Deluxe Kayak Kealakekua Bay & Snorkel Tour

This was an awesome trip!! I highly recommend it!!! We met our guide Mike and Karen at the office and headed to the launch point after some brief instruction and a YUMMY continental breakfast of pastry and fresh fruit. We were a pretty small group only eight people on the trip. Karen said they like to keep it small so they can provide a better experience. Karen gave a nice talk on the history of the Kealakekua Bay area during the 15minute drive down. Mike and Karen took care of everything while we got ready with sunscreen and last minute bathroom breaks. There is a nice shower/restroom area at the north-end of the park (bathrooms were freshly painted so there were closed, but the sign said they would be open the next day). The showers were nice to rinse off in, after the trip as well. After launching we headed across the bay. About half way across, we saw a group of spinner dolphins. A couple of them jumped in front of our group and did a couple flips/spins (I guess living up to their name). We arrived at the monument after about 20-30 minutes of paddling (not really sure as Mike kept us busy with his knowledge of the area and the view was great). Mike got us "beached" in the proper spot and took our gear to the old pier to start our snorkeling. He gave us a brief history and some final instructions and we were in the water. It is a beautiful place to snorkel; the water was crystal clear and the sea life abundant! There were several other zodiac boats with snokelers (12-15 per boat), so it was not too crowded for the first ½ hour or so. Then a catamaran showed up with 50+ people and it got pretty crazy for a while, but there was plenty of reef to go around if you looked for it. After about an hour or so, Mike called us out for a lunch/snack of fresh fruit, granola/cereal bars and assorted crackers. Pretty good stuff and not to filling for more snorkeling later. The catamaran was serving cheese burgers and that pulled quite a few of their group out of the water. We took advantage of the clear space and snorkeled for another 45-minute or so. Mike got us all ready to leave and launched our boats for the trip back. We saw the dolphins again and again they put on a show! Once we were back at the launch site, Mike and Karen got everything loaded while we used the showers to rinse off and get our stuff together to head back up the hill. This was an awesome trip!! I highly recommend it!!!

My wife and I enjoyed our kayak across Kealakeakua Bay and hours of snorkeling very much. We have some kayaking experience, in fact we own the model we used on the trip, but the other 2 couples with us had none. It didn't matter. The early A.M start permitted us a first glimpse and passage across the bay and the water was surreal- blue, clear and limpid. We encountered several pods of spinner dolphins at relatively close hand en route and had plenty of snorkel time as well. Mike, our leader, was diligent, informative, and safety conscious while still being low-key and humorous. It all felt like a much more intimate experience than being a lemming on one of the large tourist boats. The trip was very inexpensive considering the kayak rental, landing permit, and the nice array of snacks provided. A thoroughly wonderful day in a unique part of Hawaii I would heartily recommend.

Excellent way to see Cook monument. Very good value.

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A relaxing paddle across the Kelakekua Bay brought us to the Cook Monument and fabulous snorkeling. A key element that made this a great experience was the early start which meant that we were able to beat the tourist boat masses and have the reef to ourselves for about an hour. The snacks were designed to restore our energy and our guide's attention to the ecology of the area was appreciated. We learned a lot about island history and the local biology from our guide. A great trip and much more fun and relaxing than a noisy crowded powerboat.

Mike was an excellent guide and provided good history on Capt. Cook. He was also very helpful with any (physical) assistance our group needed. The snorkeling was very enjoyable, and we felt we had adequate time for that and didn't feel rushed at all. The snacks, especially the fruit, were tasty and refreshing as well!

The guide was very interested in helping us have the best time. This tour is probably something that could be done on your own if you are adventuresome, but the individual attention, knowing where to go and what to do, the funny stories and interaction made us much more comfortable and we really enjoyed the experience. Would recommend this to friends, but only concern was that we should have worn wet suits as the water was chilly and the tour guide did not warn us of this. If you don't like feeling chilly check the water temps before you go.

While we had booked the kayak trip for 4, one couple had a cold and did not want to go. Since we had prepaid, getting a refund was not offered although a coupon to be used for future bookings was offered. The staff at Kayak Adventures did a great job. jeff and Michael were very informative and made the experience too much fun. Although the seas were rough, the bay waters were mostly calm and the water clarity was amazing. Plenty of fish and so much beautiful coral. A must do when staying on the Big Island.

Activity was cancelled due to high surf and safety concerns. We have not to date received our credit to our VISA as serves were not rendered.

We couldn't be any happier with our experience and so glad we booked with Adventures in Paradise. The company is located very close to the bay where we launched. We explored Kealakekua Bay where the Captain Cook Monument is located. Its the perfect place to kayak and snorkel. Our guide, Mike Difazio was awesome. Super fun and friendly and was able to give us lots of interesting information about the monument and the history of the bay. He was so helpful that he even helped lots of other people that were not even part of our tour group. He just wanted to make sure that everyone was safe at the snorkel site and made sure that those people new how not to damage the delicate eco system. We also got to see a pod of spinner dolphins while kayaking to the monument and also on the way back. The whole experience was top notch. If you are looking for a kayak snorkel trip, book with these guys for sure. Tyler Kelowna, BC, Canada