Small-Group Super-Raft Snorkel Tour South of Kona

Twin Suzuki 350s engines get the Kona Explorer to the first snorkel site before the other boats and the shore crowds. South of Kona the water is clear, and for the first stretch you have the reef mostly to yourselves. The raft holds about 20, smaller than the big catamarans, so you get longer, unhurried time in the water at each of the two stops.

Getting into the water to snorkel is a breeze from the close-to-the-water raft.

What the in-water guides point out

Expert guides get in the water with you at both stops. They point out the octopus and eels in the reef and sometimes free-dive to film them. At Kealakekua Bay they narrate the Hawaiian history and the sacred meaning of the bay below the Captain Cook monument. When a ray glides through or a turtle settles on the bottom, they wave you over.

On the run down the coast the crew watches for wildlife and moves the boat in for a closer look. Spinner dolphins turn up most often, sometimes in pods close to 100. Humpbacks pass along the coast in winter, and turtles and rays are regular at both sites. One trip even logged a whale shark.

The raft, the two sites, and the food

The Kona Explorer is a 41-foot super raft with cushioned, high-backed seats and a full shade canopy over the deck. It has an onboard restroom and two fresh-water showers, which you rarely find on a boat this size. Each seat has storage underneath. At the snorkel stop there’s a water slide and a jump step off the side, so you step in rather than jump.

The trip stops at two sites, chosen that morning by wind and swell rather than a set schedule. Kealakekua Bay, below the Captain Cook monument, is the best known; the rotation also runs to Hōnaunau at Two Step, Pawai Bay, Puʻu Ohau, and Alahaka Bay. The first stop lasts about an hour, the second 45 minutes to an hour.

Breakfast is Anahola Granola and fresh fruit. More fruit comes out between the two stops, and lunch is a fresh turkey or veggie sandwich with chips and a cookie. Water and soft drinks are unlimited, and all the snorkel gear comes with the trip.

Before you board

Check-in is at 8:00am at the Body Glove shop on Kuakini Highway at Ilima Court, with free parking in the lot. It’s about a five-minute walk to Kailua Pier, and boarding starts 30 minutes ahead of the 8:30 departure. The trip runs 4 hours. If you’re on a cruise ship, the tender lands at the same pier, so you need no shuttle.

A few limits before you book: the operator cannot take children five and under, pregnant women, or guests with regular neck or back pain, and boarding the raft takes some agility. The ride down the coast is fast and can be bumpy when the water is up. Prescription snorkel masks from -1.5 to -7.0 are available if you ask 24 hours ahead.

This trip runs in the morning, when the water is calmest and the dolphin odds are best. It runs $130 for adults and $110 for youth. Bring a towel, since the fresh-water showers on board don’t come with them.

We list Body Glove for the in-water guiding, which you won’t get on the larger catamarans, on a raft small enough to reach the snorkel sites first. Their reef-safe sunscreen protocol is stricter than most: guests apply it at the shop so it soaks in ashore, and the crew reapplies it during the trip to keep it off the coral. Booking also carries a carbon-offset option.

Booking through this page costs you nothing extra and is made directly with Body Glove. We earn a commission from the operator, not from you, and it is what pays for the research that keeps lovebigisland.com free and free of paid placement. We only list operators we would send a friend to. Details on our affiliate links are here.