Dolphin Excursions Hawaii

What Dolphin Excursions Hawaii does

Dolphin Excursions Hawaii, Inc. is a privately held marine wildlife tour operator founded in 1998 by Victor Lozano and based at Waianae Boat Harbor on Oahu's west coast. The company runs small-group excursions aboard a single 34-foot rigid inflatable boat (RIB) with a 16-guest maximum, led by marine biologist and lifeguard-certified crew. Its core product portfolio consists of a year-round Dolphin Excursion ($180 adult / $135 child, 3 hours), a seasonal Afternoon Turtle Safari ($105 adult, April–November), a seasonal Whale Watching Tour ($150, December–March), and a Private Charter option at a flat $2,430 rate for up to 16 guests, plus ancillary GoPro and wetsuit rentals. The company also operates a Motion Picture Division that has provided marine coordination, water safety, vessel access, and equipment for TV and film productions in Hawaiian waters for over 20 years, and an on-site Spinners Cafe at the Waianae Boat Harbor check-in facility.

Revenue is generated entirely through one-time transactional bookings (tour tickets, private charters, equipment rentals) and professional services for film productions. Distribution is direct-to-consumer, primarily through the embedded FareHarbor booking platform on the company website, supplemented by phone reservations and complimentary hotel shuttle pickup from Waikiki and Ko Olina. A dedicated Japanese-language booking site (booking.dolphinexcursions.com) targets Japanese-speaking tourists and Hawaii repeaters. Marketing is organic, relying on TripAdvisor reviews (over 1,900 cumulative), Yelp, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and a crew blog rather than paid acquisition. Customer segments include first-time Oahu tourists, Japanese-speaking visitors, premium/custom experience seekers (private charters), Hawaii residents via Kama'aina/Military discounts, and film/commercial production clients.

The operational model is constrained by a single vessel and a small team of approximately 11 staff (founder, operations manager, four captains, and rotating crew). The company differentiates on regulatory compliance (NOAA wildlife viewing guidelines, 2021 Spinner Dolphin approach law), crew expertise (marine biologists with multi-year tenure), and a dolphin-sighting guarantee backed by a return-trip voucher policy that is invoked roughly 12 times per year out of hundreds of tours.

Name

Dolphin Excursions Hawaii

Legal name

Dolphin Excursions Hawaii, Inc.

Website

https://dolphinexcursions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dolphin Excursions Hawaii is a privately held marine wildlife tour operator on Oahu's west coast, running small-group (16-guest max) dolphin, turtle, and whale watching excursions from Waianae Boat Harbor, led by marine biologist crew and serving primarily tourist visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Wildlife Tour Operator

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (487210)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Sightseeing & Scenic Boat Tours (Harbor, Sunset, Dolphin/Whale Watching) (THAJAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Whale Watching & Marine Mammal Tours (THAAAIAC), Snorkeling Tours & Reef Experiences (THAJAJAE)

Keywords

• Dolphin watching tours
• Whale watching excursions
• Turtle snorkeling tours
• Marine wildlife tours
• Hawaii ocean excursions

Headquarters

HQ city

Waianae

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Public Tours - Dolphin Excursion: Morning dolphin watching and snorkeling tours at $180 per adult, 3 hours duration, includes snorkel gear, deli lunch, beverages, and optional hotel transportation. Maximum 16 guests per tour with guaranteed dolphin sightings or return trip voucher.
2. Afternoon Turtle Safari: Seasonal afternoon snorkeling tours ($105 adults, $80 children) focused on sea turtle sightings with 2.5 hour duration. Sea turtle sightings guaranteed with return voucher policy.
3. Whale Watching Tours: Seasonal winter tours (December-March) at $150 per person, 3 hours duration, combining humpback whale observation with snorkeling opportunities.
4. Private Charters: Exclusive boat charter for up to 16 persons at flat rate of $2,430, with no age restrictions and flexible scheduling. Promoted during COVID at $850 limited-time rate.
5. Equipment Rentals: Additional revenue from GoPro camera rentals ($40) and wetsuit rentals ($10)
6. Film Production Marine Coordination: Marine coordination services for TV, motion picture, and commercial productions in Hawaii waters for over 20 years. Includes vessel access, water safety, equipment rental, and permit assistance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Dolphin Excursions Hawaii runs small-group marine wildlife tours out of Waianae on Oahu, with a primary focus on dolphin watching, seasonal whale watching, and turtle snorkeling excursions. The company operates from a single RIB boat with a maximum capacity of 16 passengers and is led by the founding owner with a captain and crew. Tours are sold primarily to individual leisure travelers visiting Hawaii.

Product overview

Dolphin Excursions Hawaii is a marine wildlife tour operator offering guided ocean excursions from Waianae Boat Harbor on Oahu's west coast. The core product portfolio consists of three distinct tour experiences: the Dolphin Excursion (dolphin viewing and snorkeling, $180), the Afternoon Turtle Safari (turtle-focused snorkeling, $105, seasonal), and the Whale Watching Tour (humpback whale observation, $150, winter seasonal). The company operates a 16-guest maximum Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) and employs marine biologists and naturalists as guides. A subsidiary Motion Picture Division provides film production marine coordination services. The company also operates Spinners Cafe on-site, currently with limited hours. The booking platform is powered by FareHarbor.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dolphin Watching Tours Captain-led small-group dolphin watching excursion on a RIB boat departing from Waianae, Hawaii, capped at 16 passengers. Designed for leisure travelers seeking close encounters with wild spinner and other Hawaiian dolphin species.
• Whale Watching Excursions Seasonal whale watching tours departing from Waianae, Oahu, following NOAA Whale Wise best-practice guidelines. Geared toward visitors who want to observe humpback whales in Hawaiian waters during migration season.
• Turtle Snorkeling Tours Guided snorkeling tour focused on encountering Hawaiian green sea turtles, run from Waianae on a small RIB boat. Targeted at leisure travelers and snorkelers seeking a low-impact, small-group ocean experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• Dolphin sighting guarantee with return trip voucher if no dolphins spotted
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FareHarborcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline booking and reservation management platform embedded in Dolphin Excursions website, enabling 24/7 online bookings, calendar management, and payment processing for all tour types.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sea Hawaii Tours: Oahu snorkel and sunset cruise operator offering dolphin/whale watching and reef snorkeling tours out of Waianae-area harbors; similar tour formats, group sizes, and pricing range.
• Hawaii Nautical: Multi-island Hawaii snorkel and whale watch cruise operator; directly comparable with seasonal whale watching tours and snorkeling excursions targeting the same tourist market.
• Captain Bruce Whale Watching: Maui-based humpback whale watching specialist with small-group catamaran tours; directly comparable seasonal wildlife tour product and target demographic (whale season visitors to Hawaii).
• Wild Side Specialty Tours: Oahu-based operator offering small-group dolphin encounters, whale watching, and snorkel tours along the Waianae/Leeward Coast; same geography, same target customer (visitors seeking ethical wildlife encounters with marine biologist/naturalist guides).
• Body Glove Cruises Hawaii: Waikiki-based operator running dolphin watching, whale watching, and snorkeling charters on Oahu's west coast; directly comparable small-group marine wildlife tour product with similar target tourist audience and pricing tier.

Regional players

• Fair Wind Big Island Ocean Sports: Big Island Hawaii snorkel and whale watch cruise operator; directly comparable seasonal wildlife tour business but serving a different island market and geographic customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Star of Honolulu: Large-scale Honolulu dinner cruise and whale watch operator; broader cruise/tourism portfolio targeting Oahu visitors, with overlapping whale watching capability but not specializing in dolphin encounters.
• Atlantis Adventures Hawaii: Waikiki submarine and snorkeling tour operator; broad Hawaii ocean tour portfolio with overlapping marine wildlife experiences, but with a different core product (submersibles) and higher-volume, larger-group model.

Others

• Hawaii Activities (booking platform): Hawaii activity aggregator and online booking platform that resells tours including marine wildlife excursions; an ecosystem channel partner / indirect competitor rather than a tour operator.
• Dolphin Quest Hawaii: Hilton Waikoloa Village-based interactive dolphin encounter program; thematically adjacent marine tourism operator in Hawaii but with a captive-animal interaction model rather than wild viewing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DolphinExcursions
• Facebookfacebook.com/Dolphin-Excursions-Hawaii-112286505482548
• Instagraminstagram.com/dolphinexcursionshawaii
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dolphin-excursions-hawaii

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dolphin Excursions Hawaii