I simply cannot give enough praise to do this group justice! This tour is the reason we traveled to Hawaii, to swim with dolphins in the wild, without disturbing or harming them. I was a little worried after a few recent reviews mentioned crowds/chaos, but most reviews are very good, and we decided to stick with our booking. So, so glad we did! The guides are young and energetic and so very friendly and helpful. I forgot to bring a hair elastic and asked Karen if there were any extra, by any chance - this young girl, without hesitation, reached up and took one of her own hair elastics out and gave it to me!! I was so touched and grateful! That is how everyone and everything was on this trip. I am a good swimmer and very comfortable in the water, but my husband is not. We were given clear instructions on safety and how to ask for help. During the first snorkel session, when we saw the dolphins, my husband got too tired - we signaled for help and within seconds one of the wonderful guides swam up with a floatation device and escorted him back to the ship. I can't remember her name, unfortunately, but big, big thanks to her, and also to Mike and Oliver, for being so careful and keeping everyone safe. The photographer, whose name I also can't remember (sorry) was just fantastic and got some amazing pictures! I absolutely recommend buying the photo package - well worth the price!
The second snorkel session is very laid back and relaxed and I saw lots of pretty fish and a sea turtle! After all the lovely rocking of the waves and so much excitement, I was so relaxed on the way back! The entertainment was fun too, and the burger very, very tasty! Overall, just an absolutely wonderful trip - if you are wondering if you should go, don't think twice - do it!
Note - I will say that we had a relatively small group - I think there were 32 people. I think the maximum is 70, and I can see that might have been pretty crowded, but I still think the terrific guides would have been able to make the experience just as wonderful with a bigger group. Just listen to the directions (given in both English and Japanese) and try to relax and experience it - this is coming from someone who has a very hard time relaxing - it's just a lovely experience all around!