Wild Side Specialty Tours

06/11/2024

Celebrating hope and new beginnings with two adorable new additions to our endangered false killer whale family in Hawaii. 🌊🐋 Every calf counts in the journey to protect and preserve these magnificent creatures.

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04/27/2024

Together, we make waves for conservation! Join us in celebrating the tangible impact of Citizen Science on marine habitats and wildlife. Every contribution counts towards a healthier ocean for future generations. Just this week our crew and guests got ghost nets out of the ocean. And they swam with a whale shark and discussed the importance of photo ID’s for conservation purposes. Footage sent on to for identification 😊

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04/21/2024

Humpies and Bottlenose! 🐬💙🐋

04/19/2024

Photo-driven conservation! Get hands-on experience collecting vital information about marine ecosystems during our Citizen Science tours. Your contributions help researchers better understand and protect our oceans.

As we approach the very end of humpback whale season we look back at all the incredible whale tails we’ve seen😊

Every tail fluke has its own unique pattern which makes it possible to track each individual over time. Our crew and customers help capture photos that we submit to Happywhale to help with their ongoing research.

Our marine biologist/researcher captain Liah McPherson uses Happywhale's “WhaleID” App onboard to get information on the humpback whales we see during the tour. One amazing example was captured by our marine biologist crew Conner Humann:
ID: SEAK-1102 "Collybia" (a mushroom species!)

First photographed in 1993 by Fred Sharpe of Alaska Whale Foundation, this was the first documentation of 31 year old Collybia in Hawaiian waters. All five previous sightings were from Southeast Alaska.

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04/12/2024

🔬 Dive into discovery this Citizen Science Month! Join us as we celebrate the power of community-driven research and conservation efforts. Whether it's getting photo ID's, collecting data, educating our guests or retrieving marine debris - Together, we can make a difference for our oceans. #

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03/21/2024

🌊🐋 Exciting News! 🐋🌊

Attention all nature enthusiasts! We've got some fantastic sightings to share with you! 📸👀 Our recent tours have been blessed with the majestic presence of humpback whales, and guess what? We're spotting more moms and calves than ever before! 🐋👶💕 It's a heartwarming sight to witness these gentle giants practicing and bulking up for their incredible journey back to Alaska.

As we approach Easter and beyond, we're thrilled to announce that the sightings are expected to remain spectacular! So, if you haven't booked your tour yet, now's the perfect time! Don't miss out on the chance to witness these awe-inspiring creatures in their natural habitat.

Here's a mom and calf humpie filmed earlier this season when the calf was still a tiny newborn! The 'gill' looking things along it's lower half are fetal folds from being in the womb. Along with it's greyer coloration - you can tell it's only days if not hours old, and already so curious...

Come join us and create unforgettable memories with these magnificent humpback whales! 🌟 Book your tour today and let's embark on a journey filled with wonder and beauty! 🚢📷 🐋🌸

01/24/2024

A banner day of bird watching with Jon Hall from Mammal Watching, avian conservationist Mandy Talpas and nature-writer Charles Hood

17 January 2024 O’ahu, Hawaii: December 2023 LnRiLWZpZWxke21hcmdpbi1ib3R0b206MC43NmVtfS50Yi1maWVsZC0tbGVmdHt0ZXh0LWFsaWduOmxlZnR9LnRiLWZpZWxkLS1jZW50ZXJ7dGV4dC1hbGlnbjpjZW50ZXJ9LnRiLWZpZWxkLS1yaWdodHt0ZXh0LWFsaWduOnJpZ2h0fS50Yi1maWVsZF9fc2t5cGVfcHJldmlld3twYWRkaW5nOjEwcHggMjBweDtib3JkZXItcmFkaXVzO...

01/11/2024

Thanks to you our faithful followers, we've been published again! Your participation in our charters has given us the data for co-author Tori Cullins (owner), Cascadia Research Collective and other authors and contributors to gather and publish the study below. It takes a village.

12/18/2023

Here are some excellent book recommendations to inspire the next generation of ocean advocates 🌊 Our favorite is "Maybe a Whale"

"The text is spare yet lyrical and alternates between narration and the girl’s inner thoughts; we’re right along with her as she explores the coast, remembers her grandfather, and searches for whales. The layered and luminous illustrations portray the coast from many vantage points and echo the outer and inner journeys of mother and daughter. Maybe a Whale reminds us that memories can keep loved ones close, even when they’re gone."

From the poles to puddles, this season’s selection of books wanders our fascinating world.

12/17/2023

Daily sightings have begun!

Whale watching season in Oahu has begun! Hawaii humpback whale season (when we are seeing them daily) is mid December-ish through mid April-ish. We've already had 3 separate

12/15/2023

False killer whales are our highest priority species in Hawaiʻi, both the endangered main Hawaiian Islands population and the offshore population that interacts with the offshore longline fishery. Our ability to assess how the main Hawaiian Islands population is doing depends a lot on citizen science contributions of photos. At the end of every year we’ve been preparing a summary of identifications by population and by social cluster (for the endangered main Hawaiian Islands population), and we are hoping there are more photos out there from 2023 (or from prior years!).

In 2022 there were photos from 38 different encounters from all contributors, and there were 227 identifications (not excluding within-year re-sightings) of 96 different individuals. Of the 63 distinctive individuals photographed in 2022 from the endangered main Hawaiian Islands population, there was only one new distinctive individual, illustrating how little recruitment there is into this population. If you have photos from 2023 that you haven’t sent in, or know anyone who might, please contact us!

Thanks to many individuals and organizations that have contributed false killer whale photos so far in 2023, including Captain Zodiac, Cory Fults, Dennis Fukushima, GE Keoni Wagner, Hawaiian Adventures, Jim Ward, Kaimana Ocean Safari, Mark Mohler, Veronica Franklin, Walton Souza, Wild Side Specialty Tours, Will Hildebrand, as well as Pacific Whale Foundation and the Marine Mammal Research Program University of Hawaii. If we’ve left out your name and you’ve already submitted false killer whale photos this year, our apologies (and please contact us to make sure your photos made it through!)

Thanks to Andrew Aggergaard/Hawaiian Adventures Kona for letting us use this photo, taken off Kona on July 2nd this year. This is HIPc216 in our catalog, an individual from Cluster 1 first identified on February 18, 1999 off Maui.

12/06/2023

Happy Humpday! We have had several humpback mom and calf sightings :) The newborn calves are 12-15ft and weight about 1.5 tons. They grow to about 30ft within the first year! The mothers milk is very fatty, containing up to 40% fat (compared to our 4%). The calfs drink up to 100 gallons a day! Humpback calfs usually surface for air every 3-5 minutes so they can’t nestle in and suckle away like a puppy or kitten. Also, the calf’s “lips” aren’t flexible enough to form a suction around the mother’s ni**le like other mammals. To do so, a baby whale curls its tongue. A good suction is assisted by interlocking flaps on either side of the tongue, as the mother ‘shoots’ the milk into and beyond the tongue. As the baby whale gets older and is no longer suckling, the flaps will mostly disappear. Cool, huh?

11/30/2023

Tis the season, to slow down and smell the, hear the, see the...

The Maui News The Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary is asking ocean users to use caution with the start of whale season and early reports of multiple mother and calf whale pairs. Humpback whale season in Hawaii generally runs from November through May, when thousands of the whales, or kohola,...

11/23/2023

Thankful for our amazing crew, guests and wildlife! For seeing our first humpback whales of the season, lots of dolphin calfs, green sea turtles, pygmy killer whales – to name a few 😊. And especially for seeing the endangered population of false killer whales. Happy Thanksgiving!

Credit: .arlene

10/07/2023

Happy Aloha Friday! Maybe we'll see pantropical spotted dolphins, pygmy killer whales, brown bo***es?! Or a manta ray, the Hawaiian monk seal, common bottlenose dolphins and Hawaiian green sea turtles. Or short-finned pilot whales, unicorn fish and a 🌈. Our crew is ready to tell you all about it and getting the ID shots :)

08/31/2023

Citizen Science on denizens of the deep. Thank you for featuring us Explore Hawaii!

Take photos of whale flukes 🐋⁠
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Wild Side Specialty Tours on O‘ahu offers numerous ways to engage in citizen science. Take photos of whale flukes to submit to conservation organisation Happywhale, which identifies them through their unique markings and tracks their movements around the globe.⁠
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Find out more...

https://explorehawaii.com.au/10-volunteering-projects-in-hawaii/

08/30/2023

Beefy new ladder for upcoming dives with the denizens of the deep 🐬

08/05/2023

Sustainable tourism is the future! - We participate in “Citizen Science” to help protects Hawaii's wildlife – We have been collection photo ID data for 25+ years that we send on to /Cascadia Research Collective. Dive into our new publication "Identifying social clusters of endangered main Hawaiian Islands false killer whales"
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
(https://www.int-res.com/articles/esr2023/51/n051p249.pdf),

"The ability to accurately assess social group membership increases with the number of times individuals are identified, but obtaining sufficient sightings of rarely-encountered species can be difficult. ... In this study, we used photo-identification data over a 23-year period."

Happy Aloha Friday!

06/23/2023

Finally false killer whales!! Of the 18 species of toothed whales found in Hawaii, the Hawaiian false killer whales are the most at risk. Federally listed as Endangered in December 2012, they have the lowest known abundance , and are divided into three discrete populations (an open-ocean population, a Northwestern Hawaiian Islands population and the insular population around the main Hawaiian Islands), We have been seeing less and less of this insular population when we are out on the water. Unfortunately it might correlate with the decreasing population size (due to being a top predator, slow to reproduce and different human activities.) It is therefor very important to send in all footage to help in the ongoing research by .

Photo credit: and Rebecca Garrett

06/02/2023

Happy Aloha Friday! It's a great time to be offshore and photograph whales and dolphins! Maybe some pantropical spotted dolphins that get more spots with age. Or the pilot whales with the wide dorsal finned bulls. Look out for all the calves as well :)

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05/26/2023

Meet the wildlife we might see underway this time of year. However, there are so many that it’s impossible to fit them all in! 18 different species of toothed whales and dolphins, sea turtles, tropical fish, whale sharks, rays, monk seals, pelagic seabirds, and coral reef inhabitants.😊 Marine ecosystems are at the root of Hawaiian history and culture. As voyagers, early Hawaiians maintained an intimate relationship with the ocean. The Hawaiian creation chant places the origin of life at the sea, beginning with a coral polyp.

We focus on education and conservation so that an interactive relationship can be maintained in the best interest of both humans and wildlife.

Credit: crew .flow

05/24/2023

Humpback whales are still here! Amazing to see a humpback whale in late May :)

Photo credit:

05/05/2023

Happy Aloha Friday! The wild wild west side is full of marine wildlife. Melon-headed whales, pygmy killer whales, pilot whales, bottlenose dolphins, pantropical spotted dolphins, rays, sea turtles, whale sharks and coral reefs full of critters. Summer is a great time to see the offshore dolphins and whales and snorkel the nearshore reef. Aaaand this is usually when we see some whale sharks...keeping our fins crossed! :)

Credit: .flow

04/30/2023

And why is sand called sand? Because it’s the point between sea and land!!

omg lol

04/24/2023

Happy Monday everyone! Start of a new week filled with dolphins, whales, sea turtles and so much more :)

Video credit: crew

04/20/2023

April is citizen science month! We collect data and get photo ID's that we forward on to Cascadia Research Collective, Happywhale, Hawaii Uncharted Research Collective, and many more. And you can participate too! https://sailhawaii.com/citizen-science-oahu/

Photo credit: crew Caden Sweaney

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04/18/2023

Sustainable Travel Guide: Oahu

See us listed under "Ke Kai" the sea. 🥰🦀🦑🐠🐡🐬🐋🦈🦭

https://matadornetwork.com/read/sustainable-travel-guide-oahu-hawaii/

Every inch of these hills, mountains, and valleys is precious.

04/12/2023

Serene green sea turtles over the coral reef

Video credit: crew

04/07/2023

Can you hear the whistles and clicks from the bottlenose dolphins?! It's not every day we see a pod of 20+ individuals. Usually we encounter 1-5 at a time. A beautiful day for a dolphin swim :).

Video credit: crew Ashley Loveday

04/05/2023

Spring-Fall is a great time to see our smaller species of year-round whales! We’ve encountered melon-headed whales, pygmy killer whales and pilot whales this past week. Also knows as blackfish, these species can sometimes be tricky to tell apart but our crew know how 😊

video credit: crew