Big Island of Hawaii Cruises, Sailing & Water 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. 🤙🌅🌊🤿

My family and I had such an incredible day on our private fishing charter. We caught 9 fish! Brian and Tracy are wonderful guides. 100% recommend.

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 thoroughly enjoyed our private boat trip with Captain Chad’s Charters on the Big Island. These guys know their stuff! We snorkeled beautiful reefs, saw dolphins and turtles and loved the snacks, especially the fresh pineapple! We were very comfortable on the boat and we were able to choose our activities. We much preferred this trip to one of the more commercial snorkeling trips with lots of people and booze. This felt intimate and you can tell they really aim to please! Book with Captain Chad’s on your next visit to Hawaii- well worth every penny!

We had the best experience! the crew was outstanding and friendly - made our time together such fun. we caught a 30lb Ono so everyone was happy!

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!!

Went to two amazing snorkle spots and saw SO much! Channing and Tepo were great! Super friendly and knowledgeable. The reefs were beautiful. Such a cool experience!

Our 6-hour charter with Ocean Kona Blue Boat Tours was the highlight of our Hawaii trip! Captain Kevin and Maddie were incredible—attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely caring, especially when one of our boys got a little seasick. Every one of us caught fish, the snorkeling was fantastic, and Maddie even found beautiful shells for the kids to take home. Lunch was delicious, and we got to watch a pod of dolphins while we ate-so cool! Kevin was upfront about the rougher seas that morning and offered to refund the trip if we weren't comfortable sailing, but he made the entire experience safe and memorable. They truly treated us like family and gave us great recommendations for the rest of our time in Kona and on Maui. Our four boys are still talking about it!

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 .

Captain Kevin and first mate Traci were fantastic! We enjoyed our day on the water snorkeling, enjoying delicious sandwiches with homemade sourdough bread, and relaxing to a beautiful Hawaii sunset. If you want a 5 star day on the water in Kona, Ocean Blue is the way to go! From the perfect snorkeling in Kealakekua bay (Captain Cook’s) to spinner dolphins to sandbar sharks, this day boating had it all!

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!

Family of 5 went with Captain Kevin and I would absolutely recommend to my family and friends. A must do! Excellent for beginners, intermediate or advanced fishers alike. Adult and kid friendly. Memories have no price. This is 💯 worth every penny. Don’t take it from me, try it yourself.

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.