Underwater magic at Kealakekua Bay. A super-male parrotfish shines as yellow tangs and surgeonfish swim behind.
When you visit the Big Island of Hawaii, one of the must-do activities is to go for a snorkel. I would suggest going snorkeling everyday if you can. The waters are warm-ish, but super clear, with lots of coral, and tons of fish. One of the premier snorkel destinations on this island, is Kealakekua Bay. The reef here is very protected from the big swells that hit Hawaii, so the coral can grow to immense size. The number of fish here is mind-boggling. The waters are calm and very clear.
There are three ways to access Kealakekua Bay. The most hard core is a 2.5 mile hike down 800ft from the village above. The hike down is not bad, but many people get hot and dehydrated on the way back up. The second way is to rent a kayak from across the bay, in Captain Cook area. You can kayak across to the snorkel site and possibly see dolphins on the way. I like this method a lot, unless its windy. The third option is the most luxurious, and the way we did it today. This is arriving by snorkel boat, and being able to just slip right into the water by the reef.
Kealakekua is not just a great snorkel spot, but the area is both historically important and culturally important. It was the site where Captain Cook became the first westerner to set foot onto the islands. It is also the spot where a few months later, Captain Cook was killed. Right on the shoreline next to where we now snorkel. There is a tall, white monument set up for Captain Cook, which stands overlooking the bay. Even before this historical event, Kealakekua was known as the 'Pathway to the Gods.' This is where many important Hawaiian chiefs were buried, at least their bones. This is where they would take the leap to the afterlife.
So it was with deep respect and excitement that we jumped in the water here. And now you get to come along for the adventure through all the photos.
I rarely see these rock mover wrasse, and this was the best picture I could get of it.
Another rare sighting, barred jacks congregating over the shallow reef. They looked like they were displaying some mating behaviors, as opposed to looking for a quick snack over the reef.
A moorish idol looking beautiful down by an underwater cave.
Another super-male parrotfish showing off its beauty.
My group, swimming over the shallow reef.
So many fish here at Kealakekua Bay.
This part of the bay is my favorite spot to start our snorkel. It is shallow, with coral and fish right in your face.
We had very good water visibility here, which is the norm for the Kona coast of the Big Island. It is what makes this such a great snorkel destination.
One of our guests, Taryn, putting her freediving skills to the test.
Two oval butterflyfish pecking off little bits of food from the reef. We have lots of butterflyfish species here in Hawaii. Many, like these oval butterflyfish, are monogamous, and will swim around as a pair.
I had to work hard to get a good photo of this lined butterflyfish. Out of all the islands we go to on this trip, it is only on the Big Island where I can find this species.
This picture was supposed to be of the rarely seen saddleback butterflyfish in the background. The two ornate butterflyfish in front photobombed.
An orange-spined unicorn fish swims away as a surgeonfish and pufferfish glide over the coral.
There were lots of great parrotfish sightings on the reef here. I watched several of them take chunks out of the coral.
It got a little overcast and a little chilly in the water during our snorkel, but everyone still enjoyed it immensely.
A lot of people will mistakenly refer to this snorkel area as 'Captain Cook', because of the Captain Cook monument seen here. However, Kealakekua Bay is the actual name.
The reef here looked very healthy. Definitely worth a visit!
What fish will we see today?!
Lots of fish!
These are mostly brown surgeonfish, schooling over the reef.
We enjoyed very calm ocean conditions here under the massive cliffs of Kealakekua Bay, perfect for exploring the underwater world by snorkeling.
At one point, I found myself completely surrounded by this dense school of goatfish.
Another rarely seen butterflyfish species, the saddleback butterflyfish.
One of our photographers, getting down close to the coral for better pictures.
I always like trying to get this angle, looking up at a school of fish, where you can also see the smooth calm surface, but from underneath.
An unusually white Stout Moray. I thought maybe I had found something very unique, so I sent this picture off to a Hawaiian fish expert, he confirmed that it was just a stout moray with a rare color variation.
Another view of the saddle back butterflyfish.
I ended the snorkel with this big white-mouth moray eel. Other people were scared to get close, but I got very close to get this shot.
As always, keep traveling and keep posting!
- Dai Mar