Hilton Waikoloa Village, a Dolphin Quest location, is a unique place to stay, especially if you enjoy dolphins. Our family enjoyed our first vacation in over 10 years. Although we did many of the Big Island's excursions and activities, the BEST experience and true highlight for our family was the Dolphin Quest experience located on the hotel's property. As an added, unexpected bonus, our room looked directly down on the Dolphin Quest lagoon. We enjoyed watching and listening to the dolphins in their natural environment, even when the program wasn't running, right from our balcony. For us, Dolphin Quest was much more informative and ethical than what one might have at a sea aquarium or other "swim with dolphins" experiences, and it's nice to know that their fees go toward conservation and scientific research. What sets Dolphin Quest apart is that these dolphins live, socialize, and are studied in their ocean-fed, natural environment. Their encounter-and-swim program offered immersive interaction with the dolphins. The knowledgeable staff shared well-rounded information. Many staff have degrees in marine biology, veterinary care, or psychology. It was impressive to know that Dolphin Quest values the mental and behavioral health of their dolphins. Their dolphin ambassadors are much more than the "trainers" you may find at other venues. Additionally, Dolphin Quest provided morning demonstrations and information to hotel guests throughout the week in the hotel's primary lagoon area, and the grassy knoll area overlooking the Dolphin Quest lagoon is the perfect place to spend the morning or afternoon. You can watch the dolphins and staff, both during programs or while they work one-on-one, researching behaviors and socializing with the animals. Our Dolphin Quest experience had a strong impact on our family. It is the one excursion we would repeat. For anyone visiting, we strongly recommend prioritizing the Dolphin Quest experience above all other activities. If you can only choose one thing to do, our family agrees it should be Dolphin Quest. It truly is life-changing. And to Dolphin Quest on the Big Island of Hawaii, mahalo for an excellent experience and a memory to last a lifetime. read more

This was something I had in the back of my mind to do last time I was here, but I regretted not having done it. Now that I am here with my son I said, we are not missing this opportunity again. The trainers are very friendly and joyful. It is obvious that they love these dolphins and they love sharing them with their guests. They were very clear with safety instructions and also about respecting the dolphins and their environment. It was a five star experience (although the cost brings it down a notch). I know that a big portion of this expense does go towards conservation, research, and maintenance of the dolphin environment. But I also believe a big portion of the expenses are a money grab. Example: it does NOT cost almost 200 dollars for a photographer to take digital photos in addition to what you already paid for the experience itself, but that is what they charge for the digital photos package. Aside from the excessive costs, I think everything else was wonderful. The water is clean. The individual time spent with the dolphins is reasonable. The information given about their training and development was thorough and interesting. They even allowed our group (one of three) to be closer to the observation deck so my mom could easily watch since she has some mobility issues and could not easily sit on the lawn on the other side of the lagoon. The trainers were open to questions and really enjoyed answering them; it is clear that they know these dolphins well and they have learned their quirks. This experience was the highlight of this trip to Hawaii. Maybe the highlight of all of my trips here and I have been here more times than I can count. read more

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Let's get this out of the way. Yes, it's pricey and I hesitated a bit before hitting purchase because it's a lot of money. But I hit purchase anyway and boy was I ever glad I did! My teen wasn't excited at first but the experience was just super special. She being an animal lover, I knew this would be fun and luckily, I was right! Located on beautiful property at the Hilton, this is encounter is an educational facility with all the accreditations. I had a dolphin encounter with my mum 30 years ago on a cruise and it wasn't as good as this experience. These dolphins were born there and the handlers love em. You can tell they are well cared for. This experience not only got us in the water with them but with goggles they gave us we could see them swimming in their own environment which was awesome! The guide was super knowledgeable and in our group of six everyone got equal time in 30 minutes to be with them in fun ways. I got to hug a dolphin. And my daughter got to swim (each of us on one side) with a dolphin. It was incredible! The dolphins knew our pace and slowed so we could keep up! They take a billion photos and if you want to spend even more money you can buy photo packages. They don't allow personal phones during the experience so we picked the 5 best photos and had them printed for $100. The experience was just absolutely touching, so glad we forked over the cash which they said goes to research and helping the place stay open. I'll remember that experience for years to come!! So do it! read more

Trainers were full of great information, facts about the dolphins, and many other topics. They were fantastic with our 12-year-old grandson, and even remembered his name the following day! I would highly recommend Dolphin Quest! read more

Our family (my wife, our nine-year-old son, and myself) participated in Dolphin Quest on Thanksgiving, and it was an experience we will never forget. We expected something memorable, but it far exceeded anything we imagined. What surprised us most was how educational the entire program was. The trainers didn't just introduce us to the dolphins, they taught us about their behavior, communication, care, and conservation. It felt meaningful, not just entertaining. The 16 dolphins that live in the lagoon are clearly happy, healthy, and incredibly well cared for. You can feel the bond between the trainers and the animals, and watching our son interact with them in such a natural, calm environment was something truly special. We left with huge smiles, a deeper appreciation for these amazing animals, and memories we'll be talking about forever. Highly recommend Dolphin Quest to anyone visiting Kona. It's an extraordinary experience for families and anyone who wants to learn, connect, and be inspired. read more

Dolphin Quest - Tours Near Me - Waikoloa, Hawaii

This was a really wonderful experience for my 4 year old daughter and her dad. I did this same experience when I was young and loved it so much! My daughter and her dad loved it too. We did the Wee Tots tour with professional photos and it ended up being around $450 I believe. My daughter loved petting the dolphin and feeding it some fish. The photos capturing her experience are priceless! I was able to watch and film from a balcony but there's also a grassy area that would be excellent for viewing as well. Pro tip: make it a day at the resort and get day passes to enjoy the pools and lagoon. Our family arrived early, got a cabana, and enjoyed hanging out all day! We just popped over real quick for the dolphin experience and then went back into the pools again. It is an amazing resort! read more

Complete ripoff. $500 for 10 minutes and not even one physical printed photo. Do not recommend.

This was a lifelong dream of mine, and Dolphin Quest did not disappoint. Our trainer was so awesome and really had a great bedside manner for the people in the group who were a little hesitant or shy. I fell in love with these Dolphins. They are so smart and sweet and it was truly an experience I will never forget. All of the staff was super friendly and helpful every step of the way. If you're staying at the Hilton Waikoloa or spending time in the Big Island in general, this experience is an absolute must! read more

Dolphin Quest - Swimming with Kekoa and Ipo! - Tours Near Me - Waikoloa, Hawaii

My sister and I were staying at the Hilton resort, and I couldn't help but fall in love with these dolphins! The staff was so wonderful and I love that comfort of the dolphins is the priority! I was worried about the small space, but they have more room than we can initially see, and they're small dolphins that are used to more shallow waters. Absolutely an amazing time, educational, and a core memory! read more

Dolphin Quest - Tours Near Me - Waikoloa, Hawaii

We had an incredible experience with Dolphin Quest. From the moment we arrived, my 6 and 9-year-olds couldn't stop smiling. Everyone we encountered from the front desk on was friendly, welcoming, and clearly dedicated to making sure we had a memorable time. Kayla was especially wonderful--bubbly, funny, and extremely knowledgeable--making the experience truly exceptional for both the girls and me. We hope to do it again soon! read more

Dolphin Quest - Dolphin Quest - Tours Near Me - Waikoloa, Hawaii

I had a magical 83rd birthday at Dolphin Quest. I was excited to go (brought me to tears just imagining being with the dolphins) and it was more than I imagined. The dolphin trainers/caretakers clearly love their work and the dolphins; and it's reciprocal. The well being of the animals is first and foremost. Visitors are in small groups which makes interaction with the dolphins easier and more personal. Our trainer, Ashley, was exemplary. I imagine they all are. Everyone treated me care and kindness as well, starting with check-in through to the end. If it seems a bit expensive; it not. Worth every penny and I hope to do it again. read more

I worked in a marine mammal facility years back, I loved that I got share the experience of dolphin interaction with my 12 yr old daughter and fiancé. Comparatively, the facility here is well maintained with the dolphins health at the forefront of the trainers concerns. Most dolphin enclosures are a concrete pen, these enclosures are within a naturally appearing lagoon connected to the sea with fish and turtles swimming amongst the dolphins. Our trainer for the day was Stephanie, she was fantastic. I cannot recommend this experience enough for your family. read more

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The BEST experience we had on the Big Island, HI We absolutely LOVED this experience. The interaction with the dolphins (13 of them) and information given by the staff (all have degrees) was, simply put, spiritual and life changing. We highly recommend this and it's nice to know that their fees go toward conservation and scientific research. The attached museum is also excellent. read more

07/13/25 Captain Rick and First Mate Tracy were absolutely delightful and courteous. We have made several trips bringing various family travelers who visit us to enjoy what we have for our years living here in FL and today was the absolutely best dolphin experience and informative time. Today was for our son's 30th Bday and it was just amazing and best ever. Thank you to Dolphin Quest and these two wonderful crew members for an unforgettable time. Jim Torres read more

When we booked our trip to Hawaii, my wife and I both knew that dolphins, in one form or another, were in our future. We'd both insisted that swimming with dolphins was a "must do", so we began looking into how to guarantee that would happen. Sure, you read stories all the time about swimmers and snorkelers encountering single dolphins, or even pods, up close and personal, but we weren't about to leave it to chance. And unfortunately, due to a change in the law as of 2021, you are no longer allowed to approach dolphins in the wild, closer than 50 meters. If they approach *you*, that's different, but there's no way I could guarantee that we wouldn't break the law if we happened to spot some while out snorkeling or something. So what were our choices? Well, for $300 a person, you can have a 45 minute, hands-on encounter with a trio of trained, adorable dolphins at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort. It may not be as magical as stumbling across them in the wild, but as far as we were concerned, it was worth it. When it came time to check in, we waited for additional parties to arrive, received some brief instruction on do's-and-dont's from the marine wildlife specialists, suited up with life jackets, separated into our own little pods (usually groups of about 4), and spread out across the artificial lagoon so that each group would engage with only one dolphin at a time (they would rotate groups throughout the experience). Our personal dolphin "wrangler", Tanner, was fantastic at crowd and dolphin management, giving each of us individually, or as couples, one-on-one time with each of the three marine mammals, petting, playing with or swimming alongside them, based on their comfort level with us. When one became overstimulated or overwhelmed, they were sent back to the handlers for a "dolphin break", which didn't count against "the clock" of time which we were allotted for our visit. We didn't feel rushed at all, and although no amount of time will ever feel long enough to spend with these magical creatures, and even though the experience lasts for less than an hour, it's guaranteed to be an experience you will never forget. The only downside to the whole experience is that the photos taken (thankfully by a professional photographer) are not cheap, digital or otherwise. Don't bother with prints or the the a la carte digital choices, and just pony up for the entire digital set, and print them at home in any size you want, at your leisure. And if you require proof that it was worth the price, all you need do is look at the pictures of my wife positively beaming, attached to this review. That kind of happiness is worth more than it's weight in gold! read more

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Okay so I grew up here and I always thought this swim with dolphins thing looked cheesy. But our kids have been begging us to take them to the one at the Kahala Hotel since they were 2. Finally, for their 7th birthday, we caved. We figured they'd be old enough to remember it and wouldn't be intimidated by the big sea creatures up in their faces. Well, we were right. And the entire experience was EPIC! Yes, it's expensive. But the four of us were one-on-one with the fabulous, knowledgeable and enthusiastic Michelle the dolphin trainer for a full 30 minutes. Nainoa is a wonderfully trained dolphin. We got to pet and hug him, give him a kiss, feed him fish, and actually swim with him. It was amazing. Not only the kids but also us adults simply loved every second!!!! Highly recommended for tourists and locals alike! read more

Dolphin Quest - The family petting Nainoa at Kahala Hotel. - Tours Near Me - Waikoloa, Hawaii

Loved swimming with the dolphins! Staff is amazing and very knowledgeable. Highly recommend!

Awesome experience with plenty of touching, holding and feeding the very friendly dolphins. Guides/trainers were experts at conducting the experience. Enjoyed watching them underwater as well. The dolphins performed many tricks by hand signals. read more

You want memories that last a lifetime? This spot is it. I booked this dolphin experience for my 10 year old for about $300. It's been his absolute favorite activity that we've done so far. At check-in the instructor goes over some ground rules and then breaks the groups up in 5 groups of 6 (max allowed for this experience is 30). People participating are then fitted with life vests. After that the group is lead over to the water with their designated instructor. That's when the magic happens. My son and nephew were so excited to touch and get close to the dolphin and there's plenty of that. The kids even got to hold onto the dolphin's back as the dolphin tows them briefly in a circle. My favorite moment was when the dolphin puts its lips on my kid's cheek (see photo) and it looked like the dolphin was really kissing him. I was able to take photos from the grassy area about 30 feet away. I still unfortunately ended up buying a digital package and split the cost with my sister since my nephew and son were in all 88 pictures together. The cost for all the digital photos is $155 and $10 for additional prints. The entire experience with photos set me back $400 but you can't put a price on these sort of memories, they're forever. We'll just need to eat PBJ for the next month . read more

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This was a wonderful experience for my family and myself. We all had graduation celebrations and chose the Hilton Waikoloa Village to celebrate them. The Dolphen Quest Hawaii was at the top of our list. This great experience was very educational, in addition to being personalized and tailored to each individual. All the staff members are very professional and kind. I wholeheartedly endorse this experience. read more

Dolphin Quest - Our Special Day - Tours Near Me - Waikoloa, Hawaii

Swimming with Dolphins has been on my bucket list forever and Dolphin Quest did not disappoint!! It was incredible to be in the water with them and the trainer was outstanding!! She was very friendly and knowledgeable and made us at ease in the water. The two dolphins are beautiful animals and we loved every minute of the swim, just wish it could have been longer!! Mahalo!! read more

This is fantastic!! An absolute must-do!! My wife did this same dolphin swim years ago, pre-me. Several years ago she said "We're going to Hawaii and staying at the Hilton and swimming with the dolphins. You do the rest of the vacation." I said OK, for two weeks in Hawaii. It's like nothing we've ever experienced before. The staff is great. They spent a little while explaining what we'd be doing, what we can and shouldn't do with the dolphins themselves, and then gave us float jackets. We walked over and jumped in and our host called over a dolphin. It was that easy!! Like our dog. She had the dolphin lay next to us, then with his/her belly up, while we gently pet it. Then she played a bit with it, throwing balls and such, with an occasional fish for incentive. We were in the water for a half hour with 3-4 different dolphins. Some deep water (couldn't touch the bottom) but the floats made this really easy. The dolphins, as huge as they are, were so gentle and well-behaved. They took numerous pics of us, individually and our whole family (wife, two teens, and me), which we then HAD to buy several copies of. When in Hawaii again we will DEFINITELY do this again. It's just incredible. read more

I had such a great experience with dolphin quest! Grace was fantastic teaching us all about the dolphins. I have done other dolphin excursions and this was by far the best!!! read more

I booked this for my birthday, communicate with dolphins were so much fun! They are very smart and cute, and appear to be Happy all the time! read more

Dolphin Quest - Dolphin Quest - Tours Near Me - Waikoloa, Hawaii

This was such a great experience. I booked the dolphin encounter package. It was very interactive and included tricks, feeding, petting, and swimming with the dolphins. I've done a dolphin encounter before in the Bahamas but the one at Dolphin Quest on the Big Island far exceeded my expectations. We got into the enclosed pool to be with two dolphins. The dolphins would switch off every so often. We first started off familiarizing ourselves with the dolphins and eventually moved on to doing hand gestures to get the dolphin to do tricks. One of the photo ops was individual kisses with the dolphins. We then grabbed our snorkel masks and were able to watch the dolphins swim underneath us. At the very end, each of us got to feed the dolphins and was followed with Q&A. Although all the packages are expensive for the amount of time spent with the dolphins, I do think Dolphin Quest did a great job of having each experience so interactive. These experiences are done in a group setting but the trainer makes sure each individual gets multiple one on one time with the dolphin. GoPros are not allowed. They do have pictures for purchase. I purchased one printed picture for $20. For $20, it was really low quality and definitely home printed. It's also great to see that the staff here really care about the dolphins. read more

I worked in a marine mammal facility years back, I loved that I got share the experience of dolphin interaction with my 12 yr old daughter and fiancé. Comparatively, the facility here is well maintained with the dolphins health at the forefront of the trainers concerns. Most dolphin enclosures are a concrete pen, these enclosures are within a naturally appearing lagoon connected to the sea with fish swimming amongst the dolphins. Our trainer for the day was Stephanie, she was fantastic. I cannot recommend this experience enough for your family. read more

UNBELIEVABLE! From the check-in to the experience, just AMAZING! It's clear these dolphins are treated like family and they truly believe in conservation/education. I couldn't stop smiling. It's worth every single penny. You will LOVE it! The photographer got some great candids. I bought them all!!! Definitely put this one on your list! read more

Dolphin Quest - Tours Near Me - Waikoloa, Hawaii

Excellent dolphin learning experience. There are many packages to choose form. I chose the deluxe package which gave me 30 minutes of dolphin time and 40 minutes in the lagoon. I interacted with Pele (mother dolphin) and her baby. Also met the Nimbus (father dolphin) while he was busy swimming at other portion of the lagoon. This hotel has a total of 12 dolphins and they are a great family. Our teacher Sara is very patient and educated in marine life. She taught us about dolphins and let us play with them and rub their bellies. I even gave kisses to Pele and gave her a big hug! You can view dolphins do tricks above and under water as well as swim with them. Overall an excellent experience and I will definitely bring my little monsters next time to this event. You can order digital photos or videos of the entire experience. There are safety life vests and well as snorkel type glasses for you to see under water. Lockers with keys to store your personal belongings. Very professional and I had a great time! read more

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Memorable experience well worth the fairly high cost that takes you up close and personal with friendly, well trained, dolphins! You will feed, pet, hug, kiss and swim with a few different dolphins during an approximately thirty minute adventure in the water. For part of it you will be standing in the water, and for the rest swimming with a snorkel mask just under the surface. (Note: if you need a prescription mask, pick one up in town, such as at Boss Frog's ($12. for the day), as they have no prescription masks here.) By the end you will be amazed and energized by these intelligent creatures. The high admission ticket you pay is used to support dolphin research and conservation. Friendly staff who are knowledgable and passionate about these mammals. Book in advance as tours tend to fill up. Bring a towel! Extra cost are the photos taken, or a GoPro video of your entire experience. Park in the self parking lot and obtain a free validation (our validation actually did not work on the way out; we kept pushing the Talk button and eventually someone just opened the gate for us without even talking to us). read more

There are no words to describe the sublime experience of spending a short time in the water with dolphins. The education for me, the personal connection with such an intelligent creature, and the pure joy of the staff. The attention to safety and protocols for respecting the dolphins was even more rewarding for me than I knew possible. I cannot wait to come back and do it again. read more

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Bucket list item checked off! What an incredible experience!!!! Fell in love with Nimbus after he gave me a kiss, but all of the 14 dolphins were so much fun and incredible to watch during our stay at the Hilton! We were also able to interact with Nimbus' favorite dolphin and the oldest dolphin here, Iwa (pronounced Eva) is FIFTY TWO years old! This was definitely our highlight of the Hilton stay. Even after our swim with the dolphins we spent hours talking to the trainers and just enjoying these beautiful dolphins play! Specifically Grace was incredibly knowledgeable and answered question after question after question for us! She deserves a special shout out!! All of the trainers were amazing but Grace stood out to us! Swimming with the dolphins is an investment for sure but it is 100% a memory of lifetime. Thank you to all of the folks at dolphin quest for loving these babies and making this possible! We look forward to our next swim already! read more

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We booked a 9:30am dolphin experience for our toddler. Unfortunately, they were running 45 mins behind schedule and my toddler (who typically takes a 1pm PST nap) was having an epic meltdown. The trainer couldn't have been more engaging with him and gave him a fish to feed the dolphin. This totally turned around the meltdown and he forgot all about his tired tears. Overall this was a highlight of our trip. My son is still talking about the dolphins and it's something I'll never forget doing with him. We were able to interact with the dolphins longer than 15 mins which was appreciated. Parents- be aware that they may run behind schedule and they don't honor same day refunds or reschedules. It was a stressful wait for us, but ultimately totally worth it. read more

Dolphin Quest - Family members can stand on the deck or grassy area to capture photos and videos - Tours Near Me - Waikoloa, Hawaii

It's inhumane to keep dolphins captive. I chose to change my reservation once I learned they had a dolphin attraction. Not cool. Just because you can, does not mean you should. read more

The trainers at Dolphin quest were fun, engaging and knowledgeable. My boys had an amazing personalized experience. The staff was very accommodating when we had a scheduling issue. This was experience was worth every penny. read more

Our "ocean front" hotel room had this "dolphin quest" attraction right below our balcony. These poor dolphins are born into captivity. I understand they would not survive in the wild, but I counted at least 10 of them kept in a very small shallow pen about the size of an Olympic swimming pool. The resort can tout this all they want as "educational" and that the dolphins are loved and cared for and that the attraction is accredited..but I hope they consider at the very least expanding the size of the pen the dolphins are kept in and that they refrain from opening more of these types of attractions at their other resorts. Beautiful resort, but I definitely will not return because of this. read more

I really enjoyed the trainer that was leading our group. I connected so well With her. You can tell that she truly cared about the dolphins. I was disappointed that I had to go with a group of people that I didn't know. I was in a group with pretty much kill joys. Others wise I loved it read more

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I was hesitant at first doing the dolphin encounter. I was walking by and just decided to give it a shot with my girlfriend. I have to say this is WORTH EVERY PENNY! Charlie was our dolphin instructor and she was awesome. She has only been with the dolphin encounter for 4 months but it felt like she's been there for a lot longer. Don't hesitate to do this dolphin encounter! Worth the money!! read more

Dolphin Quest - Girlfriend holding hands with dolphin - Tours Near Me - Waikoloa, Hawaii

We had a wonderful time on our Spring Break Vacation to Waikoloa. We were able to participate in the Wee Tots with my 2 sons (3 & 6). Check in was quick and easy and was very organized. Check in was expected each party to show us 45 mins before, which is necessary due to lockers, life vests, instructions and procedures. We shared our time with another Ohana but it was great because our instructor and Ipo the dolphin, gave each family the individual love and time. Ipo was very calm and let us pet him on his fins, nose, tail and body. Can't wait to go again. Mahalo Dolphin Quest Waikoloa read more

Terrible front desk customer service. The lady was so short and abrasive. We had a special request that was promised at booking (one family photo) and written into our booking. I asked to make sure it was going to be honored and she refused to ask her manager saying she has never heard of such an arrangement. There are reviews on this Yelp account saying it was done in the past. This pretty much sores my whole experience. The trainers were friendly however. I am just really disappointed that people in service have such a nasty attitude. read more

Swimming and interacting with the dolphins was amazing. The staff was very friendly, knowledgeable, and educational as well. Great experience! read more

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