The Wild Side of Dolphins
It’s worth it to wake up before dawn if you know you’ll have a chance to swim with dolphins and sea turtles - not to mention take in the natural beauty of the Waianae Coast.
|
Occasionally on Wild Side tours, bottlenose dolphins are spotted, but mostly it’s the spinners, adds Benson, a Buffalo, N.Y., native who graduated from Florida Tech and the University of Florida.
The Waipahu resident started as a volunteer/intern for WS in January 2006 before being a full-time crew member in January of this year.
“I got my captain’s license (and) sometimes I get to drive the new boat (the Alakai). It’s great.
“I always wanted to move here. My husband is in the Navy and got stationed here.”
Capt. Ford says sailing is in her blood and that she’s “been sailing since I was little.” About 20 years ago, the Seattle native got her captain’s license and proceeded to work for the Coast Guard for five years. Ford made her way to Oahu because her daughter decided to attend college here. For the past year a half, Mom has been navigating the Island Spirit.
“Every day is different. No two days are the same,” says the Makaha resident.
Wild Side owners Tori and Armin Cullins say their goal is to make sure their passengers have a fun trip, while being environmentally friendly. For example, the Island Spirit‘s maximum capacity is 32 people, but they only take up to 16 on any given tour so that they’re not putting too many people in the water at one time with the dolphins.
More recently, the Cullins are trying to get a Makai Watch in effect for West Oahu waters. A Makai Watch, one of which is already in place at Maunalua Bay in Hawaii Kai, is like a neighborhood watch program for marine life. It’s a partnership program of The Nature Conservancy, Malama Hawaii, Malama Maunalua, Community Conservation Network, Hawaii Wildlife Fun, Sea Grant and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources (Aquatic Division). The program allows communities concerned with the health of our marine resources to be involved in efforts to protect them.
“It involves educating the community about how to record information if you see people doing illegal activities or see injured whales,” explains Ford.
To take a Wild Side tour, visit their website www.sailhawaii.com or call 306-7273.
For more information on Makai Watch, head to The Nature Conservancy’s website, www.nature.org and search “Makai Watch” - the first search result is for the Nature Conservancy Hawaii.
Page 2 of 2 pages for this story < 1 2
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS
Most Recent Comment(s):
