Big Island of Hawaii Boat Tours

20/10 — One of the Most Incredible Ocean Experiences We’ve Ever Had!I honestly don’t know how to give Scott, Kate, and Kona Ocean Adventures enough stars for the experience they gave us tonight. Five stars doesn’t even come close. This was a 20/10 experience from beginning to end.We booked their private sunset snorkeling trip, rustic dinner, and nighttime manta ray experience, and the entire evening was absolutely incredible.A little perspective: we’re from Florida, we’re scuba divers, and we spend a lot of time in and around the ocean—so it takes quite a bit to really blow us away. Scott and Kate absolutely did.The sunset snorkel alone would have made the trip worth it. We saw an unbelievable amount of marine life—puffer fish, purple tangs, yellow tangs, unicorn tangs, blue boxfish, angelfish, foxface, all kinds of wrasses, urchins and so much more.And then there was the monk seal.A HUGE monk seal came right up between the boats and literally used the line between them to brush her teeth! 😂 We just sat there watching her work the rope through her mouth like dental floss. It was one of those completely unexpected wildlife encounters you know you’ll be talking about for years.But somehow the night was just getting started.The nighttime manta ray experience was absolutely unreal.We had at least SIX different manta rays swimming with us, and when I say close, I mean INCHES FROM OUR FACES.They came straight toward us and did barrel roll after barrel roll directly underneath us. At times they were so close you could look straight into their mouths as they rolled beneath you. They actually made physical contact with us multiple times as they passed.We have video of it, and even watching the video doesn’t completely capture what it felt like to actually be there.There were moments when you’re floating on the surface, looking down at these enormous animals coming straight toward you, and your brain is telling you there’s no possible way they can get any closer—then they roll at the last second and pass just inches underneath you.Again. And again. And again.It was spectacular.What really made the evening, though, was Scott and Kate. A private charter is supposed to feel different from being shuffled through a big commercial tour, and this absolutely did. They made the entire evening personal, relaxed, fun and memorable. You never felt rushed or like you were just the next group being moved through an itinerary.The sunset, snorkeling, dinner, wildlife, manta rays and the personal attention from Scott and Kate all came together into one of those rare vacation experiences that completely exceeds what you thought you were booking.We’ve done a lot of ocean activities and diving over the years, and this is easily one of the coolest marine experiences we have ever had.If you’re coming to Kona and considering a manta ray trip, do yourself a favor and book the private experience with Kona Ocean Adventures. Especially if you want something more personal than a large-group excursion.Scott and Kate — thank you for an absolutely unforgettable evening.We came hoping to see some manta rays.We left having watched at least six of them barrel roll inches from our faces, had a monk seal stop by to floss her teeth, saw an incredible variety of Hawaiian marine life, and made a memory we’ll be talking about for the rest of our lives.Five stars isn’t enough. 20/10. Absolutely phenomenal. 🤙🌅🌊🤿

Amazing, incredible, fun, beautiful!!! Brian and Tracey were amazing! The best experience so far on the Island and best fishing experience ever! We caught sooooooo many fish, including a 20lb Wahoo! Don’t waste your time going elsewhere🐟😍

We dove with Kona adventures in January and then again this week in July and both experiences were top-notch. They were friendly professional and accommodating. Both dives we saw Tiger shark turtles eagle rays rock fish and all the other animals of the sea. This trip we got to jump into a pot of dolphins and swim with them for a little bit. The post refreshments have never been better. Highly recommend this group.

This was a very fun family event with snorkeling and having dolphins swim next to us and behind us. The snacks were tasty. Highly recommend!!

So much fun! Had a great day on the water with Kihe and Erika showing us all the great fishing spots off the coast. Caught lots of fish and just had such a nice time hanging out and relaxing. Highly recommend this charter!

We had a lot of fun and our captain and guide were awesome …knowledgeable, safe and fun. The fish we saw were beautiful and so colorful ! They were a great team. We had mostly older teens, young adults but the youngest was 4 years old and parents in their 50s…so they knew how to make it fun for all of us! Perfect lunch when we were out snorkeling before our boat ride back .

Brian and Neil were amazing we got to catch three Marlins, see some whales, and a shark. It was a very good experience I would definitely do it again. Mahalo Brain and Neil.

A Christmas Eve to remember! I took my family out for a day of Sportfishing while in Kona with Bite Me Sportfishing and Wow did we have a blast!Captain Brian Harnden and Mate Darin Castoro really know their stuff! we went for the full day trip, left the dock at about 6:30am and by 7:30am my wife was into the first Blue Marlin of her life. What a thrill! Brought it to the boat, and released the 160lb (ish) beauty! But that was just the beginning.Next up in the chair was our daughter and within the next hour she hooked up with her first Striped Marlin, about 65 pounds. We boated that fish and split the meat with the crew. We ate some last night, fabulous!After a few more hours of “mowing the lawn” looking for a fish, as luck would have it, the best fish of the day struck! Our son was in the chair and did a great job controlling his first Blue Marlin. We were able to bring that 250lb. beauty to the boat where Darin was able to tag and release it.All in all, Captain Brian and Mate Darin were terrific, very positive and super professional.Our family will never forget this adventure and can’t wait to do it again!

The captain and crew were amazing. very helpful, accommodating and professional. The crew went out of their way to make sure we had every chance possible to have a successful trip.

Best fishing charter yet! Brian and cam are definitely the guys I want to go with again! Saw pilot whales, tons of porpoise and a sea turtle at the end! Not to mention the fish!! Got one beautiful tuna and 2 marlin at the same time but lost one! Definitely worth the full day! Cam, you the man! Thanks for helping get that big fish in

We worked with the company to do a special booking of this, and did a 3 hour private sunset cruise. We didn't do a lot of the exciting stuff that others might do because my wife isn't a swimmer, so we sailed around, so some wild life from the boat, and caught an amazing sunset. They cut us a deal by making it a bit shorter than normal, picked us up at our resort, and served us food and wine on the boat. It was a gorgeous trip for our anniversary. Raj and Hanna were our captains and were both extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and did a great job at making the night special for us. We caught about the most gorgeous sunset I've ever seen, and saw some nice wildlife along the way.

The private Manta snorkel event was so much fun. My entire family went and it was fantastic. Captain Scott was super friendly and was very knowledgeable when my kids asked questions. He brought a book and showed us photos of all the creatures we were about to see. Our guide Kate made the snorkeling experience effortless. Anytime we lost a noodle she would swim over for us and retrieve it. She was able to identify all the creatures we saw which elevated the experience since we knew what we were looking at. Seeing the manta rays were breathtaking. At one point we had three of them all belly rolling around us. It was so much fun we will definitely do it again soon.

So much fun!! Snorkeling tour with Ula and Elawo was top notch! They were very professional and accommodating. Helpful and service oriented. Great crew!The snorkeling in Captain Cook’s Bay was so amazing! So many different kinds of fish. Easy swimming in a protected bay. Great history lesson afterwards. And we got to see a mother whale breach and make a huge splash showing her calf how to do it. Literally 100 yards from the boat. It was incredible! Dolphins also swimming with us too. Wow!The lunch afterwards was delicious! And getting to cliff jump off “The End of the World” was really cool! As was viewing Pele laying by the sea.Highly recommend!

Our experience with Ocean Blue Kona was absolutely top-notch! They crafted a perfect pre-sunset private cruise for our family, complete with snorkeling in the stunning Captain Cook Bay. We enjoyed a delightful charcuterie spread and a selection of both adult and soft beverages while taking in the serene beauty of the bay. The evening was capped off with a breathtaking sunset on our way back, making it an unforgettable adventure.

We had 16 people in our extended family group so the most economical was the private boat charter. What a great experience. The family, our kids, spouses, and 8 grandchildren had a blast. I would call directly to book. Saving some online fees. Stopped at another snorkel spot on the return trip. Great captain Aiden and first mate. Lots of snacks, drinks and lunch.

Had so much fun on the water yesterday with Kevin and Mahina! Kevin was so knowledgeable about all things fish and islands. We got to some great snorkel spots, saw a lot of beautiful fish and reef, and saw a pod of dolphins swimming right next to the boat. They provided great lunch and drinks (the fresh sourdough was amazing). They were so easy to book and talk with about trip details. I will definitely be back!