Go for it - Very efficiently run and fun filled tour. Took us to 3 great snorkeling spots, the last at Cooks monument far surpassing the other two. Little side jaunts to caves, lava tubes and a higher speed adventure ride. They provided lunch, water and the tour guides gave great info and it made for a great day in Kona. You’re riding oboard a rib boat type vessel and be aware it can get bumpy. We saw a huge pod of spinner dolphins that were really showing off and also e joyed several whale sightings. The jostling about was more than worth it. We were cruise passengers on the Pride of America and ,tendered to shore. I missed this factoid until the night before so was hustling making last minute arrangements for a taxi the 20 minutes to the location. My error but Sea quest group wouldn’t hurt themselves by making this clear in the description on their Trip Advisor info. Highly recommend!

Great snorkeling trip! - Fun day snorkeling at three different locations. Each unique and clear water. Great variety of fish. Skylar and Taylor did a great job hosting us. Cool seeing whales and dolphins as a bonus.

So much fun! - The boat was SO fun and sporty. Our Captain (Robbie, I believe) was so calm, patient, informative, and fun. You should make sure to be comfortable on the open water in a small boat to enjoy this trip. My kids are, but I would be cautious about anyone not comfortable in the water. Highly recommend this small group trip- it was so much better than a large boat.

Expedition South Kona - Sea Quest Hawaii - Excellent Snorkel Cruise - We absolutely loved our Expedition South Kona snorkeling tour with Sea Quest Hawaii. Captain Brendan and crew MJ were fantastic! Everything was very organized and never felt rushed or chaotic. We enjoyed 3 terrific snorkel sites and lunch on the boat. The first two sites were not at all crowded so there was plenty of room to explore as we snorkeled. The last site - at the Captain Cook Monument was crowded, but still very beautiful for snorkeling. The highlight of the trip was seeing the spinner dolphins playing in the bay and jumping by our boat. The smaller boat allowed us to get close to shore and see many caves, lava tubes and rock formations that the bigger boats can't go to. The company was also very helpful with regards to our daughter's severe food allergies. I highly recommend Sea Quest and we will definitely return on a future visit to the Big Island!

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!

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!

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.

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!

Highly recommend - Awesome snorkeling experience! All 3 snorkeling spots were magical. A must do when visiting the Big Island.

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!