There are dolphins all over the island of Oahu, however, there are three spots in particular where you can heavily increase your odds of finding them. Two of them are Waimea (North Shore) and Electric Beach (West Side). The best spot, however, will remain a "secret" for good reasons. Hint: This beach is also on the western coast of Oahu. Those of you who are willing to put in the time and research to find this spot should be trustworthy enough to take care of this place.

The dolphins hang out here almost every morning and swim laps before heading out to sea. If you show up just after sunrise and look out about 500ft, you should be able to see dorsal fins breaking the surface of the water. If you show up late, you can use the dolphin tour boats to find out where exactly they are.  If the boats are moving in the water, they're still looking. However, if a dolphin boat is posted up, you can confidently assume they are nearby.

It should go without saying that you do not swim faster than a dolphin. However, every time we go, theres always some group of people chasing the dolphins. DO NOT DO THIS. Not only is it super lame and annoying, but it will also either make them avoid you or just send them out to sea earlier if they get tired of your s**t. Conversely, if you swim slowly and let them come to you, they will check you out and possibly swim laps around you. Dolphins are naturally curious and will come right up to you in many cases, so just be chill, enjoy the moment, and when they inevitably get out of range, hang tight and wait for them to come back. At the end of the day, these are wild animals and respect gets respect. You'll also save a ton of energy. If you do find this place and see people chasing them, do them and yourself a favor and politely tell them the above.

For those of you that have read this far, congrats! Since you now know how to be respectful of these animals, we will give you another hint to help you get closer to the right spot. The cove is MUCH further north than Electric Beach.  We hope you find it, as this spot is truly magic.

The entire west coast of Oahu is a pretty sketchy area. Be extremely careful about leaving valuables in your car or even looking like a tourist. You WILL get targeted. My girlfriend on our last trip left her backpack hidden far away from the parking lot on the beach and someone still watched her hide her stuff all the way from the lot, found her bag with the keys in it, unlocked the car, and stole her phone. I told her to hide all her valuables in inconspicuous spots. She hid hers in the door gutter. I hid mine under the floor carpet in the back seat and I got lucky and didn't lose any of my belongings. But, long story short, you are at risk. Should you be scared? No, just exercise caution and understand the risks and leave anything valuable you can at home, hide anything else, and be careful about leaving belongings on the beach.