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Kona Shore Excursion: Wild Dolphin Reefs Snorkel and Sea Caves
4.7
76 Ratings
Kailua-Kona
Snorkel Kealakekua Bay, explore sea caves, and encounter wild dolphins. Includes lunch and gear. Depart from Kailua Kona Pier. Book your adventure now!
Snorkel Kealakekua Bay, explore sea caves, and encounter wild dolphins. Includes lunch and gear. Depart from Kailua Kona Pier. Book your adventure now!
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Kailua-Kona - Embark on a journey south aboard a 32ft or 45ft Zodiac, accommodating small groups of 19-28 passengers, to the picturesque Kealakekua Bay, where the Captain Cook monument stands. During the trip, there are stops at historical landmarks and sea caves. The experienced captains are vigilant in spotting whales and dolphins, offering…
- Kailua-Kona - Embark on a journey south aboard a 32ft or 45ft Zodiac, accommodating small groups of 19-28 passengers, to the picturesque Kealakekua Bay, where the Captain Cook monument stands. During the trip, there are stops at historical landmarks and sea caves. The experienced captains are vigilant in spotting whales and dolphins, offering passengers the chance to observe the magnificent marine life from the vessel. Upon reaching Kealakekua Bay, guests will enjoy approximately one hour of snorkeling. Expect to see turtles, vibrant reef fish, ancient coral over 1500 years old, the Captain Cook Monument, and freshwater springs. Keep an eye out for Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins. Due to the Marine Mammal Protection Act enacted in October 2021, swimming with wild spinner dolphins is prohibited, but observing them from the boat is still permitted.
What's Included
- Snorkel gear equipment
- Includes lunch, snacks & refreshments
- Worry-Free Shore Excursion Guarantee
- Flotation devices
- Port pickup from Kailua Kona Pier
- Professional local captain and crew
- Snorkel gear equipment
- Includes lunch, snacks & refreshments
- Worry-Free Shore Excursion Guarantee
- Flotation devices
- Port pickup from Kailua Kona Pier
- Professional local captain and crew
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Explore the vibrant, protected reef at Kealakekua Bay, situated near Captain Cook’s monument. This is a site rich in history! Experience encounters with wild dolphins, explore sea caves, and more! Enjoy a delicious lunch that includes a deli wrap or occasionally BBQ hot dogs, fresh fruit, chips, granola bars, juice, and water. All snorkeling equipment…
Explore the vibrant, protected reef at Kealakekua Bay, situated near Captain Cook’s monument. This is a site rich in history! Experience encounters with wild dolphins, explore sea caves, and more! Enjoy a delicious lunch that includes a deli wrap or occasionally BBQ hot dogs, fresh fruit, chips, granola bars, juice, and water. All snorkeling equipment and flotation devices are provided.
Cruise Ship Guests depart from the Kailua Kona Pier on a 32 ft Zodiac, accommodating 19-28 passengers. Check-in is at 8:45 am with a 9:00 am departure.
While we typically depart at 9:00 am, there are certain dates when departure times are adjusted to align with cruise ship guests’ itineraries.*
- Minimum age is 5 years
- Boat is not wheelchair accessible
- Weight limit is 265lbs (125kg)
- Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name
- Suggested items to bring: sunglasses, sunblock and towel
- Please have your bathing suit on before the trip begins.
Location
Kailua Pier
Kaahumanu Place
CRUISE SHIP GUESTS: Check-in Time 15 min prior to departure time. This tour departs from the Kailua-Kona pier. When you get off your tender look for your guide holding a sign that says " C Big Island / Dolphin Reef Snorkel"
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(76 Ratings)
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T_b
Apr 13, 2026
Snorkel, Reefs, Dolphins - Kris with Aloha Ocean Excursions was our guide to Dolphins, Sea Caves & Snorkeling. What a great trip. I would highly recommend Kris for your adventure.
Review provided by Viator
Evangeline_h
Mar 26, 2026
Fantastic snorkel tour! - We were only in Kona for a day on a cruise. I chose this because of their willingness to work with cruise ship passengers in terms of scheduling/cancellartions, etc. I really wanted to see the famous reef and the Captain Cook site. They also offered pick up and drop off right from the cruise port so it was super convenient.
It was myself, my husband and our two kids (aged 10 and 14) and we all had a great time. It was extremely well organized and easy to find the bus right off the cruise ship as promised. It was a short bus ride to the boat and at the harbor they had bathrooms and a check in station where we all left our shoes.
Our tour guides/captains/wait staff were Trevor, Maddie and Diego. They were all super nice and safety conscious. Knew a lot about the wildlife and from the boat we spotted dolphins, many many fish, and even a shark. The snorkeling was great and visibility was amazing. They had reef-safe sunscreen on the boat and a large amount of free snacks and drinks.
This was the best snorkeling I have done in a long time. I’m really glad we chose this company to do it with. We had a great day out.
Couple of things to mention: 1) I would recommend you have a baseline level of mobility for this tour. You really need to be able to climb down into the boat and out again. The guides were awesome about helping everyone and very strong but I would just say, be realistic about your limitations about this.
2) this is not a large boat and so there is no bathroom available while actually on the ship. Again this wasn’t a problem for us but just worth mentioning.
There were not a lot of people on the boat, maybe 20? So that was very nice. All of the other passengers were super nice and there was another set of (younger) kids on board, they provided everyone with anti-fog treatment, masks, fins, snorkels, life vests and pool noodles.
All in all a great day out. Honestly if more businesses ran their business this way a lot more people would do this rather than forking over the extra money to do the “excursion” through the cruise ship.
Review provided by Viator
Kelly_e
Jan 25, 2026
Mugged! - Fabulous, saw whales and one swim right into the bed. Snorkeling was also great on a very nice reef. Snacks and beverages were included.
Review provided by Viator
Yi_l
Jan 22, 2026
Highly Recommend!!! - This Kona snorkel tour was an unforgettable experience. The two crew members were professional, friendly, and made everyone feel safe and comfortable in the water. We explored beautiful reefs, visited sea caves, and were even lucky to spot whales along the way. Everything was well organized and perfectly timed for cruise passengers — highly recommend this excursion!
Review provided by Viator
Marti_l
Dec 25, 2025
Worth the money!! - Our captain was named Christian and he was awesome! His beautiful first mate was adorable.
He’s knowledgeable of the area. He’s patient. He’s thoughtful. He’s kind. The trip was amazing. The snorkeling was great. The lunch was a surprisingly nice touch.
Review provided by Viator
Celia_c
Nov 30, 2025
Our first day in Paradise - We thoroughly enjoyed a morning snorkeling in two dive locations along with a stop to view the spinner dolphins. Out of concern for the dolphins safety, it’s no longer legal to swim with the dolphins. But we did delight in watching the dolphins jump and spin for 20 minutes.
The trip’s positives included: The small group on the boat, as we never felt crowded.; The dive locations were awesome; and thanks to Tamae we left with some awesome video of the day.
Special thanks go out to Trevor, Tamae, and Madi who crewed the boat and supervised our swims. They were exceptionally attentive to our needs and made the experience a memorable introduction into the wonders of the Big Island.
Review provided by Viator
Donna_m
Nov 15, 2025
Great time!! - It was a great time on the boat and in the water snorkeling. He took us to see sea caves , very knowledgeable and nice man.
Review provided by Viator
Hans_b
Nov 6, 2025
Snorkel with Pilot Whales - Great sea life experience
Guides took time to stop at spots with dolphins and a second stop with pilot whales
Review provided by Viator
Candywaiyee_l
Oct 5, 2025
we were well taken care... - we were well taken care of for details like the use of goggles properly and safety, i like the idea that the travel agent in Kona use yellow colored noodle to distinguish us from guests of other boats that use a different color, this help them to keep an eye on us for our safety.
they provide prescriped goggle.
we have hotdog as lunch,chips and unlimited drink.
lots of colorful fishes but some corals are dead unfortunately.saw some dolphine.they swam around our boat.
overall it is a very pleasant experience
Review provided by Viator
Stephan_t
Feb 26, 2026
Disappointed in excursion company - Make sure you review the excursion very carefully and know you cities where bouts on the island. Not being familiar with the where about of Kona and Hilo I have lost $450 with company who refused to give me any refund or credit. We thought they were pick us up in Hilo and taking us to Kona for this tour. They did not. Lousy customer service.
Review provided by Viator
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