Dolphin Quest

Dolphin Quest is absolutely amazing.
It’s clear that the employees there absolutely love their jobs and love what they do. They take good care of their animals and are so educational based. I recommend giving them your business. It’s so amazing. If you ever see a blonde interpreting American Sign Language there, that’s me! The educational experiences are so great. They are really geared towards animal preservation and sustainable environments. They really do have a great area and its completely natural. While they do not do the entertainment aspect, it is so much more intimate and touching. They had Liho on the beaching mat and let my family have a picture with him.
These guys instilled in my son that he can help animals. He is determined that in 13 years he’ll be volunteering for Dolphin Quest. He thought petting Liho was the coolest thing ever and has his little career pamphlet on his wall. He’s 5.
If you can, do the stingray experience. seriously, it’s one of the coolest experiences ever, aside from swimming with the dolphins. Stingrays are one of my favorite animals so I’m a little biased.
Again, give them your business, they’re great. Thanks guys! See you again soon :).

Dolphin Quest was amazing. My wife and I both signed up for the «dolphin excursion». While it was pretty pricy, it ended up being completely worth every penny. The trainers were extremely knowledgeable, the Dolphins themselves were a dream come true, and fun was had by all! Would totally go back.

I’m so happy that we did this. You have to pay the extra to do the encounter. You get to be in. Their environment and see them under the water, swim with them and have one on one time… this is a beautiful way to enjoy these amazing animals

The visit started off a little rough as we couldn’t quite find where the Dolphin Quest area was. The staff members of the Kahala where it is located weren’t very friendly as soon as they realized that we weren’t hotel guests and were very vague when giving us directions — I still am not sure why there weren’t signs? When we finally found the right spot we were greeted by 2 very friendly and enthusiastic trainers. The weather was very bad on the day we went and they offered to hold our session for a few minutes until the storm passed — even while we were waiting, they entertained our group with fun dolphin facts and allowed people to ask questions. Once we got started, we were grouped with two other people and our trainer, Holly. We entered the dolphin lagoon area and they slowly got everyone acclimated to the water and to the dolphin that we would be interacting with. They did a great job of making everyone comfortable. The trainer was so friendly and knowledgable and our time flew by! We got to swim freely with the dolphins, pet them, kiss them and saw them do some fun tricks. The professional pictures were expensive but were good quality. I’m glad that we did this but it was a bit pricey and I don’t know that it’s something we would do again. Overall, the experience was positive and I would recommend visiting if you’re interested in swimming with dolphins in a safe environment! Be warned, parking is expensive but Dolphin Quest will validate if you ask.

I’m so happy that we had Allie as our trainer, she made our dolphin experience so memorable. My kids had a good time and will always remember this experience for sure. Thanks Allie your patience with my kids just reflects how much you love what you do. Bella says hi, she miss Lono

I’m not sure if I want to share this place with everyone but I would hate for anyone to waste their time with other dolphin adventures. This is hands down the best place to have a dolphin encounter. We opted for the private dolphin experience. My 6 year year old niece, husband and my autistic brother in law who also has a physical disability had the best personalized experience with the dolphins. Ben, Jennifer, Meg and everyone at Dolphin Quest made sure everyone who participated had a great time. My niece was very timid getting into the water but Meg took it really slow and was very patient. By the end my niece was kissing Kolohe! And since my brother in law uses a walker and was scared to get onto the floating platforms, the trainers were kind to encourage out onto one platform and gave him fish to feed the Dolphins. They even had Kolohe interact with him while sitting on the platform on his walker. The encounter takes place in the lagoons at the Kahala Hotel but it’s not overly crowded. And there are very few viewing areas, so your experience feels more intimate. One of the best hidden attractions on Oahu! We opted to buy all the photos from our experience. And I’m so glad we did. Ben took the best pictures! Don’t go anywhere else. This is the place to have a dolphin encounter. The staff is incredibly patient, friendly, very helpful, interactive and just exceptional! Regardless of you are a tourist or local you must check this place out!

This place is a rip off. They charge you an insane amount… Ok cool. My kid will enjoy it. Then you get jipped on the time you are suppose to get and they don’t allow you to take pictures of your own. Why? Because they want you charge you 28 $ per digital or 20 $ per print photo their «professional photographer» takes of you. They’re also rude with you at the front desk area. The trainers were nice and fun which is why I gave Them 2 stars plus ofcourse the Dolphins! Save your money And go to Sea life park. It was my first choice but they were fully booked. Never again.

This was excellent! It was so much fun to get to swim and touch a dolphin! We learned a lot about them too! This may be more oriented to kids however. My sister in law booked it. We were in a small group with a dad and his son, so it was really small and personal. They take photos for you which didn’t cost that much. And after your time is up you get to use the pool and hot tub. And the ocean is only a short walk if you want to go to the beach.

Overall my experience was lovely. I got way out of it than both my kids, who were 3 and 6. Although my 6 year old was interested she got a bit bugged by the cold water and I think overall was slightly startled at being so close to such a large animal. If I did it again, I would fast forward about three years when my kids are a bit older. Only bummer was that the photos are bloody expensive for an already expensive activity and they don’t want you to take your own photos (which I understand).

OMG! This was a very fun fantastic experience. Meg, the trainer, was very informative and led us through a wonderful experience. If you are in Hawaii, do not miss this. And take the photo package! The photographer was great and captured the experience forever!

My kids join the «kids aquatic adventure» under age 10 program.
This program is only once a day start at 9 am. If u are lucky like us, my kids were the only 2 signed up and it’s like a private tour :)
In 90 minutes program, only 20 mins are with the dolphin which is enough for little kids, but the rest of the 70 mins are pack with fun and educational too. Learn about sea turtle life cycle and feed the sting ray, understanding different type of whales size and check out the extracted whales teeth.
The best highlight of our Hawaii vacation

We were really excited to swim with the dolphins. The staff was very nice and educated us on the life and care of the dolphins. It was fun to see how the dolphins were cared for and trained. You don’t really get to «swim» in the way of, holding on and being drug through the water. Or 2 of them pushing your feet, like you see else where. For the cost, I was expecting something else but overall a great experience.

Note: this review is for the quality of the experience, not for the ethicalness of Dolphin Quest.
My husband and I came here twice: once for the 15-​minute Dolphin Dip (feed and play with the dolphin in shallow water) and the 30-​minute Dolphin Encounter (feed, play, and swim with the dolphin in shallow and deep water).
Overall, my husband and I really enjoyed the experiences. We are both animal lovers and have never been so close to dolphins before! Watching them swim through the lagoon was amazing already, and then being able to feel them, feed them, be in the water with them, and watch them do their tricks were icing on the cake! The trainers were also super friendly and accommodating, making sure we felt comfortable in the water, answering questions, and explaining about their dolphins.
To reiterate what others have said, the packages are pricey. You pay at least $ 125 per person and then have to pay for pictures on top of that. To save money, if you’re able to have a friend take pictures for you from behind the fence, that will help cut costs, although the photos may not be as professional and up close as the photographer’s. In addition, as others have mentioned, you could not pay and just watch from behind the fence, but that’s no comparison to being so close to the dolphin. The Dolphin Dip for $ 125 is the most basic and least expensive package, and should meet the needs of most people.
If you love dolphins and want a good experience with them, I’d highly recommend this! It’s definitely a once-​in-​a-​lifetime experience that my husband and I will never forget!

My 11 year old daughter did the Dolphin Encounter at Oahu. She had the most fantastixciting time of her life! She was able to learn about the dolphin, feed him, touch him, kiss him, and swim with him! Dolphins are very smart animals. I watched from the poolside and I had a blast just watching my daughter get so close to the dolphin and interact with him. I highly recommend this to anyone with a child.

Great fun! My girls had a blast and learned lots from the trainers. The photographers got great shots. Pretty pricey but the smiles on my girls’ faces were worth it!

One on one time with the dolphins and a trainer, pretty cool!
My husband and I have swam with the dolphins in a big group of people while in Cozumel and I thought that was fun but this experience is pretty cool since it lets you get a bit more up close and personal with the dolphins.
It is pricey and yes people will pay the money to do this but I feel it is over priced. I think they could be more reasonable instead of breaking the bank, just my opinion though.
We were staying at the hotel so we knew exactly where we were going. We arrived a bit early to get ready. Met with a trainer and swam with the dolphins for about an hour. We lived feeding them!
You get to learn about the individual dolphins and take a couple of pictures with them as well. They have a book for you to choose which style of pictures you want. I brought a waterproof camera and was disappointed that I couldn’t use it. The dolphins here are not used to the noise the camera makes when underwater so I would suggest not to bring one.
We enjoyed the experience quite a bit but too pricey. The dolphins are gorgeous and the trainers are very nice and knowledgable.

Awesome experience, definitely worth it! It’s not just a pool with dolphins, it feels like you’re in their natural habitat. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable :)

For our first family visit to Hawaii, our sons wanted to do only one thing… swim with a dolphin. As our sons are both on the Autism spectrum (Autistic and Asperger’s Syndrome) I was very worried at how they would react to being in the water with these large mammals. In looking over the different options for dolphin encounters on Oahu, Dolphin Quest caught my eye, as their web site stated that they had special encounters for individuals with special needs.
I contacted the special needs coordinator for the location, Holly, and discussed what challenges my sons had and what my concerns were. She explained that the session would be individualized to what ever level was appropriate for my sons. If they didn’t want to get into the water, things could be done form the shore that would still make it an incredible encounter.
Feeling better about it, I reserved a 15 minute package. Holly further explained that during the time slot, it would just be my sons, the dolphin, and the trainers… so there was no concern with distractions or over stimulation. I have to say… Holly sure did know what she was talking about and how to calm my concerns!
When we arrived at Dolphin Quest, we were greeted by the whole staff and my sons were given the undivided attention of 3 staff members who worked PERFECTLY with them. In no time, both sons were up to their waist in the water touching the dolphin and playing games. It was amazing to see them take so easily to it and the smiles on their faces will last with me forever.
5 days later, when our trip to Hawaii was over, my wife and I asked the boys what their favorite part of the trip was… after all, we had done a LOT fun things. Their answer, in unison, was playing with the dolphins.
My wife and are in agreement that seeing the smiles on their faces while they were with the dolphins was our favorite part of the trip. THANK YOU Holly and the Dolphin Quest team!

My wife did the half hour Dolphin package, well worth the money.
The staff was friendly and helpful.
It’s an experince that will last a life time.

OMG!!!
It was the best experience I’ve ever had.
Try try try this!!! No more questions!!!
Just once in your life time!
Great tips!
1. Kama aina discount (bring your ID)
2. 30min is enough (when you pay more, you will expect too much)
3. Photo is super expensive (one print-​$ 19: crazy)
With Kama aina rate, 30 min was about $ 200 but it worth!!!
You will meet 2 dolphins and touch them and interact with them.
Those volunteered cute creatures were soooo amazing.
If you are two, I would recommend each person do different time session so that the other can take some pictures.
You can’t bring your water proof camera.
My husband took my pictures near the lagoon but I bought 3 printed pictures …$ 45…Boo.
It was 2:00, the strong sunlight reflected to the water which gave him hard time taking my pictures.