Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park — Attraction in Hawaii

A gorgeous little bay by the Captain Cook monument! We were told by our guide, JC of Captain Zodiac tours, that Pixar sent its animation crew here to get inspiration for Finding Nemo. You can totally see how that’s true here! The water is very shallow near the coastline, but then there is a sudden “drop” to pretty deep levels (1000 ft if I remember right).

I saw a crazy number of different fish, of all different shapes, colors and demeanors. I couldn’t help but imagine them having personalities, just like in the movie. My favorite were the cheerful, carefree schools of yellow tang and the elegant but cautious coronetfish. You need to be careful not to snorkel too close to the coast as the water does get pretty shallow and you don’t want to touch the coral or the rocks. (Coral scrapes are itchy and not fun!) Also, you should be able to see a pod of spinner dolphins in this area - yes, they do spin in the air and put on quite a show! If I recall correctly, the dolphins like to come to the bay to rest as the more shallow water helps them to keep track of any predators that might be around.

I highly recommend doing Captain Zodiac’s “Beat the Crowd” tour as I can imagine it getting pretty crowded and less fun to explore if there are more boats around. Plus, JC retold the story of how Cook and his crew landed in that very area and their first pleasant and then not-so-pleasant interactions with the Hawaiian people. It’s one thing to read or watch the story online, but so different to be right there, seeing where exactly everything must’ve taken...

Great hike and nice reef but you'll be sharing the bay with noisy boats and snorkelers on pool noodles (it was like noodle soup).

It took me 50 mins to get down and 1 hour to get back up, but I'm a seasoned hiker and I go pretty fast, it gets steep near the end and you'll be hiking on loose volcanic rock. So adjust expectations on time depending on your experience. It was definitely sweaty on the way back up! You'll need good hiking shoes/boots with grip or guts if you go in sandles.

This was quite disappointing for me, while the reef is quite large with a gorgeous drop off, no sooner had I arrived (just after 9:30am), the morning boats and kayaks turned up and the bay was flooded with people. One boat put on pumping music and had their customers high diving off the boat, yelling and shrieking with each jump. A rather beautiful, serene area suddenly transformed into a frat party. After one swim/snorkel and getting rammed into/kicked, I packed up and left as I felt it was rather spoilt by this.

I guess if you want to enjoy the beautiful area for what it is, go early like another reviewer said - like turn up at 6:30-7:00am and avoid the people and sun. Otherwise if you don't care about peace and quiet then you'll love it and probably want to spend a...

Best place I found for kids to see turtles in the shallows. The break-water lava corals keeps the bay calm allowing some great snorkeling, not so much for corals but the fish/turtles made me come back three times.

If it's a nice day the best time to swim is around 9am the water is crystal clear and stays that way most the day b/c of the protected bay doesn't stir up the sea bottom. Almost a must if you have kids. Great for snorkeling, not for scuba-too shallow. Bathrooms close, lifeguard and Sam Choys grille a short drive up the hill. By noon this area will be quite busy but still a great spot for swimming and snorkeling. Scubas head to city of refuge and enter from two step or better yet get a...