A Snorkeling + Cruise experience by Sea Paradise. Back to all Big Island tours.
Tour Summary: The Hoku Nui holds anchor rights in Kealakekua Bay Marine Life Conservation District. Two snorkel stops, both meals included, and crew enters the water with every group.
Large photoGetting into the water from the Hoku Nui is easy. Either by jumping of the front (shown here), or by using the staircase that drops into the water on the other side of the vessel. Image credit: Sea Paradise
Tour Highlights:
- Access to Kealakekua Bay Marine Life Conservation District, reachable only by, boat, 2 hour hike, or multi-hour kayak from shore
- Two snorkel stops with different terrain: coral gardens at Kealakekua Bay, lava archways and tubes at Red Hill
- Two crew members enter the water with every group at both snorkel sites
- Spinner dolphins are regularly present at Kealakekua Bay during morning hours
- Continental breakfast on the 45-minute sail down, sandwich-bar lunch between stops
- GoPro camera rentals available on board, including a 16GB SD card to take home
Important: Full-face snorkel masks are not permitted on this tour and swimming ability is required for snorkeling
Tour Information:
| Price: | Adult | Youth | Infant |
|---|---|---|---|
| (excluding taxes & fees) | $165 | $110 | $55 |
Tour Provider: Sea Paradise
Activity: Snorkeling + Cruise
Tour start time: 8:30 am
Duration: 4.5 hours
Departure from: Keauhou Harbor
Pick-up available? No
Included: Snorkel gear (mask, snorkel, fins). Flotation noodles and life jackets. Reef-safe sunscreen (provided and required). Continental breakfast (pastries, fruit, coffee). Lunch (make-your-own sandwich bar). Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages. Marine and cultural briefing from crew
Cancellations: Cancellations require 24 hour advance notice on regular bookings and 72 hour advance notice on private charters. You must call (800) 322-5662 or 808-322-2500 to cancel your tour. No refunds will be issued if you do not call to cancel in the required time prior to your scheduled check-in time.
Read more: about snorkeling in our Big Island snorkeling guide.
Kealakekua Bay is a Marine Life Conservation District on the Kona coast. Reaching it by kayak takes about two hours of paddling each way. The Hoku Nui, Sea Paradise’s 50-foot sailing catamaran, covers the same distance in 45 minutes and anchors directly above the coral reef.
The boat departs Keauhou Bay at 8:30 AM. Continental breakfast is served during the sail south: pastries, fruit, and coffee. By the time the plates are cleared, the catamaran is anchored in the bay. The Captain Cook Monument is visible from the shoreline. Before anyone enters the water, the crew runs a site briefing and basic snorkeling orientation. Two crew members go in with the group at every snorkel session.
The Hoku Nui catamaran in front of Kealakekua Bay. Image credit: Sea Paradise
The two snorkeling destinations: Kealakekua Bay and Red Hill
Kealakekua Bay has a healthy population of spinner dolphins, and they are regularly present during morning hours. The coral formations here are more intact than at most accessible Kona sites, partly because the Marine Life Conservation District status limits boat traffic and fishing. After about an hour in the water, guests return to the boat for the make-your-own sandwich bar lunch. Then the Hoku Nui sails to Red Hill, the second stop, where underwater lava archways and tubes make for a different kind of terrain from the open reef at Kealakekua. Another hour in the water, then back to Keauhou Bay by 1 PM.
Getting into the water from the Hoku Nui is easy. Either by jumping of the front (shown here), or by using the staircase that drops into the water on the other side of the vessel. Image credit: Sea Paradise
Full-face snorkel masks are not permitted on this tour. Reef-safe sunscreen is required and provided. Swimming ability is required for snorkeling: non-swimmers can book the Ride-Along option and observe from the deck. On low-wind days the sailing portion may be shortened, with the engine covering the distance instead.
The crew is one of the more consistent things about this tour. The same guides return season after season: Captain Patty, Captain Eddie, and the rest of the team appear by name in reviews spanning multiple years, which is not common on the Kona activity circuit. Their briefings cover both marine ecology and the history of the bay, including the events of 1779 at the Captain Cook Monument. If you are visiting during whale season (roughly December through April), whale song is frequently audible underwater at the Kealakekua stop. Most guests do not expect that.
Sea Paradise has been running ocean tours out of Keauhou Bay since 1985. They hold membership in the Sustainable Tourism Association of Hawaiʻi and volunteer with the Surfrider Foundation and the Hawaii Wildlife Fund. Reef-safe sunscreen is required on all their tours and provided for guests who need it.
We list them because the crew is unusually consistent: the same guides appear by name in reviews spanning multiple years, and their in-water safety management is the detail guests cite most when recommending the tour.
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