We had such an incredible experience with Dolphin Excursions in O'ahu! From start to finish, the…read moreentire crew was friendly, professional, and clearly passionate about what they do. They made everyone feel comfortable and excited before we even got in the water. Seeing dolphins in their natural habitat was absolutely unforgettable. The guides were knowledgeable and respectful of the animals, which made the experience feel even more special and responsible. We never felt rushed, and they made sure everyone had a chance to enjoy the moment. The boat was clean, well-organized, and the overall vibe was fun and relaxed. They also pointed out other marine life along the way, which was such a bonus. If you're visiting O'ahu, this is a must-do experience. It was easily one of the highlights of our trip, and we would do it again in a heartbeat!

Excellent day with Dolphin Excursions! We swam with turtles, pilot whales and spotted dolphins. The…read moreall female crew were professional marine biologists who explained the marine life and safety precautions. They went out of their way to take care of our every need/want. Strongly recommend an excursion with them!

We joined the 6 hour trip with Wild Side and it was amazing!!! The communication and preparations…read morebefore the trip was top notch, and the trip itself was unbeatable. We started at 6am and the morning was a tranquil visit to all the animals in the ocean. Our guides were Connor and Bethany, and they are knowledgeable naturalists and wonderful guides who took good care of us inside and outside of the water. Captain Kim knew we were birders and wanted to take photos of the shearwaters, boobys, and albatrosses and she always positioned the boat while giving us the best and most stable view for photography, while maintaining a respectful distance to the animals to avoid stressing them. We went out to Ka'ena point and had a great view of the Laysan albatross colony. There is truly nothing like having an albatross fly overhead. Along the way, we saw spotted dolphins actively feeding and playing, and also saw spinner dolphins! Seeing the monk seal lounging on the beach was a bonus. The wedge tail shearwaters had just returned so they were busy on the water. We also found masked boobys and brown booby feeding. We also saw turtles at their cleaning station! Connor and Bethany were knowledgeable about the landscape and the ecology and shared wonderful information. They are genuinely the nicest people! Highly recommended. The boat is comfortable and we were taking care of by the team (beverages, snacks, fruits, pastries). Thank you!

We did the 6 hour sea'fari with Bethany and crew and had just the most amazing experience. Our…read moredaughter is interested in marine biology so I emailed Wild Side to see which of their tours would be the best fit. We went out with 3 different boat charter companies during our time in Oahu and this was by far the absolute best. The west side is so much calmer than the other sides of the island and we got to see and do so much! We swam with spotted eagle rays, turtles, spotted dolphins, and got to see lots of living coral reef. We located and sent in coordinates for a "ghost net" that was too big for us to bring on board so that it could be collected to make sure that it didn't harm any creatures. Their ethics are so spot on - before we left the debris they used the gopro to make sure that there wasn't anything actively entangled. In deeper water we saw false killer whales - tons of them - and spent time watching them and learning about their behaviors. While another boat sent their crew in with them, we did not send anyone into the water with them and there was definitely a change in their behavior when people were in the water with them. We felt like we were part of marine biology on the island while also getting once in a lifetime experiences and photos. The photos are so amazing - definitely worth it to purchase! I can't imagine us going back to Oahu and not doing this again. Obviously the ocean is going to be different every time, but Wild Side's team was just so wonderful and we learned so much. Highly highly recommend!

Nice little beach park with amazing 360-view. If you can't find parking at Ko Olina to enjoy the…read morebeaches at the resorts, this beach is about 8 miles more north, but it is worth the drive. The waters at this beach is a bit calm due to the sea walk. There are bathrooms here, but it isn't the nicest (typical public restrooms). If you walk just a few minutes away from the beach towards higher ground toward the cliffs, you get an amazing view of the surrounding mountains. There are plenty of trees for shade and a grass to set up tents and BBQ. There are some homeless? by the parking lot, so always be careful about locking up your cars. The people who come are a mix of mainly locals and tourist. I went during the day, mid afternoon, and felt very safe. There were plenty of parking. Everyone was just enjoying themselves.

Pokai Bay Beach Park is a nice little local park without a lot of tourists and a perfect place to…read morehobnob with locals. The beach is protected by a sea walk, so the water is a bit calmer than other beaches making it perfect for small children. The park has restrooms (although, they need some attention) and a small playground. My granddaughter spent a good hour playing on the playground. A lot of picnic tables are scattered throughout the park. Signs request no feeding of ferrel animals in the park. The highlight of the park for me is the presence of Ku'ilioloa Heiau historical Hawaiian ruins, which are protected within the park. The temple ruins are on a small peninsula at the center of the park. The ruins are maintained by the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation. Fishing is a popular pastime in the park. Fishermen perch themselves on the seawall or on the volcanic rocks below the point to fish. The beach area is lovely with the mountains in the background and ocean in front. The park is a perfect place to watch the sunset. There is plenty of free parking at the entrance of the park.

I love that this beach is accessible right as you're driving through the highway! How beautiful! My…read morefriends and I took a scenic drive to see the sunset and we ended pit stop here. We drove all the way from Wahiawa all the way to Makaha. It was about a 1 hour and 30 minute sunset drive to see all the beaches. I enjoyed every minute!

A Hawai'i beach.. it's great! ;)…read more Exploring the west side of the Island, I pulled off the side of the road to this beach. Plenty of beach with views. Some tree shaded parking, to boot. And about 30-40 off the road parking spots. This spot is seemingly popular with tourists and locals alike. Not crowded, but I did visit on a windy Sunday in November. One note: it was windy and I had to leave after an hour or so because the sand was whipping around and made it sadly not the best experience. Overall, a beach well worth the visit on the West side if you're looking for an approachable, easy beach.

It was a small birthday celebration--just myself, the newly minted 9-year-old grandson, and his…read moremother. The admission to the museum was pricey, even for Kama'aina, so we opted to get the Family Membership instead. The membership was for 2 adults and up to 4 kids, and also has discounts for other exhibits. After a quick sweep through the museum, and a wary observation of the flight simulator, the grandson decided it was time to eat. I got the Blue Angels Burger and he got the kids hot dog meal. I'd say the prices were reasonable, considering how much takeout and restaurant food costs these days. The burger was fat as hell and the dog wasn't Costco sized but definitely satisfied the kid. I didn't get pics of the food because I was too enthralled over the size of the patty! We spent the day also visiting the Mighty Mo, the Virtual Reality tour, and gift shop shopping also.

Our second stop while at Pearl Harbor was the Aviation Museum. Located just a few moments from the…read moreUSS Missouri on Ford Island. In my opinion the Aviation Museum was one of the cooler stops on our trip. I really enjoyed all the different types of planes and carriers they had on display. We also ate Lunch at the Cafe in the Aviation Museum and the food was delicious! The bus picked us up from the USS Missouri and dropped us off at the Aviation Museum, there was a short line to check in at the front desk of the museum before you could enter the inside portion of the museum. They had a flight simulator inside the internal museum as well as a gift shop and restaurant. The Hangar still had the original bullet holes in the glass from the Pearl Harbor attack which was a really neat part of history to be able see. They also have a section where they are restoring some planes and helicopter parts. My favorite thing they had was this wood paneled plane in the hangar. They also had some old Military trucks out front of the hangar that were really cool. I highly recommend visiting the Aviation Museum while at Pearl Harbor.

Common for cars to get broken into here. Be careful!! View…read morewas nice, but we were already cautious with all the broken glasses in the floor.... Wouldn't recommend this trail because our car got broken into...

Access restricted...but that didn't stop my friend and I . The hike is fairly hard and you'll…read moredefinitely break a sweat as it is very steep. Since access has been restricted, the trail is no longer maintained so plants are growing in the way and there are a lot of loose pebbles. Midway through the trail, you have to go across but there is no real place for footing so you're leaning on the wall scrambling across. That was probably the hardest and most scary part! Adrenaline rushing like crazy, woo. But the view is SO WORTH IT! It was a rewarding view for such a difficult hike. It'll take you twice as or even longer to get down. My friend and I had to sit and inch our way down because it was that steep! We had a laugh at the start of the trail which starts on the side of a highway because before there is a sign that says no trespassing. A cop car drove past and the cop inside the car waved as we were about to enter an access restricted trail to a car in Hawaii. Completely different from the NYC vibe!

I can't believe I haven't done this sooner. This hike was a great kid friendly fat burner. It is…read moreall uphill so we definitely felt the burn on the way in. The hike is about 0.5 mile each way so it's a relatively short hike to spectacular views. It is kid friendly BUT I cannot stress this enough - please please please stay near your children as it is on a ridge that does not have any guard rails so if you are not paying attention your child can lose their footing and tumble or fall down the ridge. We encountered too many kids not being supervised and I had to actually help someone else's child away from the ledge as he almost took a step and fell down. Personally my kids are experienced hikers but I am still sure to have them close especially on trails that are on ridges.

Vertical hike....don't look down! First the entrance is…read moreaccessed via Schofield Barracks so you'll need to know someone that can get in....drive all the way towards the back. Schofield is huge, so you'll go past the blue painted school on the left and training ground on the right. The road ends, you'll see a bunch of cars parked and a sign that says "Hiking trail". As with many trails, the start looks deceptively easy. If the trail is muddy, you'll slide. If it's dry like today, you'll slide and skid. So be sure to wear shoes with tread and gloves to grab branches and rocks as you climb up, and slide down. Vertical climb up....so be prepared. Gorgeous views of the ocean, mountains and beyond.