and gets into the water with the dolphins can be unaffected
by such a wonderful and awesome experience. Seeing the animals up
close and hearing their clicks and squeaks is truly a gift. Your sail
is first class and I look forward to helping promote it in a more
meaningful way now that I've had a first-person experience."
Nancy Daniels, Public Relations Manager ; Outrigger Hotels & Resorts/OHANA
Hotels & Resorts
"What,
did you want to impress us or something? We had a wonderful, wonderful
time. For all of us sailor wannabe's, we were just too blissed out
by our wonderful hosts - who produced sun, wind and even spinner dolphins!
Thank you, thank you for a great experience and your patience with
a Canadian film crew. Aloha and Mahalo."
- Severn Suzuki-Cullis ~ Suzuki's Nature
Quest star, budding Yale marine biologist.
"Armin & Tori Cullins of Wild Side Specialty Tours Took Us
To Where The Dolphins Play - You GOTTA Do This
!!" ~ PS Diva.com
*PSDIVA went out with us again this year and has photos of her dolphin
encounter trip posted here
.
"Dear
Tori and Armin,
We just wanted to thank you again for the wonderful sailing experience
on March 13th. That day was most certainly the highlight of our trip!
Fred 
is still talking about getting to
sail. Ashley is, of course, still talking about all the neat fish
and turtle and eel she saw swimming around the reef. Even little Annie
is still talking about the dolphins coming over to say hello to her.
A great time was had by all of us and you can definitely expect to
see us again for another sail boat tour. We plan to visit some of
the other islands in the future, but decided we would definitely stop
in Oahu a day or two just so we can sail again with you--next time
we'll plan for a whole day of sailing."
Thanks again,
Julie and Joe (Ashley and Annie)
Hi
Tori and Capt. Louie!
I just wanted to say thank you so much for the wonderful experience
I had swimming with the dolphins. I only wish that the weather had
cooperated and that I could have spent more time in the water. I was
in absolute awe when I saw all the spinner dolphins!!! I still can't
believe that I was so blessed to have the opportunity to swim with
these magical creatures! I dreamed of this all my life and when it
was finally a reality, I couldn't believe my good fortune! PLUS finding
your website was truly a blessing, too. I can't imagine going with
anyone else. Someday I hope to return because it was the high point
of my whole trip to Hawaii. You were both so knowledgeable and interesting
to talk to...and so hospitable! Take care! Sincerely, Alisa Becker
Everett, WA
"Hello!
My husband and I just enjoyed the most wonderful moonlit cruise last
evening, and wanted to write and thank you all. Our captain and crew,
were absolutely fabulous and were so friendly, helpful and knowledgeable
about whales, boats and the night sky. We learned so much and even
got to see a mama whale and her calf!!! Our trip exceeded our high
expectations and is a memory we will always treasure. Thank you for
making our anniversary an awesome experience and one like no other.
Most sincerely,
Joshua and Ann-Marie Morrill"
"I
wish to thank you both for always taking such good care of my Guests
and making sure they get to see as much Sea Life as possible. I kept
hearing how incredible the Sail Trips were from my guests and I finally
got the experience of a Lifetime myself last week. The Sail Trip with
you could not have been better. You are so easy to be with and go
out of your way to find the Dolphins, the Whales, the Turtles, if
they are around. When the huge Whale went under the Boat that day,
we could have gone home and I would have been happy, but it just got
better and better. Thank you and I cannot wait to sail with you again,
Mahalo Nui Loa, TONIC"
Beach Lane B&B. Kailua, Hi. 808-262-8286
"What
a great couple of days! Tori and Armin were excellent hosts for our
exploration of Makaha. They are not only knowledgeable in regards
to sailing, but also are fountains of knowledge about the marine life
we encountered. Both the dolphins and the coral were very good to
us. Many Thanks Tori and Armin! You made our film project a great
success. See you again, soon we hope!"
-Janice Cudlip - humanitarian, after-work fun lover, Head Researcher,
Associate Producer, Nature Quest Inc., Canada
"Thanks
for the wonderful sail, birds, and conversation. May your good hearts
and dedication to the creatures of the islands carry you far. So nice
to spend such a great day with fellow earth stewards! Mahalo!"
-Cedar Wells, bird enthusiast, former white water rafting guide,
current water resource steward in Washington
Dave
and I just wanted to say thank you for the dinner sail on the 16th
of Sept. It was a perfect way to spend our wedding anniversary. The
boat, food and company was terrific. We look forward to going out
with you again in the future. Right now though, it's back to reality
and life after vacation. Best wishes,
Dave and Ruth Neill
We
couldn't think of a better way to begin our holiday than we did with
you and Armin. I love the "sound & feel" of a sailing
vessel as opposed to a power boat (I consider them boy toys!). They
serve a useful purpose but ...). Sorry I wasn't up to snuff on the
way coming home (I think to many OH MY GOD!s underwater contributed
to a massive intake of the briny stuff). We loved your boat and we
loved you. We didn't feel like tourists, we felt like friends. That's
a very special gift. -Kim and Jeff Larry, =^..^=, adopted parents
to formerly abused kitties
I
still see the dolphins all around the boat and when I was
in the front looking down, there they were!!! They were looking up
so I
wasn't sure if they saw me or just looking where the boat was. I'll
always remember that and it puts a smile on my face every time. I
can see why you love them so much.
The Barnhurst's
, Dennis,Rhonda, Damon
Tori-
Thanks for the movies, they're awesome! Just dropped Mom off at the
airport to head home, she's still grinning ear-to-ear about the trip.
Thanks for helping make our week so special; our adventure with you
was definitely the highlight!
~ Ray Goodrich - Senior Producer Fox Sports Net South
404 230-7335 rgoodrich@foxsports.net
