South Kona Snorkeling Expedition: Discover Pristine Locations & Marine Life

Embark on a South Kona snorkeling expedition to discover pristine locations and marine life. Snorkel at unique spots, explore sea caves, and encounter dolphins, turtles, and more.

Duration: 5 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Sea Quest Hawaii - Explore three snorkel destinations, Kealakekua Bay, PuÊ»uhonua O Honaunau, and a private black sand beach. Our captain and crew will share the history and culture as they adventure through sea caves and lava tubes.
What's Included
  • Refreshments including water, juice, and snacks
  • All necessary snorkeling equipment provided
  • Lunch is included in the tour
  • Flotation devices available for safety and convenience
What's Not Included
  • Towels
  • Sunscreen
Additional Information

See parts of the Island most residents of Hawaii never see! Explore further down the pristine South Kona Coast than any other snorkeling tour company and snorkel at 3 incredible locations including Kealakekua Bay, the culturally significant Pu’uhonua O Honaunau, and a third remote location inaccessible any other way. Perhaps you’ll snorkel at a black…

Location
78-7138 Kaleiopapa St
Kaleiopapa Street
Departure Point: Keauhou Bay, HI Address: 78-7138 Kaleiopapa Street Kailua Kona, HI 96740 Directions: FROM KAILUA-KONA/ALII DRIVE: Drive SOUTH on Alii Drive (Ocean on your right) Turn RIGHT at 1st STOPLIGHT (Alii Highway) Turn RIGHT at 2nd STOPLIGHT (Kamehameha III Road) Turn LEFT onto Dirt Road at Sea Quest Parking Sign Before Dead End Park in Dirt Parking Lot Walk Across Sandy Volleyball Court and small pier parking lot. Sea Quest is located within the white one-story building. FROM VOLCANO AND POINTS SOUTH: Take Highway 11 toward Kailua-Kona Turn LEFT on Kamehameha III Road (near mile marker 118) Drive THROUGH Two STOPLIGHTS Turn LEFT onto Dirt Road at Sea Quest Parking Sign Before Dead End Park in Dirt Parking Lot Walk Across Sandy Volleyball Court and small pier parking lot. Sea Quest is located within one-story building. Dates: See Availability
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(193 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Cutigers0323
Dec 7, 2024
Great experience! - A fantastic trip! Nat & B were our guides and they were absolutely wonderful! Lunch and snacks/drinks were provided and lots of great information about Hawaii and the history!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Seia2dc
Nov 26, 2024
Magical experience, exceeded expectations. Book this now! - We snorkeled with Captain Kieren in late November. Our group was myself, my husband and our two 11 yo sons. We are all beginners when it comes to snorkeling, and I’m certain we have now set an unmatchable bar for all future snorkel experiences. I chose this excursion specifically because it left a little later in the morning than other tours. The 8:30 am departure time was perfect for us, since we were on a sleeping schedule of roughly 10 pm - 7 am, so plenty of time to grab breakfast at a coffee shop nearby and make our way to the harbor. It was very easy to park and walk to the check-in area. There are restrooms (state park-like style) near the check-in location. We rented wet suits for the group and I highly recommend this. They help you float more easily and in late November the water was a little chilly if you’re more sensitive to the cold. With the wet suits we had no issues jumping right in and adjusting. None of us had ever worn wet suits before but the staff were very helpful in working with us to get the sizes right. They also have prescription goggles available on site as well - my husband ordered a pair for $75 before we traveled to Hawaii and thought they were well worth it since we plan to snorkel on future vacations, but if you don’t want to go that route they have several sets available in a range of prescriptions. Once we boarded there was a short safety review as we got underway. Before we even left the harbor we saw a couple of pods of dolphins who feed offshore and then hit “rest mode” in the mornings in the harbor. Within five minutes we were out on the ocean heading to the first snorkel spot. I have to say this was so much more than just snorkeling. Captain Kieren shared a lot of information about the history of Hawaii and the Kona coast as we traveled between stops. We learned more from him during the tour than the podcasts and other research we had done before the trip. He was very knowledgeable about the ocean, various sea life we were seeing (he also runs whale watching excursions), the traditions and history of Hawaii, the coastline itself, and took the time to get to know our itinerary for our whole visit and recommended some great hikes and local poke spots to try. The three snorkeling spots were quite different from each other. The first was a reef which depths to 200 feet, and felt like we were on top of some underground coral mountains. The second location was farthest south, deserted and much deeper. We saw a sea turtle there. We finished in the famous bay where Captain Cook met his end, which is a protected marine sanctuary. It was crowded but still plenty of room for us to explore. This was our kids’ favorite spot because of the variety of fish and the two giant eels we saw. On the way back we were fortunate to see a humpback whale, which Captain Kieren spotted pretty far off since he is so experienced with whale watching. He detoured us close to the whale so we could watch it for a few minutes, even though it meant getting back a little later than the scheduled end time. He also took the time to show us some sea caves, the sleeping Pele rock formation and the formation that inspired Moana. Finally, after every snorkel stop (35-45 minutes in each place) we had amazing fresh fruit and juice waiting back on the boat, in addition to the provided lunch. I can’t give this tour a high enough rating. Don’t overthink it, just book this one!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Deboraha_t
Oct 25, 2024
Creating Memories - MJ and Kevin were so kind and patient with my husband during the snorkel trip. He was able to get in and see a fish. Although he spent the majority of time on the boat, he enjoyed the trip. The spots we stopped had so many fish! Kevin’s commentary was excellent. Thank you for a memory that will not be forgotten.
Review provided by Viator
Heathersy1606xk
Sep 23, 2024
The Best Snorkeling Expedition Out There! - What a great and memorable snorkeling experience! We loved every minute of our expedition! All three locations were beautiful and had tons of fish and coral. We were lucky enough to see both spinner and bottlenose dolphins on our way to the different snorkel locations. Captain Brendan was great and provided us with the history of the locations we visited and made sure to stop whenever we saw wildlife so we could all get a good look. He also provided us with snacks and drinks after the first location, and with lunch after the last. Overall, I highly recommend this expedition if you are visiting the Big Island. We can’t wait to visit again and book another trip with Sea Quest Hawaii!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sheree_m
Sep 20, 2024
Highly recommend - Awesome snorkeling experience! All 3 snorkeling spots were magical. A must do when visiting the Big Island.
Review provided by Viator
Sarah1958
Sep 9, 2024
Great expeditions - Great snorkeling tour! We liked it so much we did it twice during our stay on the Big Island. Captain Steve and Captain Natalie were both fantastic and Libby too! We saw lots of fish, a sea turtle, moray eels, pilot whales and spinner dolphins in addition to sea caves, etc. Would highly recommend this expedition tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sarah_l
Sep 9, 2024
Great Snorkeling - Great snorkeling in 3 spots. Nice small group. Captain Steve knew the best spots for snorkeling, sea caves, etc and shared interesting history. Saw a sea turtle, moray eels and lots of fish.
Review provided by Viator
298pattyw
Aug 9, 2024
Great 5 hours on the beautiful blue water - Brendan and Libby were awesome captains for our 5 hour excursion. We had 3 snorkeling locations all were unique and fun! The tour provided great snorkeling and snacks/lunch along with fabulous commentary/entertainment. Thank you for a great time!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Compass38014632106
Jul 31, 2024
Don’t change a thing - We had an amazing time with Captain Kevin and Kaitlynn. The whole experience, from Check-in to disembarking the boat, was top-notch. Thank you Sea Quest for an unforgettable day.//The Glen’s of Sweden
Review provided by Tripadvisor
57swamyn
Jul 8, 2024
Excellent snorkeling tour - Well planned trip. All three sites were different and great. We got to K Bay when it was a bit less crowded. This was highly enjoyable snorkeling for both beginners and for more experienced snorkelers, and it was nice to see up close the sea caves in a smaller boat.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
up to 14 guests
1 Adult
December 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today