‘Travel Guide’ Big Island, Hawaii | Captain Cook Snorkeling 🐠🐬🐋

Aside from the manta ray night dive, another must-experience activity on Hawaii’s Big Island is the Captain Cook snorkeling. We went with Sea Quest Hawaii and had an amazing time, and we were super lucky 🤞 to see not only a variety of tropical fish 🐠 but also dolphins 🐬 and humpback whales 🐋. ⏱ Duration: The total experience was about 3 hours, with a 30-minute boat ride to the snorkeling spot (Kealakekua Bay), about 1.5 hours of snorkeling, and a slightly longer return trip because we detoured to see sea caves and lava tubes 🌋. 💵 Ticket Price: We booked the Sea Quest Hawaii - Exclusive Captain Cook Snorkel Tour, which was $131 per person including tax. 🎫 How to Buy Tickets: Purchase through their official website. 🤩 Tour Introduction: Upon arriving at Kealakekua Bay, you can see the Captain Cook Monument. The captain will first explain the history of Captain Cook 👨‍✈️, a British navigator and cartographer 🗺️ who was the first European to arrive at the Hawaiian Islands. His exploration brought colonial influence and changed the lifestyle of many natives, and he was killed by local residents in 1779 due to conflicts. This bay is a snorkeling paradise on the Big Island, with countless fish 🐠 that left me dazzled. We visited around Thanksgiving 🦃, which coincided with the start of the humpback whale 🐋 migration from their feeding grounds in Alaska to their breeding grounds in the Hawaiian Islands. We saw several playing on the surface and a group of dolphins 🐬; the waves crashing against the volcanic rocks 🪨 on the way back was quite impressive 😱. 👍 Pros: I loved their inflatable speedboat 🚤, and the captain drove it pretty intensely, making the ride on the sea thrilling (probably because of the speed, I didn’t feel seasick at all). The crew was very friendly and gave detailed explanations, clearly loving their job, especially when I saw one of them taking pictures of the whales with a super telephoto camera 📷 - that equipment was awesome 🤙. After snorkeling, we were treated to drinks 🥤, fruit 🍍, and snacks 🍪. 👎 Cons: The only downside I can think of is that the wetsuits are not free, costing $20 each, but it’s not too bad since the morning sea water isn’t very cold. ⚠️ Friendly Tips: ①: Sunscreen must be reef-safe 🪸. ②: Be careful of your distance from the shore while snorkeling; a wave can easily push you into the rocks and cause scratches 🤕. #BigIslandSnorkeling #HawaiiBigIslandDolphinSnorkeling #HawaiiBigIslandWhaleWatching #CaptainCook #CaptainCookSnorkeling