Honolulu Advertiser star bulletin, Ladies Home Journal, Shape, Grainger TV, Frommer's, Aloha Magazine, Travel Channel

Wild Side Specialty Tours Featured in:

Current: TripAdvisor O'ahu Forum

Sept. 2007 ContraCosta Times Swim with dolphins off Lanai shore When swimmng with the dolphins from the shore of Lanai, folks use our swim with dolphin guide.

Sept. 2007, TravelLady Magazine An Exploration to the BabyMoon The TravelLady joins Wild Side on her "babymoon" – that one last romantic trip taken by expectant couples prior to the arrival of their baby .

September 2007, Midweek Honolulu The Wild Side of Dolphins "It’s worth it to wake up before dawn if you know you’ll have a chance to swim with dolphins and sea turtles - not to mention take in the natural beauty of the Waianae Coast."

August 29, 2007. CheapFlights.com What to See and Do in Honolulu "Forget about those crowded tourist boat tours. Ply the waters on a more private and leisurely cruise, which can include whale watching, snorkeling and swimming with the dolphins or turtles. The experienced and creative crew of Wild Side Specialty Tours offers scheduled and custom adventures. "

August 26, 2007. Phildelphia Inquirer, Hip Trip | Take in Hawaii on land and sea, "He appeared suddenly and paused to look. Our eyes locked. Powerfully built and several times my size, he must have sensed my fear. Or perhaps he heard me bleat through my snorkel. The next instant, the rare Hawaiian monk seal disappeared back into his underwater cave. I'd just been stared down by one of the rarest marine creatures in the world."

About: Hawaii, "Exciting Happenings on Oahu for 2007" "In order to truly appreciate the beauty of Oahu, you need to get away from Honolulu and Waikiki.There's no better way than to drive out to leeward or west Oahu and take a trip on the Wild Side."

Featured in 2007 edition of Lonely Planet Honolulu, Waikiki & Oahu, who are noted for "telling it like it is" and "being relentless in finding the special, the unique and the different for travelers wherever they are."

2007 - Top Five Dates on Oahu, Follow the Whales, "Its absolutely mind-boggling to see animals this smart and this big swim this fast and jump completely out of the water. "

March 2007, Jetstar Magazine, "Happy Days", The Ultimate Marine Fantasy - Wild Side Specialty Tours.

Fodor's 2007, Oahu Dolphin Encounters, "Marine biologists conduct the tours, adding a depth of knowledge not found with boat captains and dive masters.:

Dec. 2006, Inflight Magazine of ATA Airlines » WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE Nice little write-up with some bad facts though, ie, no personal guide will meet you in Waikiki, you have to find your way to us...

A Swim With Wild Dolphins on Oahu's West Side

October 2006, Hawaii Health Guide "First Signs and Sounds of Winter"

July 2006 "Hawaii in the Fall, your Ultimate Dream Vacation" "Wild Side Specialty Tours allow visitors to get wet and wild in the Pacific Ocean for an encounter of a lifetime. This is very different from the training pool dolphin swim you might be thinking of. It's an opportunity to observe these wild animals glide and frolic unrestrained in the deep blue ocean. It's enough to leave you speechless. This is the real deal."

June 2006, National Geographic "Top 10 Trips with a Splash"

June 2006 - Courier Mail, Land and the Sea (pdf) "Sitting on the deck listening to other guests speak, leaves you in no doubt that this is something everyone should do before they die. It is something you will never forget"

June 2006 - Good Morning America

June/July 2006, "Every Day with Rachel Ray" magazine (we love Rachel!), pg. 124, Rachel says to check us out"

April 2006, "San Diego Magazine", The A-Personality in Paradise

March/April 2006, Hawaii Magazine, "Top 5 Hidden Treasures" Four of Hawaii's water experts reveal secret locations. Tori was one of the experts chosen. Snorkeling safety tips included.

Feb. 2006, Travel Age West, "The Real Oahu" During intimate wildlife adventures, clients can encounter whales, dolphins and turtles while learning about marine conservation.

Feb. 2006, WINGSPAN Magazine, TALKIN’ DOLPHINS
Oahu & the Search for Higher Intelligence, pg. 5, "Another day with Island Spirit and the dolphins find us. Everyone swims, and I am reminded that laughing underwater is a risky human behavior."

Jan. 2006, Washington Post, "Should you swim with the dolphins?" The clicks, the splashes and the smiles make dolphins adorable to almost everyone. But does that mean that humans should interact with the mammals in their natural environment?

Dec. 2005 Coast, Adventures in Aloha, "A young dolphin seems intrigued by the clicking and winding of my underwater camera so I do some stupid human tricks and twirl about for him, doing my best "dolphin." Perhaps he is amused, perhaps he isn't, all I know is that I am in paradise."

Dec. 2005, Fitness Life Magazine "Waves of Knowledge" (requires Acrobat)

May 2005, Dallas Voice "Apparently, there’s a difference with the types of dolphin tours: Some are exploitive in their search, but Wild Side Specialty Tours gets high marks for being eco-friendly"

April 2005, Hawaii.com "My Favorite Day in Hawaii." Lots of pictures!

March 2005, Outside Magazine Hawaiian Islands Overview

March 2005, Upscale "Island Spirit" "Once underwater I see large shapes; and without warning, I'm surrounded by friendly dolphins..."

Feb. 2005, Modern Bride, Top 10 Hawaiian Head Rushes #4 Swim with wild dolphins. Wild being the operative word. Head out early slip into your flippers and commune with a pod of spinner dolphins in the calm waters off the coast of Oahu.

Nov. 16, 2004 Frommer's Our Picks for Swimming with Dolphins Around the World "If you are bound for the Hawaiian Islands and can drag yourself away from the beach, a magical Pacific Ocean dolphin experience awaits you."

Oct. 2004, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, "Fresh Notes From Oahu" "Recommended by locals: Unique dolphin swim experience where you actually swim with wild dolphins, a far more natural experience than the more typical dolphin swim offered in resort pools. One person who took this tour recently estimated she swam with about 40 dolphins."

Aug 2004, San Francisco Chronicle: Close encounters of the dolphin kind; Mingling in open ocean off Oahu

"The dolphins left and returned several times, and I swam with them until I was hyperventilating and seawater was sloshing over the top of my snorkel." John Flinn

Aug. 2004, Travel Channel "The spinner dolphins -- named for the fantastic spins they make as they leap out of the water -- were delighting us with their acrobatics before we joined them in the sea."

Shark Week! Dolphin and turtle footage for "Tiger Shark Attack, Beyond Fear" filmed onboard with BBC producer John Ruthven and filmmakers of "Blue Planet." and "Deep Blue"

"...It was simply a magical experience to go out on your boat and to see the spinners and turtles in just one glorious morning. Thank you so much for your help with our programme "Tiger Shark Attack, Beyond Fear"... I think the story of changing opinions on sharks in Hawaii is fascinating and it was a very interesting, and challenging film to make. Many thanks again for your help! John Ruthven, Producer"

May 2004, San Diego Magazine, Rediscovering Oahu A reformed traveler turns over new stones on the most popular Hawaiian island.

July 2004, Condé Nast Traveler, "...everything we do is geared to not changing the dolphins" behavior"

June 2004, Coast Magazine, "Adventures in Aloha" "After being in the water for what seems like hours, I become waterlogged and my tired legs tell me it is time to get back on board the boat. Swimming with the dolphins and having the rest of the world fall away leaves me feeling that there's nothing to equal the experience of becoming a (temporary) member of the pod."

Featured on About.com's Travel with Kids site as one of the "Top 10 Things to do in Oahu Hawaii" "Wild Side Specialty Tours are the best kind of nature-tour operators, with a rich fund of knowledge plus deep respect for marine animals in their natural habitat."

USA Today, Feb. 26, 2004: 10 great places to spend a week or two with whales "These warm, shallow waters are the only place in the USA where humpback whales reproduce and workshops and sailing trips contribute to essential conservation efforts."

Today Show, MSNBC.com Jan. 21; Volunteer Vacations helping wildlife, Organizations offer volunteers the opportunity to get up close and personal with animals, while learning about the world around them

Boston Globe: Dec. 14 2003: From the scenic to the sacred in Oahu, Hawaii "We had our best encounter ever with dolphins" - Vera Vida, travel correspondent

Oct. 2003: Filming with World Champion Free-diver Umberto Pelizzari (right)

Cruise Critic's Top 10 Guide to Hawaii’s Best Water Sports Options "You may also get eye-to-eye with a family of wild turtles. Check it out on the leeward side of Oahu, where, in winter, you can catch some of the best whale watching around."

Oct. 2003: Filming for Disney Channel Australia's "Studio D"

Check out (and compare!) our review featured on Dolphin Swims Worldwide - including Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii (that's us, starting at day four) and the Bahamas. "Amazing as the turtles were, my thoughts went back to the spinner dolphins, just the way they leap into the air and their behavior is very different to any other dolphin I have seen."

August 2003 - Featured in AAA Go Magazine "OAHU: HAWAIIAN ADVENTURES IN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL OF SETTINGS" "And what an experience it is. In the silent world under the ocean, the first indication swimmers have that a dolphin group is checking them out is the hauntingly melodic sound of the animals communicating with one another."

June 2003, Sunset Flippers and fins, best of the west, dolphin viewing cruises

April 2003, Grainger TV (Australia), for onboard taping for series to be aired on US Travel Channel featuring culturally correct Hawaiian adventures, "Heavenly Hawaii.".

David Rosengarten -Chef and host of Taste and In Food Today , while in Hawaii filming show with Sam Choy , chartered boat with his two daughters for awesome dolphin swim.