Kona Deluxe Snorkel: Early Morning Exploration at Cook's Monument and Puuhonua O Honaunau
4.8
219 Ratings
Kailua-Kona
Experience the early morning beauty of Cook's Monument and Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historic Park with our Kona Deluxe Snorkel. Explore crystal clear waters, encounter tropical fish, and maybe even spot dolphins or whales!
Duration:
5 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- 78-7138 Kaleiopapa St - Enjoy the two best snorkeling locations in one trip. Providing guests with snorkeling, as well as cultural, and environmental information relevant to the island of Hawaii and its history. Your captain will also show you several spectacular, unique volcanic geological phenomena including sea caves and lava tubes.
KEALAKEKUA BAY: Kealakekua Bay is a well-known historical site and underwater marine sanctuary. The large bay is situated to ensure calm waters year round and one of our best Kona snorkeling tours. The waters here are clear, offering great visibility. Kealakekua Bay is home to over 100 different varieties of tropical fish. As we leave the bay, we may even spot some dolphin.
HONAUNAU BAY: Located off Pu’
uhonua O H
d
naunau National Historic Park often referred to as the
Place of Refuge
is a famous snorkeling location. Honaunau Bay is a uniquely beautiful. Snorkeling here is quite different than snorkeling Kealakekua Bay and the waters have exceptional visibility most of the year. You get to explore beautiful coral shelves with white sandy patches in between. It is here that you might get to see a Honu (Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle).
Must have swim experience.
What's Included
- Full snorkel gear provided, including mask, fins, snorkel, and flotation aids
- Guided by friendly, knowledgeable experts
- Refreshments provided, featuring snacks, fruit, juice, and bottled water
What's Not Included
- Gratuities for your crew always appreciated
- Please bring towel and cover-up
- Use reef safe sunscreen (zinc based is recommended- no oxybenzone and octinoxate. lotion, no spray)
Additional Information
Start your day with us to be one of the first to experience the aquatic allure near Cook’s Monument and Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historic Park each morning. Our departure is scheduled early, enabling us to immerse you into the water before it gets crowded. At this hour, the Kona coast waters are typically lucid, offering impressive visibility. Encounter over 100 distinct species of tropical fish, and keep an eye out for the occasional reef shark or sea turtle in these vibrant snorkeling locations bustling with marine life.
Depending on the day, we might add a dash of sightseeing alongside the coast, offering sights of sea caves and lava tubes. Stay lucky, and you could even spot a group of dolphins or a whale, as they inhabit this area throughout the year (although, humpback whales are seasonal wanderers!)
- Minors must be accompanied by an adult at all times
- Not recommended for child under 6
- Must be under 285lbs
- Must be comfortable swimming in the ocean
- Electronic Waiver required to be signed prior to tour
- Must be able to climb up a metal ladder to get back in the boat
- Our vessels are RHIBS (zodiac style boats & seating is on a pontoon).
- We have full discretion to refuse service to guests based on attire, behavior, physical fitness & condition
- Restroom facilities not available on boat
- Not recommended for travelers with neck problems
Location
78-6831 Ali‘i Dr
Ali‘i Drive
WE HAVE MOVED
To Check in: Keauhou Shopping Center, 78-6831 Alii Drive, Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i 96740,
Space F-146. Located in courtyard behind Tropics, KTA & Bianelli's. From there, you will
drive to Keauhou Bay where the crew will greet you for the tour.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(219 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
O4316vzmarian
Mar 25, 2024
Above and benyond service - This excursion was fantastic. Our captain was Shelly. He was extremely knowledgeable about many different topics to do with the island, the history, the fish, you name it.
Shelly was very personable. We went with a small group which was nice and we were one of the first boats there. We were take to two different locations. Saw loads of fish and reefs, even some dolphins.
Shelly and Dennis (Captain in training) brought some fresh fruit, chips, and plenty of water and juice for us.
I would totally recommend this tour. Pretty good for anyone that can swim I’d say.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gail_b
Mar 24, 2024
A trip we’ll never forget. - What an outstanding adventure. I loved being out early and getting to go to two locations. On the way back we stopped and learned about some Hawaiian history. And we saw dolphins up close. Absolutely amazing!
Review provided by Viator
Lightpacker423330
Mar 23, 2024
You won’t be disappointed! - Dolphin Discoveries provided excellent service! Snorkeling at Captain Cook’s Monument was fantastic! There were so many different fish! The captain spotted dolphins and stopped to make sure and point them out for all to see. The dolphins swam alongside our boat. It was an amazing excursion!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alisonkr269iw
Mar 20, 2024
Great Snorkeling Experience - This was a great snorkeling experience! We would 100% do this again. The crew gave us some history and were overall great. We were the first group to Captain Cook and had the bay to ourselves for awhile. As we were leaving, many more groups were showing up. We also saw some dolphins and a whale after snorkeling. We had a small group - 8 total, which we liked. The tradeoff is that the boat is small and seating is a little uncomfortable. But overall very worth it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bryan
Mar 12, 2024
The perfect people to go on excursions with - Get up and go early it’s worth it. The crew is amazing and take care of everything and everyone. They watch over you while in the most beautiful water you will ever snorkel in. If you’re a novice not to worry. This the company you want to go with. Smaller boat means less people and more fish and crew that cares about you having the best experience. They know where to go and gave suggestions as to where to swim. As an added bonus we saw whales and dolphins while we were returning. The captain stopped the boat and allowed us the time to watch and see these incredible creatures. Thank you we will be back and I would have no problem going on any excursion they offer.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maps53890565685
Mar 10, 2024
Morning snorkeling at two locations. Great experience. Highly recommend. - The office was a little tough to find because they had just moved. Fortunately we checked out the logistics the night before so we were not late. Captain Josh and the deckhand Tim were great, plus they took care of our group very well. We liked the small boat/group atmosphere. We got to see a few whales along the way for an added bonus. We were lucky enough to have good conditions (Lake Kona, as Josh called it). We would definitely go back. We recommend this trip to others.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Amy_p
Mar 2, 2024
Spectacular - Wonderful staff, knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their work. Although the water was cold, we saw amazing fish and coral. don’t miss out!
Review provided by Viator
M2312vqcharlest
Feb 27, 2024
Captain Cook/City of Refuge Snorkel - We did the Captain Cook/City of Refuge snorkel trip. We had a wonderful time. We were on the water a total of 4 hours, snorkeled at 2 different locations, stopped several times to watch whales and to visit some geologic structures. There was plenty of time in the water and time spent in the boat. The crew was friendly, laid back, knowledgeable and took great care of us. It’s small group on a small boat, we were the first group to the Captain Cook Monument and in the water right away. Go! Have fun.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lynn_h
Mar 27, 2024
Capt Cook (mis)adventure - It is to be noted that dolphin discovery sign in for the tour is in a different place (and a different time from when i booked the trip) Captain cook was amazing place to snorkel in, lots of fish and even saw a reef shack!!. The Capt of the boat on our ride back from Place of Refuge gave an indepth description of the history of the coast and we even saw dolphins come up to the boot which was amazing.
I was a little concern that on both snorkels know one from the boat came into the water not only from a safety point of view, but also to let us know what fish we were swimming in the sea it would have made the experience better
Review provided by Viator
Michael_h
Mar 22, 2024
Bad customer service - The captains were knowledgeable and friendly. I enjoyed the first site quite a bit but the second site had almost no marine life. I recognize that’s not their fault but it was a let down. What made it so bad was that I rented a GoPro from them and it was broken. The camera wouldn’t stay in a fixed position and once it started recording the screen went black so I couldn’t see what I was recording. And then the sd card filled up before the first site was even done. And no replacement sd card was available once we were on the boat. The captain said to call the office when we were done and that they would work something out for me. So I called and a rude woman answered and refused to give me any refund or discount. She said when it’s first turned on it says it can only hold an hour’s worth. But I didn’t turn it on. An employee did and handed it to me. No one told me I only had one hour. She refused to offer anything and said it was my fault and that i should’ve known it had limited storage capacity. This was very frustrating and it tainted the whole experience. I will certainly not book anything with them, nor will I recommend them to anyone. But the crew on board were great.
Review provided by Viator
More activities from this operator
