Kona Snorkeling by Boat. An introduction to Kona Snorkel Trips.

Aloha from Kona Hawaii. My name is Shari Sicsko and I am one of the owners of Kona Snorkel Trips. Kona is home to some of the best snorkeling in the world. A few of the highlights we have here on the Big Island is snorkeling at Captain Cook, otherwise known as Kealakekua Bay. As far as Big Island snorkeling goes, this bay is amazing. It’s loaded with fantastic marine life. Some of the highlights at Kealakekua Bay are the resident dolphin that like to play in the bay. Kona Snorkel trips run snorkeling tours daily to the Captain Cook snorkel tour area.  The reef life at Kealakekua Bay snorkeling is incredible. You need to check out this and other Kona snorkel tours we at Kona Snorkel Trips offer. Another highlighted tour we offer for Kona Snorkel Tours is the swim with the dolphins Kona. Swimming with the dolphins in Kona is a bucket list opportunity. This dolphin tour Kona is like nothing you’ve ever experienced. Swim with dolphins Kona is a unique opportunity to interact with playful spinner dolphins usually right outside the Kailua Pier in downtown Kona. Kona snorkel tours offer Big Island snorkel tours daily, usually starting at 8:00am. Kona snorkel tours should always be a must on your to do list while visiting the Big Island and looking into Big Island snorkeling tours and Kona snorkel tours. The swim with dolphins Kona puts you face to face with spinner dolphin, spotted dolphin and the occasional bottle nose dolphin.  All though I would recommend Kealakekua Bay snorkeling as a must do tour, make time for the swim with dolphin tour as part of your Big Island adventure. At Kona Snorkel Trips we have a unique approach to killing two birds with one stone. Kona Snorkel Trips have combined both Kealakekua Bay snorkeling, Captain Cook snorkeling tour and swim with dolphins Kona all in one four hour tour. We leave the dock at the Honokohau harbor at 9:00 am, check in is at 8:30 am. We set out on our vessel, the Orca. The Orca is a 28’ rib inflatable. We head south toward Kealakekua Bay, stopping along the way to look for an opportunity to swim with dolphin that may be hanging out in one of the many beautiful coves along the way.  Our Kona snorkel tours also include looking for any other marine life that may be actively in our path heading to Kealakekua Bay. During whale watching season, which runs from December through March, we have the opportunity to view humpback whales migrating through our island. On our seasonal whale watching trip we generally see mothers and their calves, often times newborns, hanging  out and sometimes playing together near the coast line. Our resident whales that are in Kona year round are the pilot whales. If we get lucky, we can see these pods of these whales near the entrance to Kealakekua Bay. They feed from a strong current line about 3-5 miles off the Kona coast. They often are accompanied by oceanic white tip sharks that also feed from the same current line. While we don’t get in the water with either animal, we do get the privilege of witnessing these encounters from our vessel. The naturalist guides at Kona Snorkel Trips have extensive knowledge about our local marine life and provide educational briefings on our various Kona snorkel tours. Kona Snorkel Trips also provides one of the top rated attractions and tours on the Big Island. Manta ray night snorkel Kona is the highlight of every ones trips. The manta ray snorkel Kona is an epic and unforgettable experience that everyone has to try at least once. Kona Snorkel Trips offers two trips nightly. Our first trip is the sunset manta night snorkel. This trip goes out at 6:00 pm. The times change during certain times of the year, so when you book, be sure to verify the times when you book for your specific manta night snorkel tour. Our second trip leaves the dock at approximately 8:00 pm nightly. This is commonly called our moonlight manta ray night snorkel. Either trip is incredible. These gentle giants are commonly seen interacting at two sites on the Big Island. We decide on which site to go to based on information about plankton levels and eye witness accounts by other captains and operators on which site has the best opportunity to see the most manta magic. Although we have all guests attached to a snorkel board, we still ask people to have at least basic swimming skills before signing up for this tour. All operators are required to have every guest attached to a snorkel board. Your naturalist guides will pull into position to give you the best show possible. They are all trained in manta behavior and will give you a detailed description on what you are seeing and why the mantas are behaving in the manner they are behaving in. If you are lucky enough to see one of these gentle giants in the wild, you are among a select few that actually get to encounter this spectacular event of mantas feeding in the wild. We set up our boards with strong LED waterproof lights. These lights shine down and collect plankton, which are attracted to the light. Once plankton is present, we sit back and watch the feeding. The mantas come in and feed off the plankton under our boards. Everyone keeps their arms and legs as straight as possible enabling the mantas to get nice and close to the plankton source under our boards. If we get really lucky, we may get to see a 1,000 pound manta right under our noses, literally. This is why it’s important to have some basic swimming skill before entering into a situation like this. These animals are big but harmless. Some guests still underestimate the size of these animals. It can be intimidating if you’re not completely comfortable with your surroundings. Also, don’t underestimate that you are entering the ocean at night, even guided, if you’re not comfortable with this, it can be stressful for you and the other guests around you. We encourage everyone to stay within their ability and comfort levels for a safe and enjoyable experience.

Mahalo! We’ll see you soon at Kona Snorkel Trips