Wild Side Partners with Wildlife Experts, Employs the Same (Women of Science!)

At Wild Side we know that communication is not about the number of things you say, it is about the number of things that are understood. Our professionally trained crew are science communicators passionate about sharing their knowledge and excitement for Hawaii’s marine life, community and heritage with our guests. That is what makes our hui (team) of hand-picked guides the best in Hawaii – and the hardest working. We recognize that we are basing our work on sovereign indigenous lands and encounter species that are sacred to Hawaiians (the original stewards) and others today.

Wild Side Specialty Tours is a woman owned and operated company sharing passion for the ocean and wildlife, in a unique, modern, fun, and relaxed charters since 1996. Directly involved with the studies of behavior, ecology, and natural history of the whales, dolphins, turtles, coral reefs and other marine life in Hawaiʻi, we continue to actively participate in conservation and resource management of marine habitats. See our partnerships here.

Our crew care about the earth and its resources and operate tours like the original stewards of the islands the kānaka maoli – with the environment and sustainability in mind. Our naturalists do more than guide; they bring their knowledge, experience, wonder and passion to the world’s greatest playground: nature.

Office Manager – Captain “Sofia with a F” Dahl

Swedish Sailor Sofia has a Masters degree in Biology. She has been interested in wildlife and especially marine mammals her entire life, and is happy to be in Hawaiʻi and out of Sweden’s cold! We love her work ethic and charm. Her photography and data collecting and distributing skills are integral to the partnerships and research collected on the whales and dolphins of Oʻahu. Currently spending most of her time as Office Manager, the face of Wild Side, and often the voice of reason behind the operations – Sofia holds the fort down at the office amid all the “mad scientists” and manages to do so while always maintaining a professional and outgoing manner.

Dahl, S. (2007). “Target detection in coral sand by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncates).” M.Sc. thesis, Biology Department, Institute of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, Sweden.

Captain/Owner – Victoria Davis (aka “Tori” Cullins)

Trained on Polynesian Voyaging canoes, resident marine biologist, and environmental sciences grad, Tori has been actively involved in conservation efforts, research, photography, education, and sustainable-tourism related to marine mammals and their habitats for 30+ years. Conservation efforts led to forming the Wild Dolphin Foundation and she toils behind the scenes in the International Dolphin & Whale Stranding Network. Recently remarried (hence the name change) her spare time is spent in conservation photography, sustainable living, and rehabing horses in her spare time. OK pretty much full time – she spends more time “wearing” cameras, fur, mud, dust or manure than salt spray anymore. But still, she’s very active in the running and ethics of Wild Side.

Baird, R.W., S.D. Mahaffy, B. Hancock-Hanser, T. Cullins, K.L. West, M.A. Kratofil, D.M. Barrios, A.E. Harnish, P.C. Johnson. 2024. Long-term strategies for studying rare species: results and lessons from a multi-species study of odontocetes around the main Hawaiian Islands. Pacific Conservation Biology https://doi.org/10.1071/PC23027

Mahaffy, S.D., R.W. Baird, A.E. Harnish, T. Cullins, S.H. Stack, J.J. Currie, A.L. Bradford, D.R. Salden, and K.K. Martien. 2023. Identifying Social Clusters of Endangered Main Hawaiian Islands False Killer Whales. Endangered Species Research 51:249-268 doi: 10.3354/esr01258

Van Cise, A. M., R. W. Baird, A. E. Harnish, J. J. Currie, S. H. Stack, T. Cullins, and A. M. Gorgone. 2021. Mark-Recapture Estimates Suggest Declines in Abundance of Common Bottlenose Dolphin Stocks in the Main Hawaiian Islands. Endangered Species Research 45, 37-53. doi: 10.3354/esr01117

Other PUBLICATIONS CO-AUTHORED (too long to list here!)

Captain Liah McPherson

Liah’s been obsessed with dolphins and whales from about the age of 3, so she’s made their study and conservation her life’s goal. She has now been researching cetaceans for almost a decade, working in North Carolina, the Bahamas, Alaska, Antarctica, and throughout the Main Hawaiian Islands. In August of 2023, she received her M.S. in marine biology after leading a three-year project focused on the population abundance, age-structure and movement patterns of spinner dolphins off our very own Waiʻanae Coast. Read her thesis here! We see these dolphins frequently on the water, and Liah will talk your ear off about them (she knows pretty much all the resident individuals!). A member of the Marine Mammal Research Program at the University of Hawaiʻi, she frequently travels for different marine mammal fieldwork projects, but loves captaining Alakaʻi when she’s home on Oʻahu. Outside of science and driving boats, Liah is also a PFI freediving instructor, FAA certified drone pilot and photographer.

Liah interviewed on the Marine Mammal Science Podcast – Spinner dolphins and becoming a marine mammal scientist

McPherson, L., Badger, J., Fertitta, K., Bejder, L. (2024). Quantifying the abundance and survival rates of island-associated spinner dolphins using a multi-state open robust design model (in review)

McPherson, L. (2023). Abundance and demographic parameters of spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris subsp.) off Oahu’s Waianae Coast (Master’s thesis).

Patton, P. T., Cheeseman, T., Abe, K., Yamaguchi, T., Reade, W., Southerland, K. … McPherson, L.… Bejder, L. (2023). A deep learning approach to photo–identification demonstrates high performance on two dozen cetacean species. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 00, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.14167

Captain Melanie Stevens B.S.

Graduating spring 2023 from Hawaii Pacific University with a B.S. in both marine biology and environmental science (wow, another double major applauded!). A woman with ethics, Melanie has a passion for wildlife conservation and acts on it. She is Ocean Awareness Training stewardship certified, restored Oahu land sites with Kupu’s environmental conservation corps, and participates in beach and reef clean-ups. She loves working with Wild Side, where she thrives being on and in the ocean, engages with wildlife and contributes to citizen science. Outside of her day job you’ll find her diving, spearfishing, volunteering, hiking, or hanging out with her dogs Kaia and Koa.

Melanie’s thesis “Pacific humpback whale behavioral changes throughout the winter season in leeward O‘ahu”

Conner Humann, B.S. Crew/Photographer

This thalassophile (you’re probably one too) has a BS in marine biology from the University of Hawaiʻi and is a certified humpback whale naturalist. His passion for cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) is unmatched. Being a research technician with the Health and Stranding Lab (Hawaiʻi’s cetacean stranding response) these finned beauties are his most extensive base of knowledge, so please ask him about them (C’mon we dare you to stump Conner)! As an avid freediver and underwater photographer, Conner recognizes the importance in respecting and understanding Hawaiian marine life. Therefore, he finds it wildly fulfilling to involve the public in stewardship and appreciation of what he most loves.

Conner interviewed on Intertidal Talks Podcast – Dolphin Diving and Photography

Kristi L. West, Ilse Silva-Krott, Cody W. Clifton, Conner Humann, Nicole Davis 2023 Detection of cetacean morbillivirus in dolphin feces and the potential application for live cetacean health monitoring Marine Mammal Science

Landrau-Giovannetti, N., Waltzek, T.B., López-Orozco, N., Su, C., Rotstein, D., Levine, G., Rodrigues, T., Silva-Krott, I., Humann, C., West, K. 2022. Prevalence and genotype of Toxoplasma gondii in stranded Hawaiian cetaceans. Dis Aquat Org 152:27-36.

West, K.L., Clifton, C., Humann, C., Hofmann, N., Jacobson, K., and I. Silva-Krott. 2021. Diseases of stranded Pacific Island marine mammals. Annual Report to the United States Navy, Pacific Fleet, Marine Species Monitoring Program.

West, K.L., Clifton, C., Hofmann, N., Humann, C., and I. Silva-Krott. 2021. Hawaiʻi and Mariana Islands stranding analyses. Annual Report to the United States Navy, Pacific Fleet, Marine Species Monitoring Program.

Ashley Loveday – Crew

Sharing her hanabuda days between the East Coast of Massachusetts and summers visiting her Tutu in Hawaii, Ashley grew up doing all things beach related. A young life spent outdoors and coastal living naturally nourished a love for nature, the ocean, and all things animal.

As a professional dive master (and Level 1 freediver!), an OAT certified naturalist and an Eyes of the Reef steward and facilitator, she shares her love for the ocean and conservation with like-minded people and visitors from all over the world.

Congrats to Ashley and AJ, who welcomed in their newborn son Jan. 2024. Ashley will be back onboard soon enough…

Qualifications of crew members include Water Rescue Certification, SCUBA, CPR, First Aid, Emergency Responder, .

Volunteer Research Team from the Wild Dolphin Foundation

Those we will always hold dear…

Noelle Mark Shaughnessy – Mentor / Crew/ Photographer

Noelle Mark Shaughnessy wildlife photographer and educator. Photographer. Aquaholic. Naturalist. Master of biological oceanography with interests in eco-tourism and natural resource management (reef-awareness and importance of non-invasive activities). Noelle has experience in coral reef ecology, turtle-ology, marine conservation and enjoys educating the public about nature above and below the waves. Guests love her fun nature, vast knowledge, and high-level experience. We love the way she makes everyone feel comfortable and safe in the water as she guides them through an experience of a lifetime. In a perfect world she would have a fin-like tail and be able to breath underwater. Noelle believes we can all do our part to ensure all creatures are safe from human harm and marine debris, with healthy habitats and ecosystems, thriving naturally.

Harnish, A.E., J. Ault, C. Babbitt, F.M.D. Gulland, P.C. Johnson, N.L. Shaughnessy, K.A. Wood and R.W. Baird. 2019. Survival of a Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) Calf with a Presumptive Gunshot Wound to the Head. Aquatic Mammals doi: 10.1578/AM.45.5.2019.543 pdf

Melissa Evans-Shontofski

“Heart-core” animal lover, Melissa holds a master’s degree in Environmental Management and is Open Water Lifeguard Certified. In her vast travels as a military wife she has held a wide array of environmental jobs including Naturalist for DNR and an AmeriCorps member – focusing on eradication of invasive species, a veterinary technician, and as a wildlife rehabilitation specialist.

Captain Kimberly Wood

(Yes that is a resting elephant – we do love the megafauna!) Wildlife Conservation and photographer at Kariba Conservation Programme, Wildlife Photographer/ Videographer at Documentary in the making, Boots on Ground and Field, Research Photographer at Cascadia Research Collective, University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Engineering and Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology – HIMB

Keiki Cunningham, DVM

Keiki, born and raised in Hawaii is not only in fluent in the Hawaiian language (a native speaker), but has an inherent love for the ocean. She is a practicing veterinarian in a local clinic. While attending the University in California, she worked for San Pedro’s Marine Mammal Care Center rehabilitating sea lions, elephant, fur and harbor seals. Her passion for veterinary medicine has driven her to also volunteer for the International Bird Rescue, California Wildlife Center, Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley, CARE baboon conservation, and Chino Valley Equine Clinic. She also successfully crowdfunded veterinarian textbooks for Nepal zoo vets. She plans to practice wildlife medicine and help push towards the conservation of Hawaii’s native animals.

Caroline Jackson

Background in biological research, particularly pertaining to conservation of Notho fish, sea turtles, and urchins. Bachelors of Science degree specializing in biology and chemistry. Caroline dedicates her life to conservation biology. All animals interest her, but particularly marine life. She has a deeply rooted connection to nature and its inhabitants, and would go to large lengths to keep the innocent animals of this Earth unharmed and protected. She spends her working days at NOAA.

Gabriella Abouhassan B.S.

A girl after our own heart, with a double major in Environmental Sustainability and Marine Biology. Gabby lead a Florida project in constructing artificial reefs for native fish species. She has been involved with marine mammal behaviors and invertebrate conservation as well. With field experience to boot! PADI certified for Advanced Open Water/Rescue and Scientific Diver, you can’t keep this woman out of the water. We appreciate that she always takes care of the waters she visit, being active in beach cleanups, from ghost nets to microplastics.