TripAdvisor™ provides unbiased reviews, articles, recommendations and opinions on Wild Side Specialty Tours, Waianae.
June 2101 Heather's Hawaiian Adventure Part II: Heather was part of a recent fam trip to Hawaii, she wrote that, "We saw a Green Sea Turtle cleansing station which was by far the highlight of my LIFE!"
May 2010 Honolulu AdvertiserLocal boys on voyage of a lifetime "In an unusual move, Wild Side Specialty Tours owner Armin Cullins decided to conduct the delivery of the Pacifica 50 Yacht, Nautilus, from California to Hawaii "on its own bottom" - actually driving the boat by sea instead of shipping it on a Honolulu-bound barge..."
May 2010 Five Great Ways to Enjoy Your Oahu Vacation Take a dip with the sealife.
Swim and snorkel among the sea turtles, dolphins, and marine life close to ancient coral reefs on Oahu’s Westside next to the Ko Olina resorts. Wild Side Specialty Tours offers dolphin encounters, whale watching (including giant humpback whales), protected sea turtle experiences, and more.
March 2010, Hawaii vacations: Top whale-watching tours | Orbitz Blog Hawaii’s marine scene gets a little more crowded each winter, as thousands of North Pacific humpback whales migrate 3,500 miles from Alaska to the warm South Pacific waters. "For a small-craft whale-watching experience on your Hawaii vacation, locals recommend Wild Side Specialty Tours. There’s an educational element to the excursions, which are typically led and narrated by marine biologists. Observation easily intensifies into actual conservation research if that’s something that interests you. Excursions head out to Oahu’s west coast, particularly off Kaena Point."
Oct. 2009, The Carey AdventuresMy First Time Swimming with Dolphins, "My most vivid memories in life are at those moments when I am fully present and my mind stops thinking long enough to simply take in the majesty of life in front of me. This is how I know I was present when the dolphins pulled even with me. I didn’t lock eyes with any of them or exchange knowing winks from one air loving mammal to another. But for those few moments I experienced a better understanding and appreciation for these amazing swimmers than any stack of text books or hours of video could ever hope to accomplish."
Oct. 2009, KHNL's "Dash and Diane" - and evening broadcasts, "Wild Side - Wild Dolphin Swims, "Dolphins can tell when you're pregnant?"
Fall 2009, Sherman's Travels, HAWAII 101, Oahu: Over on the noncommercial west (Leeward) side of the island, Wild Side Specialty Tours leads intimate expeditions out of Waianae Harbor to swim with wild dolphins.
Sept. 2009, B on Hawaii "Sail Hawaii Teams with National Wildlife Experts, Employs the Same"There’s plenty of buzz going around about which ocean excursion companies do and don’t practice environmental responsibility. Sail Hawaii’s Wild Side Tours are an operation one step ahead of the curve in this regard.
Aug 2009, "Clean Breaks: 500 Ways To See the World" offers vacation options that are socially responsible and environmentally friendly - we are one of the specially recommended companies, highlighted as one of the authors’ favorites!
April 2009, Out & About with Kids, Endless Summer
(pdf), pg. 94 "Dolphins and Turtles"
March 2009, Family Circle, An Oahu Family Vacation With ‘Tweens and Teens "When an endangered monk seal unexpectedly popped his head out of the water, our guide’s excitement was contagious, and she launched into an impromptu lesson about how to protect these adorable animals."
November 2008, Regina Leader-PostTwo Weeks in Paradise, The ultimate 14-day itinerary "The engines were cut, and the catamaran slowed. The dolphins moved toward us in what could only be described as an act of recognition and welcome. And then, one dolphin gave us the ultimate thrill. With slow and graceful movements, she approached the boat and circled in front of it, revealing something at her side. After a sweeping turn, she swam slowly past the boat again, this time presenting her small calf for all 12 of us to see."
October 2008,The Daily Express UK, Ten Must Do Things in Hawaii #1 "A fin appeared closely followed by another and another. There were dolphins everywhere."
September 2008, Honolulu AdvertiserHang out with sea turtles in Wai'anae "Natural 'cleaning station' offers amazing snorkeling experience." Author Chris Oliver was onboard (and snorkeling with turtles) with Wild Side in Aug. 2008
August 2008, 50 in the 50th, "All of a sudden, there were dolphin everywhere, on either side and below us. Mom's and babies just slowly (for them) swimming along passing us like we were slow cars on a highway. You could hear them calling to each other."
July 2008, Forbes - World's Top Ten Snorkeling Spots“I took to the water to satisfy the nature disconnect I was feeling. Reefs are more diverse than rainforests, and what land animal can compete with the beauty, intelligence and evolutionary success of dolphins and whales?” Tori Cullins, co-owner
July 2008,Living the Surf Life :: Sunburnt Smiles :: Sean Davey caught a ride on the Best of the West Dolphin tour with Sail Hawaii on the west side. He got some interesting images of the spinning Dolphins who have been spotted all around the island in top form this year.
July 2008, The Border Mail (Australia), Hawaiian Dreams "This time [the dolphins] swim right past me on the surface jumping and leaping around and it is one of the most exiting moments I have experienced."
June 2008, PDXposed Goes Hawaii show #1 - we're about 1/2 way through the program @ 14:20
Sept. 2007 Chicago Tribune Face to Face with a Hawaiian Monk Seal "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."
Sept. 2007, TravelLady Magazine An Exploration to the BabyMoonThe 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. Philadelphia 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."
Trip Advisor, Beyond the Guide Books on Oahu, #2 "Best of"; "Swim with dolphins in the wild. Skip the artificial hotel dolphin experiences and go where the dolphins are able to roam free. "
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.
Fodors' 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 ARENice 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...
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 - 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"
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"
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'sOur
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."
"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."
"...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
Oct.
2003: Filming with World Champion Free-diver Umberto
Pelizzari (right)
Cruise
Critic'sTop
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."
April
2003, Grainger TV (Australia), for onboard taping for
series to be aired on US TravelChannel featuring culturally correct Hawaiian adventures,
"Heavenly
Hawaii.".
Jan. 2003, Honolulu
Star Bulletin "Surfari's
get you Close to Marine Life" "Leeward Oahu is one
of the only places in the world where oceanic dolphins come into near-shore
habitats on a daily basis, Sailing into their world, we're reminded
about our own journey through life."
Dec. 2002, The
Washington Times;Swim with the dolphins, sky dive, bungee jump, climb mountains. Oahu visit alive with adventure
"The dolphin encounter, experienced in near total silence,
is surreal. Time stands still. Has it been one minute or 20? Suddenly,
in a flash, they're gone, leaving me wondering if they really were there
at all."
Nov. 2002, Ladies
Home Journal
Nov. 2002, SHAPE Tropical Island Fitness- acrobat reader required
(we were #1!, "Swimming with dolphins is the ultimate butt workout...")
Nov. 2002, Hawaii Magazine
July 2002, KZLA Radio's mid-day on air personality, Shawn Parr, (announcer
for Academy, Golden Globe, Family Viewing, Country Western and numerous
other Award ceremonies) for True Hawaiian Experiences to
be aired each evening on KZLA during his stay.
July 2002, Interview
on 6:00 news with KHNL on impact of LFAS testing in Hawaiian
Waters
July 2002, Frommers
travel message boardRecommended as a role model company for
respectfully swimming with wild dolphins
July 4th 2002 Annual
Night Sail Fund Raising Charter for Wild Dolphin Foundation
July 2002 Hiro Kono, website moderator of Japans About.com for Hawaiian
Travel , Travel writer on assignment for fall publication of latest
book Health and Wellness Travel in Hawaii.
June 2002 Modern
Bride
"Communing with Dolphins"
June 2002 Honolulu
Magazine, "The Kokua Calendar," Registry of Charitable
Events in Hawaii
May 2002 Travel
and Leisure; "Island
Escapes: Indulge And Rejuvenate" "During
the Mind, Body and Spirit cruise of Wild Side Specialty Tours, the 42-foot
sailing catamaran Island Spirit is transformed into your private spa."
Jan. 2002, Continental
Airlines In-flight Video showcasing off-beat activities
in Hawaii, all international and domestic flights
2002 Winter Issue Aloha Street Magazine, "Sailing with Hawaii's Whales"
Feb. 2002 Westworld;
"Oahu Wet and Wild"
Fall 2001 Reiselust - German TV Travel Series "Voyages, Voyages"
Jan.. 2001 National Geographic Adventurer - "The Adrenaline
Almanac"
Spring 2001 ARRIVALS Netherlands Travel Show, "Caring for Hawaii's Dolphins" Host
FLORIE (above and to the right)
ARCHIVES
REEL
PRODUCTIONS Supplied whale footage for "Incredible
Creatures"
Japan Overseas Obtained whale song and dolphin
vocalizations for audio CD.
Suzuki's NatureQuest Nature Series aired on Discovery Channel and Canada's "Y"
TV.
Live Radio Broadcast for WJJZ , Philadelphia's
Smooth Jazz
Japanese Radio Station FM PortLive radio interview
on coral spawning event
" Making Healthy Choices " with "first lady of nutrition " Maureen Kennedy Salaman Healthy Hawaiian Lifestyles live
onboard broadcast
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.
Numerous Media Trips over the years for
Stryker Weiner & Yokota Public Relations, Inc. and Oahu Visitor's
Bureau. Including but not limited to travel writers for Cosmopolitan,
Self, Modern Bride, Spa, Ladies' Home Journal, Sport Illustrated,
Fitness, Outside, etc.
best
encounter ever with dolphins" - Vera Vida, travel correspondent
