Premium Kona Coast Morning Snorkel

Best snorkel ever!! Crew was great😎 We enjoyed the snacks and lunch that was included. Our captain shared the history surrounding the area and made the entire excursion very memorable.

A great tour with a great crew. Natalie and Ali really know their stuff. The snorkeling was fantastic and we made a lot of other interesting stops along the way. The small group size made it really fun. Spinner dolphins were a bonus!

2nd time on the Big Island and tried SeaQuest over the snorkeling guide we used previously. Absolutely the right choice, smaller group size, top notch, clean and well equipped boat with great snorkeling gear, Captain Kevin and Allie were awesome hosts showing us the best of the coast, history and geography

We absolutely love Sea Quest’s Premium Day Snorkeling trip with three stops. We have now done this tour twice, and we already plan to do it again when we return to Kona! Our guides were fantastic! Ali was wonderful, friendly, helpful, and made the day even more enjoyable. Our captain was also excellent—knowledgeable, fun, and clearly very experienced on the water. I believe his name may have been Kevin, but regardless, the entire Sea Quest team did a great job making everyone feel comfortable and ensuring we had an amazing day. Each stop offered something different, and we had a blast at all three locations. We were lucky enough to see Hawaiian green sea turtles and even a Hawaiian monk seal, which was such a special experience. Seeing one of these rare animals in the wild was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. The final stop at Captain Cook was amazing, as always. The water, scenery, and snorkeling there are absolutely beautiful, and it is one of those places we never get tired of visiting. Sea Quest also does a wonderful job with the food. The fresh fruit snacks were delicious, and the catered lunch was very tasty and perfect after spending so much time in the water. And the chocolate-covered macadamia nuts for dessert were such a fun treat! Between the incredible guides, beautiful snorkeling locations, wildlife, coastline, great food, and three different stops, this really is a full Big Island ocean adventure. We have done this tour twice for a reason—it is absolutely worth your time and money. We will definitely be booking it again when we return to Kona. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! 🐢🌊🤿🌺

We had an absolutely wonderful experience on Sea Quest’s Premium Morning Snorkel Tour! Bea, our captain, and Chloe were fantastic. They were knowledgeable, professional, friendly, helpful, and made me feel completely safe and comfortable in the water. They truly went above and beyond to make the experience special. Honestly, I can't think of a single thing they could have done to make the experience any better. It was a 10 out of 10 experience and one of the highlights of my trip to Hawaii. I hope to come back and snorkel with them again!

BEST SNORKEL ON THE BIG ISLAND! Captain Skyler took my lady and I on the best snorkel trip we have ever had. His knowledge of the island, its history, and best spots to go was top tier. My only regret is that we did not book the manta rays with him and sea quest. Highly recommend sea quest and ask for captain skyler as he made an already good trip, the greatest.

We enjoyed the boat trip and snorkeling. Not sure the Capt. Cook site is as good as reviews report, but there were enough fish to make it worthwhile. The driver and guide were wonderful, interested in their guests, fun, and knowledgeable. Toward the end we all got to jump off the boat. Great fun-the kids thought it was a highlight. Nice touch to have fruit snacks and cans of soda and fruit drinks. We recommend this snorkeling trip ( 2 hours in the am) as a great intro to Hawaii Big Island snorkeling.

Trip was great! saw lots of beautiful reefs and fish!

Great snorkel experience with Seaquest. Captain Mike and Brooke were great on the tour taking care of us and giving us information on Hawaiian history. We intentionally booked a small tour to be able to explore the coastline and avoid a crowded boat. This trip delivered; we ended up having the boat for just us. The snorkeling stops were awesome. Clear water and lots of fish, like swimming in a fish tank. The coral reef was healthy. Highly recommend the Premium Snorkel Tour through Seaquest.

This was a beautiful and amazing excursion. Well worth the price. The captian (Kevin) and our guide (Anna)gave us some great info about the areas and were very friendly. They also helped us to remain in safe and easy areas near the protected reefs that we snorkeled. Anna helped with all of the gear to make sure we had clear views in the water. The return trip follows closely to the beautiful coast line which made this so unique. Highly recommend this tour. The food was all tasty and local Hawaiian brands.

My family had a great time snorkeling. It was our first time and the overall experience was great! Our captain, Skyla, is very cool. The lunch was great! We got to see dolphins on the way back. The boat ride was not bad at all.

Thanks so much to Mike and Ally for showing us such a great time snorkeling. We got a phone call the day before that our original booking didn't have enough people so Seaquest offered us to either book for a different day or to upgrade us to the longer trip free of charge. We decided to upgrade and what a great choice that was. We stopped at three different spots to snorkel and the snorkeling was great. We got to see a seal and several turtles in addition to all kinds of fish, which was awesome. Mike stopped the boat numerous times to explain various historical and island facts along the way, which were great too. Just the right amount of content to break up the trip a little bit also recognizing that we are they're to snorkel. Lunch was also quite good, sandwiches, fresh fruit, chips, local chocolate and local macadamia nut cookies. All in all, we're super glad we went with Seaquest over one of the larger boats. This was much more personal and special.

If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would. Tour was informative, friendly, and so much fun. Family friendly, smaller vessel, yummy snacks and lunch. Captain B, Brooke, & Oliver were very knowledgeable and did an excellent job keeping everyone entertained and safe. Highly recommend!

This tour exceeded our expectations! The guides pointed out so many interesting coastal features, telling us the history and lore behind many of the features. And the snorkeling was beautiful! We went to two sites and saw so many varieties of fish as well as a sea turtle!

We have done other snorkel trips and this one was less than ideal. There were no bathrooms for this 4.5 hour trip and that was unexpected. We were told to go in the ocean. There was also very little since to sit. We did see beautiful fish, though, but the accommodations were not as expected for the “premium” trip

This is a great tour! You have yummy snacks and what I would call a big sandwich with drinks & chips. The captain was very knowledgeable and helpful. Definitely worth it

Seaquest reached out to us the day before to coordinate sandwich selections and make sure we knew how to find them. The directions on where to park were great, we smoothly got sized for our add-on wet suits and onto the boat without much hassle. That’s saying something since we have 3 kids, age 7-12. The boat captain and team member were amiable and kind, clear with safety and expectations or plan at each stop. Full of fun educational info that my kids loved. The snorkeling was great, too! We used noodles to float and our smaller group size (12-16?) made it feel like we were truly being safely monitored. The wetsuits were worth the extra to keep the kids going longer in the water. Snacks/lunch helped keep them fueled as well. The boat design with the awning was super helpful to provide some shade! Overall, great experience, highly recommend.

We had an awesome time. Great value for the money! Two 40 minute snorkel stops with plenty of fish. Sea Quest personnel Michael and Taven were helpful and fun. On the way back to the pier we had several bottle neck dolphins following and alongside the boat. Michael took the boat up to several sea caves. Would definitely do it again.

This was Great. Small boat, small group. So much better than the big boats with loads of people. Captain Mike and Brooke were awesome.

Amazing experience! The reefs and fish were beautiful and our tour guides were very fun and helpful! The boat ride is long and bouncy, so beware of motion sickness if susceptible. I also highly recommend reapplying sunscreen after the first round of snorkeling, as my whole back got very burned, despite having put on lots of sunscreen before the boat ride.

Absolutely amazing. The guides were incredible, the snorkeling was fantastic, even the food was good! Definitely would go again. HIGHLY recommend.

This tour exceeded our expectations. It was a relaxing experience without the usual stress of a tour. There was plenty of time to snorkel at each stop. Our captain Brenna said it was like being in an aquarium, and she was right.

This was my 2nd trip with SeaQuest in the last year and I would go again! The crew, Captain Mike and Mate Allie were fantastic. Mike was super knowledgeable about the history and took the time to visit and share stories that I asked about. The boat was comfortable, the food perfect for the experience, and the snorkeling was amazing! Couldn't have asked for a better experience.

We had an excellent morning with Sea Quest Hawaii on the Premium Morning Snorkel Tour. Although we did many excursions such as whale watching, night snorkeling with manta rays, volcano park, hiking waterfalls, and a helicopter tour, the tour with Sea Quest was our favourite. Unlike other excursions, the Sea Quest waiting area is not in a parking lot nor on the dock; it has a relaxing area with picnic tables to check-in. There were only six of us on the tour, which made it almost feel like a semi-private tour. As we were going to our snorkel spot, we spotted a whale breaching and tail slapping and our captain, Mike, was able to quickly go over for a closer look. Mike also spotted three bottlenose dolphins which approached the boat when stopped. Due to the style of the boat, we could almost reach out and touch the dolphins. Our first stop of the day was at Pu'uhonua O Hanaunau (Two Step) and the water was phenomenally clear! I discovered my new favourite fish, the parrotfish, which was so colourful it was almost unreal. After we finished our first snorkel, we were fed fresh fruit and drinks and proceeded to the well known snorkeling spot Kealakekua Bay (Captain Cook). Although the area was fantastic for snorkeling, it was crowded with other tour boats blaring their music, etc. My preference for snorkeling was Pu'uhonua O Hanaunau and we returned there independently later that week. After we finished our second snorkel we were provided with a hearty sandwich, snacks and drinks. We were able to observe the pods of spinner dolphins surrounding us. On the way back to port we were able to view the geological formations such as caves and lava tubes formed by volcanoes and the ocean. As it was a beautiful morning with relatively clam waters at low tide, along with the type of boat we were in, and our captain Mikes skills, we were able to actually enter some of the caves and get an up close look. Besides being a good navigator, Mike shows pride in the area and a love and respect for nature. As a cherry on top, we were able to see a turtle when exploring the caves. As a nature lover and someone who loves to snorkel, I would highly recommend going with Sea Quest on a tour for the above reasons and the fact it stops at two snorkeling spots instead of just one.

We hopped on board the boat with the B Team of Brooke and B today and absolutely loved it. We could tell they enjoy taking tourists out and sharing what they love about Hawaii. They were as excited as we were to see six whales on the way to our first snorkel location! Not only were these two ladies kind and professional, but they were also full of great information about the history of the island, the topography of the coral reefs we snorkeled, and the geology of the lava coast. They provided us with flippers, noodles, and snorkel gear. You could get prescription masks if needed. After our first snorkel location, we got back on board the boat and the Bs had snacks out for us to enjoy on the way to our second location. After the second location, they provided lunch for us... Sandwich, apple, veggies, chips, and a drink. It was a very unique experience where we got to see tons of colorful fish, sea urchins, and the reef. Outstanding day! Thank you, Brooke and B! We loved it!

Fantastic snorkeling sites and they accommodated a gluten free lunch. The guides were knowledgeable and even stopped to pick up ocean trash to save the whales.

Fantastic trip! Mike and Skylar were friendly and competent. Equipment is top notch. We enjoyed seeing all the fish and the spinner dolphins. Definitely recommend!

Kevin and Ely took us on a gorgeous morning from Keauhou Bay down to the Captain Cook Monument at Kealakekua Bay, and Honaunau Bay. Brilliant snorkeling at both sites. A very tasty lunch after our second dive, and whales on the way home. What could be more perfect? Kevin and Ely are terrific and knowledgeable and great hosts. Highly recommended! Thanks guys!

My wife and I went on the Premium 5hr south kona snorkel trip. The check in was super easy and they had everything you might forget. The crew was extremely friendly and helpful. The Boat was comfortable and clean. The boat crew were very helpful through out the trip and shared a lot of good information and history as we were on the tour. The snorkel spots were great and full of cool fish. The boat provided fresh fruit between the snorkels and a good sandwich and fruit after the snorkels. The boat we went on had 14 people and there was plenty of space on the boat. This is a great excursion for families or couples.

We had a great time out with Captain B! On our way to the first snorkel spot, we were able to spot a humpback mother and baby and hung around for fit to watch the baby breach nearby a few times. Then a pod of bottle nose dolphins made their way over to say hello. It was fantastic. Our two snorkel spots were full of fish and coral. Swam with a turtle. Could not have asked for more! Captain B is a great communicator and navigator. We learned a nice amount of history, felt very safe on the boat and had the best morning. Highly recommend.

Mike and Allie were fantastic. The boat trip was amazing—at first we were a little unsure about the smaller boat, but it ended up being an absolute blast. We saw whales and dolphins, and the two snorkel sites were incredible, with vibrant fish and beautiful coral. We couldn’t have enjoyed our time more. Highly recommend booking this experience!

In our party of seven, five had never snorkled before. That was happily no problem with this small SeaQuest trip! There were about 15 people + crew on the boat. We enjoyed the exciting boat ride to the first destination -- the captain checked in regularly to see that everyone was doing fine and to provide context for the trip, especially geography and historical context. The captain and crew took good care of us -- storing bags and shoes, serving fruit, cookies, and non-alcoholic hawiian-made beverages, water, storing our flippers etc between swims, giving us freedom to move around when safe to see/get better photos, providing a 'dry box' for phones, sunglasses etc when we were in the water, great equipment (dry snorkels), help knowing what's safe and what to watch out for -- for us, the reef, and nearby kayakers, and telling us about history and culture here and there. They also provided a fish and coral identification guide (that I wish I had saved the qr code for) that was helpful for identifying what we were seeing. The captain and crew were patient with and seemed to enjoy the multiple young, chatty and enthusiastic children on their 9-day old! boat. The snorkeling was of course a highlight. An unexpected and very large pod of spinner dolphins was also a delightful interruption, the careful/caveated story of Captain Cook was appreciated, and a close up look at various and gorgeous coastal sea caves, blowholes, and lava tubes made the trip back to port a beautiful close. Logistics there and back required some planning as we were on an NCL cruise and there is no port pickup/dropoff. But, it is possible if everything is on time!! We booked the 9am tour (arrive 15 minutes early) even though our cruise ship was to dock at 730am with tender boats expected to first arrive to shore at 810am. We were in the earliest of tender boats, got in well before 810am, had time to get coffee, and were glad to have reserved ride-shares in advance. (810am and 2pm). It took about 20 minutes to drive there via Uber/Lyft. A fantastic day. We all slept very well afterwards!

This is a great operation. The small trip was wonderful. The driver and host were wonderful. And you can’t beat the location.

Exceptional as always with SeaQuest. We had some swells so captain Skylar made a decision to change the first snorkeling venue. I have been on boats where that doesn't happen and it is a disaster. The crew Michelle and Kortney were great also. Very attentive to us. The sandwiches were fresh and tasty. I will definitely go our with them again..... great trip. Boat was stable and we had one of the most amazing dolphin encounters ever right out of the harbor.... doesn't often happen, but made the most of it.

This was a phenomenal experience I would highly recommend . Both staff members were very personable and helpful, lots of interesting info was shared and they were organized with the gear. My knees aren’t what they once were and walking out of any decent sized surf after snorkeling isn’t practical any more - don’t trust the knees and don’t want to rip or break anything. This is the absolutely ideal option - the boat ladder extends in the water and is perfect to climb out of the water , especially as the staff take all your gear first . The snacks were good - fruit and cookies , various juices were provided and delicious sandwiches and fruit were provided for lunch . I don’t have a single suggestion for improvement. We lucked out with no ther boats at the locations so crystal clear waters for just us . Will most definitely be doing this again next year

Seaquest team upgraded our original tour to fill their morning boat. Captain Mike and Courtney were consummate professionals and treated us with above and beyond courtesy and patience--especially when I had some issues with the swells and the spouse had some minor issues with motion sickness. The stops and local history were also interesting as well. All in all we really appreciated the Seaquest crew and we highly recommend them!

We live here on Hawaiʻi Island and have taken many guests and friends on snorkel tours over the years. This was our first time going out with Seaquest, having usually selected a competitor tour operator. WOW! No need to say anything else…Seaquest will be our tour of choice from here on out! Excellent in every way!

Friendly, knowledgeable staff. Great locations for snorkeling. We would book with them again. Good food.

I've been on many dive and snorkel tours, but this may have been the best! Before we even left the harbor, we encountered a 10' manta ray! We then traveled for forty minutes along the Kona coast to our first snorkel site. Really clear water and some fish. After the snorkel, we were treated to a nice, unexpected fruit plate. After that, we moved along another section of the Kona coast, and our captain, Michael, navigated our boat into sea caves and provided the history of the area and the formation of the lava caves and lava tubes. We then snorkeled near the Captain Cook monument. This site had plenty and many different kinds of fish. Following the snorkel, we enjoyed a good lunch and a show from a spinner dolphin pod. On our way back to the harbor, Michael showed us more rock formations and described the coast. I didn't expect the nature tour along with the snorkeling. I would go again if I had the chance!

This is the best snorkel trip I’ve ever been on! Our boat captain, Mike, was personable and knowledgeable of the area. Imagine seeing the best aquarium you’ve ever seen in your life and you get to get into the aquarium…it’s that amazing! And it’s a small group, which makes things less hectic and more personable. I’d give 100 stars if I could!!

We went to two snorkeling sites: Hōnaunau (near Two Step) and Kealakekula Bay (Captain Cook Monument). Wonderful times both places. There were Aloha sodas, water and chips snacks, fresh fruit, sandwiches and chocolate treats. The captain and assistant were attentive and assisted everyone to make sure everyone had a good time. Snorkeling and safety tips and stories were shared as well as an appreciation of the fragility of the reefs. We had gorgeous weather too! 🌊🤿♥️

Our group of five (3 60+ and 2 30+) had a great morning of snorkeling off the Kona coast. Communication was good, the check-in and boarding process smooth and simple. Out on the water the captain and crew were great. They were very accommodating of the various levels of experience and skill within our group. The equipment was comfortable and functional, and the two spots we stopped were full of a wide variety of fish and sea life. Highly recommend.

Amazing. Very kind and knowledgeable tour guides. Communicative and took us to the best spots. We saw sea caves along the way and even a shark! Definitely an experience I will never forget. Couldn't recommend more.

We arrived at 8:45 for our excursion. We were on the boat by 9:05. Staff help you from the piier to the boat. They provided us with prescription snorkel masks in the shop. If you needed regular they are on the boat. We had an amazing time with Natalie and Katelynn. We saw sea caves and lots of the Kona coast. We snorkeled at 2 different locations and learned a lot along the way. Natalie was very knowledgeable and patient. We had a member of our party who had never snorkeled and they were very helpful. They gave great tips, showed us some of the creatures we might see and sprayed our masks. We had an issue with our boat and had to switch to another boat. She was able to move all of her stuff from one boar to the other while we snorkeled. They were extremely patient and made our day extraordinary. We saw two pods of spinner dolphins, a baby sea turtIe, lots of fish, an octopus, eels and more. Natalie and Katelynn were so fun. Natalie is an awesome driver!!! We had so much fun!! This 4.5 hour includes a sandwich lunch, water and snacks. I would highly recommend Sea Quest.

There were six of us, all family taking this amazing 5 hour trip! From San Diego & Kansas City. We had a nice canopy for some of us wanting less direct sun. We went to 3 amazing snorkel spots. Captain Skyler and Trayvon were amazing! Skyler can sure maneuver the boat and we learned a lot about the area. Tayvin was extremely helpful with our snorkel gear and any other needs we had. Lunch and snacks were yummy! Wish we had more time to do this trip again, but definitely next time we're out there. Thank you, guys!! We had the best crew!!

Our family of 5 loved the Premium Morning Snorkel. Our captain was MJ and "first mate" was Eli. We felt very safe on the boat, and they put our safety and comfort first. We had a nice fresh fruit snack after our first snorkel stop, and then later we had sandwiches, chips and fruit for lunch. Captain MJ could see that my husband was a little apprehensive, so he gave my husband a life vest to wear in the water which made all the difference in my husband being more comfortable and snorkeling with the rest of the family. When we went the last time it was October 2019, and on this snorkel trip in June the water was SO clear, and we saw an incredible amount of different fish. I appreciated the smaller group size. It was a perfect way to spend part of a day in Hawaii.

This was a fantastic snorkel trip!! We went out with Captain Skyler and Tayvin, who were both super friendly and knowledgeable. We have previously been out on larger catamaran boats so I was not sure how we would like the smaller boat - we had 9 guests on our boat and it was very comfortable and so much fun. Getting in the water from the side if the boat was fun and easy (even for the less adventurous person in our family), we went to two calm bays (Two-step and Capitan Cook), had plenty of time to snorkel, saw all sorts of amazing fish, they had a good snack and lunch and on the way back took us up to the coastline to see some really cool sea caves. If you are unsure if the boat size - we have done catamaran snorkels twice (and loved them) but the family said they liked this even better. It was a little bumpy but that was half the fun! We would 100% book this trip again.

We had a great snorkel tour to Puʻuhonua O Honaunau and Capt Cook Monument with Capt. Natalie and 1st mate Tavin(sp?). Saw lots of fish and coral at both locations and and a pod of spinner dolphins on the way back. With Seaquest being in Kealakekua Bay, the boat ride was fast to both locations so we had more time to spend snorkeling. The tour description online matched exactly what they provided. There were 16 people on our tour. The boat was full but not crowded. It had twin outboard motors with 300 HP, per Capt. Natalie, and was plenty powerful to get all of us to the snorkel spots and back. SQ provides shorty wet suits making snorkeling comfortable. The lunch and snacks were not fancy but plenty adequate. We were there for the snorkeling, not the food! Capt. Natalie was clearly very experienced and knowledgeable as a Captain, about the local area and Hawaiian history in general, as well as being very entertaining and an excellent all around Captain. Tavin is a local native Hawaiian and very experienced on the water too and took great care of us during the tour. As a native Hawaiian she also added her insights into the history and culture of the islands. Natalie and Tavin worked great together and were an excellent team. We would definitely highly recommend SeaQuest and Capt. Natalie and Tavin. Keep up the great work.

This was my 4th trip with Sea Quest! I love everything about them. They NEVER disappoint. This trip we had Captain Natalie, she was outstanding!! She was very knowledgeable, fun, kind and caring. The perfect mix. She even found us TWO diffrent pods of dolphins!!!! I enjoy the Premium morning Snorkel trip where they provide lunch. You choose the type of sandwich that you want and they have it for you,they're really good. Try Sea Quest, you'll love them!!!!