Had a great time kayaking through Kealakekua bay with Evan and Steve and then snorkeling near Captain Cook's monument. This was our second time and it was just as fun, if not more! The early morning kayaking through the bay is soothing for the soul. We also got lucky and saw some dolphins. The snorkeling is out of this world with such clear water and variety of colorful fish of all sizes. Evan and Steve were both very attentive to all the kayakers and super knowledgeable as we learned a bunch about Hawaiian history, Captain Cook's arrival (and demise), and the lasting legacy of that episode on Hawaii's history. After all the snorkeling, the sandwich lunch hit the spot. It also came with a souvenir water bottle! I had a last minute dietary request and they graciously accommodated. Even though this was our second time, we still had fun and actually learned new details about the history and conservation efforts happening in the area! If you want a fun, yet respectful and ethical experience, this is it! read more

Picked up a paddle board this morning at kealakeakua. Todd (mustache man), best mustache I've ever seen, made it a smooth process and even helped us strap down the paddle board and got us all situated. He made sure we knew where we were going and we had an awesome time! Highly recommend Kona boys. read more

Grant was an awesome guide. Led the process from getting outrigger canoe from the beach into the water, explaining the proper technique, providing information about the location and directing the paddle experience. Saw a large pod of dolphins that swam right by us - we stopped to keep our distance, but the dolphins didn't follow the rules so we got an amazing show from them. Added bonus was the paddling workout. read more

Fantastic experience with Kona Boys for the Morning Kealakekua Bay Kayak & Snorkel Tour. When we arrived at the shop at 7 am for orientation, Frank was friendly and prompt with greeting us at the shop and giving the orientation talk, and Paul outfitted us with gear and made sure we knew how to get to the launch site. The shop dog and cat were also very friendly. Our guide for the morning was Grant, who was fantastic. He was engaging and extremely knowledgeable about the history, culture, language, geology, flora, fauna, and many other topics. He was also communicative, attentive, and helpful to other people. Overall, I liked that our early start meant that we arrived before the other large commercial boats did, so we got to enjoy paddling and snorkeling the bay with fewer people. I highly recommend Kona Boys as an eco-friendly option with top tier service. read more

We did a kayak excursion with Kona Boys and from start to finish it was an outstanding experience!!! When we checked in, we were greeted by two friendly staff members and as a bonus, Zena the doggo and Lover Boy the cat, which immediately set a relaxed, welcoming tone. Everything was clearly explained, including what to expect and who our guide would be and we were given easy directions to meet our guide at Kealakekua Bay. There we met Steve, who went over everything again and took exceptional care of us from the very beginning. He made sure we were comfortable getting into our kayaks and led us safely across the bay to the Captain Cook Monument. Safety was always his top priority, especially since the water was fairly bouncy the day we went out. At the same time, he shared fascinating historical information about the area, including Native Hawaiian history and the significance of the bay. Once we reached land, Steve explained exactly what would happen next and again made sure everyone was well taken care of getting out of the kayaks. I jumped right into the water and snorkeled for about an hour and a half, while Steve stayed back with my daughter, who isn't as much of a water baby as I am. If you've ever been to this spot, you know it's absolutely incredible. I've hiked down to the monument before but this was my first time kayaking in and I can honestly say this is the way to do it. Bring your snorkel gear if hiking. The water clarity is pristine and you'll see an amazing variety of fish, urchins, sea creatures and even dolphins if you're lucky. I personally saw a beautiful Abbott moray eel and my first crown of thorns starfish. After snorkeling, Steve provided us with lunch and shared even more history about Captain Cook and what happened there. When it was time to head back, safety was once again front and center as he helped us get back into our kayaks, guided us across the bay, and assisted us exiting at the end. Five stars all the way around. From the booking experience to the final exit from the kayaks, everything was handled with care, professionalism and genuine Mauna. I would absolutely do this excursion again and highly recommend Kona Boys to anyone visiting the area. read more

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Amazing time on the outrigger canoe excursion. Dolphins came right up to the canoe! Chase is a fantastic guide. read more

Kona Boys - Outrigger excursion - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Kealakekua, Hawaii

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Devin was our guide and has extensive knowledge of the history and love of Hawaiian culture and environment that he shares throughout the trip. The crystal clear water and abundant tropical fish, colorful coral and scenic views are a must to see. Kona Boys will let you experience something you can't see anywhere else. We highly recommend taking a guided tour with Devin to see for yourself what a beautiful place this is and create a life long memory. read more

Our guide Tommy was awesome!! We had a great time and learned so much history of the island! read more

Kona Boys - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Kealakekua, Hawaii

The Kona Boys (and gals!) created an amazing wa'a experience for us - thoughtful, easy, impactful. We've lived here 7 years, and still we learned a lot from Kiahe, our guide, about the waters, the history, and the traditional Hawaiian culture of paddling. It was very special to have this opportunity to learn about this beautiful culture and land, and we have made a memory that will stay with us forever. read more

Kona Boys - The Wa'a outrigger canoe - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Kealakekua, Hawaii

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Fantastic tour, informed guide, and incredible location. It was extra special and worthwhile to access the bay by kayak. Time on the water and then in the water is an awesome treat! Evan was a great guide!! read more

Super friendly and welcoming. We rented snorkel gear. They gave us an epic lunch spot recommendation.

Ted is the exact employee you hope for when renting equipment in a new place. So kind, very knowledgeable about the area, helped us get our kayak onto the car, and explained everything (how to clip in the seats, how to take apart the paddles and store them on the kayak, etc) without us needing to ask a bunch of questions. Kona Boys makes it very, very simple to get your rental and get going. Equipment was all in great condition and even comes with a dry bag AND a cooler. The biggest plus was that Kona Boys' is one of the few companies that is permitted for Kealakekua Bay/Capt. Cook- the rental company we went with first told us we could take out rental "anywhere", without telling us that "anywhere" didn't include the spot with the most amazing snorkeling on the island. The kayaks have permit stickers on them and Kona Boys sends you a copy of the permit to keep on your phone in case you need it. Return was easy! The entire experience was great from start to finish. read more

Great location and better service. Scheduling is simple; the coach for paddle boarding, Grant, was incredible. I was up and paddling after a brief orientation on the beach, and then into the water. I only wish I was a good a student as Grant was a coach; he taught me every thing I needed as a beginner, however, and I have the knowledge and confidence to continue with the sport. read more

Went out with Grant today and had a great time and seen so many dolphins. Grandkids were very excited and loved it.

Worth it, 100% get up early and do this tour. We had a fantastic guide, Grant. 10/10 would just hang out with him again but besides getting along with our guide this tour felt really special and we were beyond so informed about the area and the history and the wildlife. Very respectful and respectable guide. We lucked into being a very small group so we made good time getting across and got so much time to snorkel, could've stayed in there all day looking at coral and fishes and out on the kayak chatting about anything and everything. It was a dream, thank you Grant and Kona Boys. read more

100/5 stars for the Kona Boys! We loved our experience so much. Frank at the shop is wonderful. Cute little shop with a cutie little cat named Loverboy, just overall great vibe. Exactly the feel of people I was looking for to guide us on our kayak/snorkel journey. We had Evan who was GREAT! So friendly, so knowledgeable. Just all around 10/10 experience. Couldn't recommend them enough. If you we are ever back in the area, we will absolutely be back. read more

A+ experience with Kona Boys! My family and I did the Outrigger canoe (Wa'a) with Keahi on a Saturday morning and it was a blast! We canoed out quite a ways from the shore and were able to get views of the island that we wouldn't have otherwise gotten! While paddling we learning about the history of Wa'a and the island in general. Keahi is a great story teller. They were able to store our valuables in their safe in the back. And you also receive one hour of complimentary parking at the King Kamehameha hotel when you book with Kona Boys. Overall I highly recommend Keahi and Kona Boys for an excursion! read more

Spent Saturday morning doing an outrigger canoe ride (wa'a) with Keahi! I wasn't sure what to expect but Keahi was an awesome teacher guiding us through the ride and was an incredible storyteller too. It was such a great way to be out in the water learning about the history of Hawaii. I would absolutely do it again, highly recommend it! Logistics- you can park at the King Kamehameha Hotel and get 1- hour parking validation from Kona Boys (or park elsewhere downtown), the Kona Boys shack is by the beach that's connected to the hotel, wear something you are ok getting wet in, they have a safe for valuables, you will help paddle and it's super fun! read more

This was a fantastic trip with experienced guides in a very pretty part of Hawaii. We did the "midday meander" kayak trip to Kealakekua Bay which then stops for snorkeling. It is good snorkeling with a decent variety of tropical fish. We also saw several dolphins on the way back. Be aware that you are NOT allowed to exit the water to see the Captain Cook memorial directly. While other swimmers were doing that this trip does not allow that, which is fine but just needs to be made clear. The tour also includes a short discussion/lecture about what happened to Captain Cook. There is a moderate anti-colonialist bent to the talk, but not too strident. My only quibble is that the trip info could have been clearer about the food that was offered. The booking info said nothing about food but my guidebook (Fodor's) said that their tours include "lunch." I reached out about this specifically to the shop before the trip and was told that our trip would include a break for fresh-cut pineapple and meat sticks. We were indeed offered fresh-cut pineapple (that was delicious) but there were no meat sticks. I also might have appreciated a little more of a lesson on how to kayak for the beginners on our trip. No such lesson was offered but we didn't ask either as I felt like it would slow things down. read more

We did the Wa'a Hawaiian Outrigger canoe tour on one day and the Morning Magic kayak and snorkel tour another day. Both tours were amazing and provided so much Hawaiian heritage and culture. Our wa'a tour was with Keahi and he was a fabulous guide - providing so much Hawaiian information. We saw spinner dolphins and learned a lot. Our morning magic kayak tour was with Steve and Michael and they were amazing guides. I was somewhat unsure of my ability to get in and out of the kayak and they were super helpful and made me feel very safe and supported. The kayak trip was a fairly easy paddle across the bay (even for this inexperienced kayaker) and the snorkeling was spectacular. The lunch provided was great and I would highly recommend Kona Boys tours. All staff were incredibly helpful. read more

Kona Boys - Morning Magic kayak tour in January. - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Kealakekua, Hawaii

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We has a great time on the outrigger paddle trip we did through Kona Boys. Tommy was welcoming and encouraging. He had us paddling in unison in no time. Interesting stories, beautiful scenery and a good little work out. Mahalo! read more

We did two adventures with Kona Boys and were so happy with the experiences. They are kind, super knowledgeable guides who respect the Hawaiian history, lands and sea. We did the outrigger tour with Tommy O - what a lovely person, he gave us so much history of the area and was very engaging with our group. We also did the morning kayak to Kealakekua Bay and Captain Cook's memorial with Bamm and Ted. They provided snorkel gear and did all the kayak hauling for us. We just had to show up! They were also so great, kind and helpful. I felt super safe with them and they kept a good eye on us. They were super knowledgeable and respectful of the land and the fish/coral. We had a great lunch. Worth going early. These two tours were the highlight of our Big Island trip! read more

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Our Thanksgiving afternoon kayak and snorkel excursion to the Captain Cook Monument at Kealakekua Bay with The Kona Boys exceeded all our expectations. Evan was an exceptional guide whose genuine passion for the area shone through in every story and detail he shared. Throughout the journey, he enriched our experience with fascinating insights about Big Island culture, history, and ecology. This tour is an absolute must-do, and we're already planning to book with them again on our return trip Thank you. read more

Fabulous day in the bay today snorkeling and kayaking. The process was seamless and the guides were great. read more

Kona Boys - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Kealakekua, Hawaii

Our 1 hr paddle was a great trip led by a great guide, Tommy. Tommy paddles for one of the local clubs and taught about the history of the island, the basics and Hawaiian names of the canoe and paddling in general. We paddled out to where the large cruise ship moores, a good distance offshore. We did not see dolphins and was a bit early in the season for whales, but was amazing to see the island from the water in a relatively small canoe (6 person canoe). Would highly recommend and have always wanted to paddle an outrigger canoe! read more

Kona Boys - Tommy our paddling guide! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Kealakekua, Hawaii

Awesome kayak /snorkel adventure to Captain Cook. Seamless process from check-in to on the bay. Equipment provided was all top notch, and lunch as well. Evan shared his great wealth of knowledge and history of the area and sea life as we paddled across and was happy to offer any assistance if needed . Really appreciate the concern for the environment. Nice to be able to go ashore without the arduous hike. Definitely recommend! Kona Boys rocked it. read more

Our tour guide Grant was amazing. He sensed my apprehension as a calm water kayaker and gave me the confidence to try my skills on the ocean. It was a great paddle! Thanks- Anne from MN read more

Tommy is an excellent guide. He is super-friendly, knowledgeable, patient, and great host. It was just my wife, Tommy, and me on the big 6-person outrigger. He was a little worried at first, but we started paddling and we showed that we had canoeing experience, it was game on and we got the complete experience. read more

Such a great way to spend a morning. Evan is very well informed and has an amazing attitude. Highly recommend it! read more

This was a great experience, one not to be missed! Evan was our guide and he was friendly, knowledgeable and overall just a nice person to spend the afternoon with as he guided us through the history of this magical bay! Don't miss an excursion with Kona Boys, you will not be disappointed!! read more

These guys are great. If you want a snorkeling and kayaking experience near Kona try them out. No experience needed but helps. I recommend the morning slot as the wind can come up on the afternoon which can make paddling a little more challenging. read more

Kona Boys - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Kealakekua, Hawaii

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Great Outrigger canoe excursion with Ray. Had the whole family and really enjoyed the history of Hawaii we learned from Ray, our guide. Great to be on the water! read more

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Rented a board from Kona brothers. Flawless transaction, super friendly and happy to answer any questions. I ended up dinging the board, but felt the repair cost was fair. Excellent experience, highly recommended. read more

The Morning Magic kayaking was one of the best experiences of our trip to Kona. Grant, our kayak guide, was extremely knowledgeable and kept us safe and comfortable the whole time. Highly recommended! read more

They are organized and responsive. We had a great time with Evan who helped us into the water with our kayaks and gave us lots of interesting information on the history of the bay as well as the fish we were seeing. He was a great help at the Captain cook site also. Lunch was delicious. read more

Our family of 5 went on a kayak and snorkel adventure to the Captain Cook statue. Evan gave us an amazing time. He was very knowledgeable about the area, entertaining and helped us get going on the kayaks and in the water. I would absolutely recommend t this trip from Kona Boys, it is a highlight of our trip. read more

Our outrigger tour with Grant was fun and informative. Grant provided some basic paddle instruction before we set off and talked about history and culture of the Big Island while we were out on the water. He was passionate about both the sport of outrigger, protecting the ocean and reefs, as well as Hawaiian history which enriched the experience. read more

We did an outrigger canoe with Tommy and it was our favorite activity in Kona!!! Tommy did SUCH a great job of giving us a lesson in Hawaiian history/culture! We were even lucky enough to see a pod of dolphins up close and personal, as well as multiple whales on our tour. We will absolutely do this again, and specifically with Tommy next time we're there! read more

I don't usually give five Star reviews on things I do for the first time. I take my elite status on Yelp very serious and have learned from experiences that a 5 star rating can quickly change on the next visit. But I was truly enamored by Evan's (our tour guide) Aloha spirit and his down to earth personality. He was great with my 11 year old and told us such great stories about the Island's history. We booked the trip for 10/14/22 on Aloha Friday over the phone with Danny. If you have questions about the Hawaiian National Volcano Park, Danny is the person to ask-he gave me the run-down on that also. Check in was 11:30am at the Kona Shop which was off of Hwy 11 between marker 112 and 113. Danny gave me the actual address but my GPS wasn't picking it up so I kept my eyes peeled for the store and it was easy to find. At the Kona shop, I paid for the experience which was about $204 with tax. I mentioned Yelp and got an extra 10% off. Reyna helped us at the shop and said it was a must we use their equipment because our full masked snorkels were a problem to take off due to the suction should there be an emergency. I was a little confused by that, but I didn't ask questions. Looking back I wish I had taken my equipment because my snorkel mask kept leaking the entire time. Evan also confirmed that we could bring our own equipment. From the Kona shop to the snorkel area was an additional 15 min to get there. Evan was waiting there and introduced himself. He got us in some life jackets and situated us on the kayaks. Our guide was 100% competent in maneuvering the waters, knew the landscape and was completely knowledgeable in the Hawaiian culture. He is from Boston so he threw in some interesting facts about his hometown as well. Kayaking to the Captain Cook monument was an estimated 15 min but we took our leisurely time- we were lucky enough to have Evan all to ourselves on this tour. Side note: kayaking is tough and required more upper body strength than I last remembered. It had been awhile since I last rowed in a kayak. I have taken many snorkeling tours before but this was the first on a kayak and I was excited at the prospect of climbing up to the Captain cook monument. From his Kayak, Evan seemed to know every nook and cranny on the ocean floor and guided us on how best to climb the rocky wall to the monument. Several snorkelers saw this and asked Evan to help them with getting up the wall, too. After snapping a few photos of the defaced monument, we hopped back in the water for some more snorkeling time. Other boating tours give about 45 min of snorkeling time but Evan never made us feel rushed. We made our way back to shore at a nice pace pausing every now and then for Evan to point things out. My 11 year old hung on every word very Evan had to say about Hawaii- he couldn't wait to tell his friends back at home all that he had learned. All good things must come to an end. Evan did a feet first dive from the rocky area that was our take-off spot. He invited us to do the same. I felt a sudden surge of 20 year old courage soar thru these 40 year old veins and dove in the waters. My kid seeing what his dad had just done got up on the wall and dove in also. He was teeming with confidence from the dive and emerged from the waters giddy with excitement. Thanks to Kona Boys and especially Evan for the memories. Hope to have you as our tour guide when we come back again. Mahalo! read more

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It was so much fun and our guide was so informative about the history of the land. This was our second time doing this tour. We loved it so much last year we decided to do again this visit. read more

Kona Boys - View from the water on the outrigger. - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Kealakekua, Hawaii