Captain Cook Cruises — Attraction in Hawaii

First of all, Leah and Matt were pleasant and informative. However, our dad paid for this tour for us as a birthday gift as he said Captain Cook Monument was the best snorkeling he’s ever done and wanted us to have that experience (he has travelled the world). When we arrived, there was no one there. The address we arrived at was the address noted literally 7 times in our email. But they changed location last minute and we were not notified. They did wait for us to arrive at the correct location which was 20 min away. Upon arrival and once in the boat we asked a question about Captain Cook Monument. They then said due to the smaller group, we weren’t going there stating “the fish you see there are the fish you’ll see here.” Captain Cook Monument is one of the top 10 places to snorkel for a reason. To say we were disappointed is an understatement. We feel what they did was deceitful. As mentioned, they were pleasant, but we strongly recommend you verify before paying where you’ll actually be snorkeling (and not via email as our email clearly stated Captain Cook snorkeling). Also, they didn’t have spare gear. One of our masks was broken and the fin kept coming undone. Rarely do I ever leave reviews but this was really upsetting for us and our dad who wanted us to experience what he had.

Edit: 7 months AFTER posting this review it appears the company has responded. Sadly with gross misinformation. We did NOT receive an upgraded tour and it was NOT changed due to weather. As stated clearly in my review, we didn’t go where we were suppose to go because they said it was too small of a group. The response to my review is even more disheartening. Simply owning (within a reasonable timeframe which isn’t 7 months) up to the clear deceit would...

The most humiliating experience ever! This snorkelling trip put a dark shadow over our Hawaii trip. There were two non-swimmers in our group of 6 and we checked the box as non-swimmers while signing the waiver. No where on their website or while registering for snorkelling does it say that you have to be able to swim to get into the water. In fact it says on their website that even infants can participate in this activity! But during the initial intro, when I told him that I am a non-swimmer, the crew member (Wade?) bluntly said "Then you stay in the boat". Initially, I thought he was joking as I was unaware that they were not going to assist us in the water with flotation devices and help us snorkel, which was my prior snorkelling experience. So I asked him again and he said, "this is not a swimming lesson and with an extreme sarcastic tone and smirk on his face, looking at my attire said " you don't look like you plan to get in the water, do you?" Feeling insulted and shocked by his rude remark, I said, yes I do, I am wearing a swim suit underneath. He just smirked and looked away. He did not offer any help nor did he give anyone any instructions on how to use the mask or other gears. Many people asked among themselves and took help on how to use the mask and other gears. He was also seen being rude to another family who were incidentally the only coloured persons other than us in the boat. The captain also did not offer any assistance. I found the crew member extremely insensitive, crude and arrogant. I will file a formal complaint for false advertisement. In short, if you are a non-swimmer, do not spend $100.00 for a rough boat ride, 30 gms of chips and a can of...

Though the snorkeling at Captain Cook is excellent, I was disappointed with this trip. In short, not enough snorkel time, misleading directions and confusion. I tried contacting the company and left 2 messages prior to booking, so I could make certain that the trip would suit my needs. No one ever called back. By the time I needed to finalize my decision, this tour was pretty much the only available one left for the day I needed it. I booked it, and was immediately surprised to discover that it was not leaving from Keauhou Harbor. I specifically wanted that harbor for a shorter ride and longer snorkel, to keep the chances of one of my kiddos getting seasick. The website clearly states "Public meeting place Keauhou Harbor". Nope. But the tickets are non refundable, so I was stuck. We followed the email and text instructions of how to meet up for the trip (at the bathrooms), but no one showed up at the appointed time. Finally we realized they were at the boat. By the time we got to the boat, there weren't enough normal seats for my family to sit together. We had to sit at the back, which isn't the right place for a potentially seasick kid. My biggest disappointment was that only 45 minutes were allotted for snorkeling. Most tours allot 1 hour or even 1.5 hours. 45 minutes is definitely not enough to explore that area. We felt really rushed. Had anyone answered the phone in the days prior, I would've known. Finally, I wouldn't call this a "cruise" by any stretch. While I appreciate the smaller size of the crowd, the boat wasn't anything fancy. I think they gave out fun cans of juice but didn't offer any to us when we were the last people back...