All Reviews for Kailua-Kona

I was looking forward to the manta rays!! I thought the waves were rougher than I expected. I was moved to see several manta rays swimming gracefully, but it felt like we were luring them in with food... it was more like feeding them, so it was a bit different from what I had in mind.

But it was fun!

楽しみにしていたマンタ！！
思っていたより、波が荒いなと思いました。何匹か優雅に泳ぐマンタを見れて感動しましたが、餌でおびき寄せる感じで…餌付けしている感じだったので…ちょっと思っていた感じと違いました。

でも楽しかったですよ！

I joined a tour to see the stunning starry sky of the Big Island. After picking up guests from various hotels, we headed to the Onizuka Center. During this time, our guide, Jin, shared various interesting facts about the Big Island, making the journey enjoyable and entertaining. At the Onizuka Center, we had lunch and rented cold-weather gear, which included ski pants and jacket, gloves, and a hat. Being someone who gets cold easily, I wore a fleece over my T-shirt, applied a heat pack, and used the rented cold-weather gear.

We arrived at the summit a bit earlier than other tours, allowing us to use the restroom before it got crowded and wait in the best position. A sea of clouds spread out before us, with Subaru and telescopes from various countries in sight, creating a truly beautiful view. The sunset was breathtaking, with the colors of the sky gradually changing, which was incredibly beautiful.

Afterward, we moved to a different location for stargazing and observed the Southern Cross. Unfortunately, due to the full moon, a completely starry sky was difficult to see, but I was able to witness the moonrise for the first time. The red moonrise felt quite mysterious. Since it was close to a full moon, seeing the Milky Way was challenging, but instead, we were shown Saturn, and at the end, we got to see a "night rainbow," which left me very satisfied!

The guide's knowledge about astronomy was impressive, and it was evident that they put in a lot of effort to provide the best tour based on the moon, weather, and timing.

ハワイ島の満点の星空を見たくて、ツアーに参加しました。まず各ホテルでゲストをピックアップ後、オニヅカセンターに向かいます。この間もガイドのＪＩＮさんがハワイ島について色々教えてくれるので感心したり笑いながら楽しく過ごせました。オニヅカセンターでお弁当を食べて、防寒具をレンタルします。スキー用の上下、手袋、帽子、という感じです。寒がりの私はＴシャツの上にフリースを1枚羽織り、カイロを貼り、レンタル防寒具という具合です。
他のツアーよりも少し早めに山頂に着き、混み合う前にトイレを済ませ、ベストポジションにて待機です。雲海が広がり、その中にスバルや各国の望遠鏡があり、本当に素敵な眺めです。サンセットは感動的でした。空の色がだんだん変化していくのが、本当に美しかったです。
その後、星空観測のために場所を変えて、南十字星を観測。残念ながら、月が満ちていたので満天の星空は難しかったですが、月の出を初めて見ることができました。赤い月の出で、不思議な感じでした。満月に近かったので、天の川は難しかったですが、その代わりに土星を見せてもらったり、最後には『夜の虹』を見せてもらって、大満足でした！！
ガイドさんの天体に関する知識がすごいのと、月・天候・時期等に合わせたその時のベストなツアーができるよう努力してくれているのがとても感じられるツアーでした。

If you are staying at the Royal Kona Resort, you can also watch the show from the hotel balcony, poolside, or restaurant.
Kimura

ロイヤルコナリゾートに宿泊している方でしたら、ホテルのベランダ、プールサイド、レストランからも、ショーは見られますよ。
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　木村

Great guide
Best snorkelling
Best time
Loved and recommend to all
From Sydney ❤️Big island

We were blessed with good weather, and we were both very satisfied. It became a wonderful memory on the Big Island. I'm looking forward to the photos from the stargazing. Thank you very much.

天候に恵まれ、両方とも大満足でした。ハワイ島でのとても良い思い出になりました。星空観測の写真楽しみにしています。ありがとうございました。

This vacation we did both the stand up paddle board as well as the kayak adventures. We had a wonderful time and will definitely use this outfitter again.

My wife and I participated together. Due to traveling from Japan the day before, I was sleep-deprived, possibly because of jet lag, and ended up feeling seasick despite the boat not rocking much. I ate the breakfast bread served on board and saw dolphins from the boat, but other than that, I mostly slept.

However, my wife, who loves marine sports, was able to see several dolphins swimming very close by. When we anchored near a cape about an hour away from the pier in Kona, she was very satisfied as she used a snorkel to dive. It seems that for those who already enjoy marine sports, this tour offers a high level of satisfaction.

The staff, who at first glance appeared intimidating, were actually quite kind. While I was waiting for the restroom to become available on the boat, one of the staff quickly noticed and guided me to another restroom. Most participants were American families (Caucasian), but according to my wife, there was an elderly woman of Indian or Southeast Asian descent who seemed to struggle with swimming, yet the staff provided significant support for her diving experience. They are well-prepared to accommodate beginners. However, everything is in English, and they speak quite fast.

Since we were in open waters, there were concerns about sharks, but we were instructed to never stray far from the boat, ensuring safety.

So, originally, I would give this a five-star rating, but due to my seasickness, I have to deduct one star. Since it’s a morning tour, make sure to go to bed early the night before and get plenty of sleep.

妻と二人で参加しました。前日日本からの移動のため、時差ボケのためか寝不足のままツアー参加となり、大した揺れでもないのに私は船酔い。船内で出された朝食のパンを食べ、船内からイルカの姿を見た以外は、ほとんど寝ているという有様。
しかし、もともとマリンスポーツ大好きな妻は、すぐ近くで泳ぐイルカを何頭も見ることができ、コナのピアから1時間ほど船で移動した岬の近くに停泊したときには、シュノーケルを使って潜るなど、大満足。もともとマリンスポーツが好きな人には、かなり満足度が高いツアーのようです。
スタッフも一見コワモテに見えるお兄さんばかりでしたが、実際のところはかなり親切。私が船内のトイレが空くのを待っていたら、目ざとく見つけて別のトイレを案内してくれました。参加者のほとんどはアメリカ人（白人）の家族連れでしたが、妻によるとインドか東南アジア系の老婦人がいて、泳ぎが全くダメそうだったけどスタッフがかなりサポートして潜る体験もできたそう。初心者向けの対応もしっかりしています。ただし、全部英語です。しかもしゃべりが速い。
外洋なのでサメが怖いけど、船の周りからは絶対離れないようにとの指導もあり、安全性も確保されていたようです。
というわけで、本来星５つのことろ、私の船酔いのせいでマイナス１。朝出発のツアーなので、前日は早めに寝てしっかり睡眠をとりましょう。

We did the moonlight swim. The biggest manta ray was actually bumping some of the people in the water when she came up to eat the plankton that the lights attracted. We also saw so many fish. It was great. I would do this excursion again.

The weather was nice on the day, and I was able to have about four encounters, getting to see dolphins up close, which was very satisfying. It had been a while since I went into the ocean, but it was a valuable experience.

当日は天気もよく、4回ほどアタックしてもらえて、
全部でイルカを間近で見ることができ、大変満足できました。
久しぶりに海に入りましたが、貴重な体験ができました。

The tour was blessed with good weather, and we were able to see both the sunset and the starry sky beautifully. I was looking forward to downloading the photos taken by the guide later, but it's very disappointing that the server has been down recently and I can't access them. I hope they can resolve this issue soon so I can see those photos.

ツアーは好天にも恵まれ、サンセットも星空もキレイに見ることができました。
ガイドの方に撮ってもらった写真を後でダウンロードできるとのことで楽しみにしていましたが、最近サーバーダウン中で見ることができない点がとても残念です。
早くあの写真を見ることができるように対応に期待したいと思います。

The cruise was both pleasant and entertaining. It was a great way to cap off our last day in Hawaii.

The sunset from the summit of Mauna Kea was indescribably beautiful. I think it's worth seeing "the sunset sinking below the clouds" at least once! The starry sky was also easy to understand, and I was very satisfied to see the Milky Way and shooting stars!

マウナケア山頂からの夕日は言葉にならない程の美しさでした。「雲の下に沈む夕日」一度は見てみる価値があると思います！
星空は星の説明もわかり易かったですし、天の川や流れ星も見られて大満足です！

This was the most amazing trip ever! The canoe was perfect for my family as we all get motion sickness and everyone was fine but mom. It was a quick trip out and you are in the water immediately snorkeling with the manta rays. We had two that just kept coming straight towards our faces (one even brushed dad). It was the most amazing experience and our guides, Kat and Rob made the whole experience so pleasant. We highly recommend this trip!!!!

It was disappointing that the sea wasn't very beautiful due to the cloudy weather, but I enjoyed a relaxing cruise and snorkeling. You need to get to the meeting point on your own (I took a round-trip bus. I got a bit flustered when I mistakenly went to the wrong bus stop on the way back). The staff primarily speak English, but if you print out your reservation details and show them at the counter, it's fine even if you can't speak English (I can't speak it at all). Also, I forgot to make the pre-call by the day before, but it was no problem when I arrived at the meeting point an hour early on the day of the tour. There seemed to be over 50 people on the tour, and we were the only Japanese, but the local staff were very accommodating and seemed familiar with Japanese people, so there were no issues.

当日は曇っていた為、海がそこまできれいではなかったのが残念でしたが、のんびりクルージングとシュノーケルが楽しめました。
集合場所までは自力で行く必要があります（往復バスで行きました。帰りのバス乗り場を間違えてちょっと焦りました）。スタッフは基本英語ですが、事前に予約内容を印刷していきカウンターで見せれば英語が話せなくても問題ありません（自分は全く話せません）。また、前日までの事前電話を忘れてしまっていたのですが、当日1時間早く集合場所へ行ったら問題ありませんでした。ツアーは50人以上いたようで、日本人は自分たちだけでしたが、現地スタッフは非常に対応が良く、日本人にも慣れているようで問題ありませんでした。

I participated with my 81-year-old mother. I was nervous and worried about whether we could do it, but since we just had to hold onto the rope and float with the snorkeling gear on, we managed to experience it. The manta rays came close to us, and both my mother and I were thrilled.

A few points to note: the boat sways, so it's necessary to take motion sickness medication; after the experience, your wet body cools down quickly, so it's good to bring a bath towel and warm clothing; and since the swimsuit gets wet, having a change of underwear or clothes for the return trip is convenient.

I struggled a bit with putting on the snorkeling gear and had to keep putting my face in and out of the water, but I received solid support as a beginner. Thank you very much.

81才の母と参加しました。出来るかなと緊張し、心配していたのですがロープにつかまってシュノーケリングの器具つけて浮かんでいるだけなので何とか体験しました。マンタも近くに来てくれるし母も私もおおはしゃぎでした。
注意点はボートが揺れるので酔い止めが要ること、体験後濡れた体が急速に冷えるのでバスタオルと防寒具持ってくこと、水着が濡れるので帰りは下着など着替えがあると便利なことなどです。
シュノーケリングの装着が上手く出来ずしばらく顔をつけたり上げたりしてたのですが、初心者にもしっかりサポートしてもらえました。ありがとうございました。

It was amazing.
Just by floating with a snorkel connected to a surfboard equipped with LED lights underwater, four large mantas came to us.
My wife, who is a beginner swimmer, was able to enjoy it fully.
The mantas opened their large mouths to eat the plankton gathered around the blue LED light under the surfboard, passing just 5 cm from our noses.
Sometimes the mantas bumped into each other or touched our bodies, and we were incredibly excited by them.
It was definitely an event that made us want to come back again.

凄かったです。
LEDを水中に取り付けたサーフボードに繋がってシュノーケルを着けて浮かんでいるだけで、私たちの所に4匹の大きなマンタがやって来ました。
その為、水泳初心者の妻でも十分楽しめました。
マンタはサーフボード下の青色LEDの光に集まったプランクトンを食べるために大きな口お開けて背面で私たちの鼻先5cmを通り過ぎて行きました。
時にはマンタ通しがぶつかったり、我々の体に触れたりで、我々はそんなマンタに大興奮でした。
是非、また来たいと思えるイベントでした。

It was great to watch the sunset from the summit and take photos, and to enjoy the starry sky. I want to go again!

山頂から夕日が落ちるのを眺めて写真を撮り、
満天の星空を楽しめて、とても良かったです。
また行きたいです！

Sunset at Mauna Kea.
On the way, we enjoyed the fun stories from our guide and made a stop for photos. We had a delicious bento and miso soup at the Onizuka Center. As a souvenir, I bought a sticker with an illustration of the Subaru Telescope.
After getting acclimated to the altitude, we took commemorative photos in front of the Subaru Telescope. The sunset was incredibly beautiful... but it went by so quickly.

The night sky afterwards was a bit difficult to see due to the nearly full moon, but we were able to see the Southern Cross. We searched for summer constellations together and took commemorative photos... the pictures of the moon turned out beautifully.

It was a very fulfilling tour.

マウナケアでのサンセット。
道中楽しいガイドさんのお話と途中で下車して写真撮影。オニツカセンターでお弁当とお味噌汁を美味しくいただきました。記念にすばる望遠鏡イラストのステッカーを購入。
ゆっくり高地に慣れてから、すばる望遠鏡の前で記念撮影。サンセットはとても美しく…でもあっという間でした。

その後の星空は、満月に近かったため、一部星が見にくいところもありましたが、南十字星も見れました。夏の星座をみんなで探したり、記念撮影したり…月の写真はとてもきれいに撮れました。

とても充実したツアーでした。

I signed up for an early morning tour thinking I could make the most of my day. Since the hotel I stayed at was the Sheraton, Keauhou Bay was within walking distance. I later thought I might not have needed to bring a change of clothes since I returned after kayaking and swimming.

For the tour itself, there was one guide for the two of us. Since it was in Japanese, I felt the guidance was just right—polite but not overly strict.

Honestly, I didn't have the luxury of taking photos myself, so it was really helpful that the guide took pictures and provided us with the data.

I had a very enjoyable and refreshing time from the morning. Thank you very much.

一日を有効に使えるかと思い、早朝のツアーに申し込みました。
宿泊したホテルがシェラトンだったため、ケアウホウ湾は歩いて行ける距離、カヤックに乗って泳いだ格好で帰ったので着替えは持って行く必要なかったかも、と後で思いました。

ツアー自体は私達二人に対してガイドさん一人。
日本語だったこともあり、丁寧に、しかし口うるさくない程度に丁度いい指導だったと思いました。

正直自分で写真を撮る余裕なんてなかったので、写真を撮って、データを頂けたのが本当に助かりました。

朝からとても楽しく爽やかな時間を過ごしました。
ありがとうございました。

As soon as we gathered, they kindly and concisely taught us how to use the snorkel and tips for spotting dolphins. We headed to the dolphin encounter spot in about 30 minutes on a high-speed jet.

From the start, we encountered many pods of dolphins. The captain made several moves with the boat, about 4 to 5 times, to get us as close as possible to the dolphins, and at each spot, we met many dolphins. The guide also entered the water with us and helped lead us close to the dolphins. The water was clear and beautiful. At the final spot, a large dolphin swam right beneath us, which was truly moving. Overall, I think we encountered over 50 dolphins, and we could even hear their sounds underwater.

The view of the sea from the boat was also very beautiful. Although I felt a bit anxious about snorkeling for the first time and swimming after a long time, after encountering so many dolphins, I wanted to swim even more. Both the captain and the guide were kind. I definitely want to participate again.

集合して直ぐに、シュノーケルの使い方や、イルカを見つけたときのポイントなどを、簡潔かつ丁寧に教えてくださいました。イルカと出会えるスポットまで約３０分、高速ジェットで向かいました。
最初から、たくさんのイルカの群れと遭遇しました。キャプテンはたくさんのイルカとなるべく近くに行けるようにと、その後4〜5回は船で移動を繰り返してくれて、どのスポットもたくさんのイルカと出会いました。ガイドさんも一緒に海に入り、イルカの近くに誘導して下さいました。海の中も透明できれいでした。最後スポットでは、自分たちのちょうど真下を大きなイルカが通り過ぎてくれて感動しました。総じて５０頭以上と出会えたと思います。海の中で鳴き声も聞こえました。
船から見える海もとても美しかったです。初めてのシュノーケリング、久しぶりに泳ぐことで若干不安がありましたが、たくさんのイルカと遭遇してからはもっと泳ぎたいと思いました。
キャプテンもガイドさんも親切でした。是非また参加したいです。

My wife was hesitant to attend but did so as it was something I wanted to do. Afterwards she stated how much fun she had. The food was great and she loved the show.
Great job.

I cannot say enough good about our tour guide, Shannon. She was very knowledgeable and very passionate about Hawaii and the things she shared with us. She got so excited about Valcano National Park which made her group excited. She took care of every detail for everyone on the tour. I would go on any tour Shannon was leading.

We went on the kayak tour to a sea cave on June 27th. There were two adult's and 2 kids in our group. Overall they took out 20 people, so 10 double boats, with 2 guides. Happy & Ben were our tour guides and each took turns along the route to tell us interesting facts about the area. We had drinks and snacks at the area for cliff jumping. My only let down was there was no mention of sea caves nor did we go in one which I was really looking forward to since it was on the description and why I chose this one. However overall it was a great experience and the guides were very friendly and fun! The kids really enjoyed it and the snorkel time,

I was able to fulfill my dream of "swimming with dolphins"! Both the guide and the captain were truly wonderful people, and they know the waters of Kona inside and out, making for a completely satisfying tour without any complaints.

Moreover, we stopped the boat for just a few minutes before spotting dolphins. While it seems that such luck doesn't happen every time, thanks to Captain K's sound judgment, we were able to encounter the dolphins quickly. He was able to instantly gauge the direction the pod was moving and efficiently took us to the dolphin spot without wasting any time.

This time, the dolphins seemed to be in a great mood, and we saw around 50 of them! They were close enough to reach out and touch (though touching the dolphins is prohibited). It was truly an unforgettable experience.

Guide R, despite being young, was very knowledgeable about Hawaii's history and shared many interesting things with us after the tour. I absolutely recommend this dolphin tour!

「イルカと一緒に泳ぐ」という夢を叶えられました！！
ガイドさん船長さん共に本当にお人柄がよく、コナの海を知り尽くしているので
何の不満もなく大満足のツアーでした☆
しかもイルカ発見まで船を停めてほんの数分、、毎回こんな都合が言い訳ではないようですが
K船長の正しい判断のおかげでイルカたちにすぐ出会えました。
しかもちゃんとイルカの群れが動く方向を瞬時に見極め、無駄なく私たちをイルカスポットに連れて行ってくれます。
今回はイルカの機嫌もとても良かったようで、ざっと５０頭は見れました！
そして手を伸ばせば触れられる距離(イルカに触れるのは禁止)。。もう言うことなしの感動です。
ガイドのRさんもお若いのにハワイの歴史を詳しくご存知で、ツアー後もたくさん色んなことを教えてくれました。
ここのイルカツアーは絶対におすすめです！

This was a great tour for our first full day on the island. Kala , our guide, was a world of information about all things Hawaiian! He was so excited to show us turtles on the black sand beach, lava at the volcano,and beautiful Waipio Valley. He gave us great ideas on where the best burgers and the most delicious malasadas on the island where...and yes we went back to try them ! It was a long day, but as others had commented before me, it flew by!

My wife and I went on the Captain Cook dinner cruise last week, and it was much better than either of us expected. The musical entertainment was first class, and we were able to watch spinner dolphins and short-finned pilot whales. It was hard to hear the narration of the historical sites, but that was probably our fault for sitting on the other side of the boat. We would definitely do this again if we ever visit Kona in the future.

I had a star gazing tour to Mauna Kea and have to admit this was a real STAR of my 2-week travel across Big Island. Our tour guide Maka had deep extensive knowledge in geology, volcanology, astronomy, ethnography, history of Hawaii and was just a very nice guy and interesting interlocutor. Maka was so kind to call me about my precious photo filters I left behind in the tour bus ad help me get them back. Thank you, Maka!

Our guides were very nice, funny and competent but we had no idea we were kayaking 3 miles total, which took up about 45 minutes each way. The area at which we snorkeled was "OK" - no brilliantly colored coral and saw only a few fish. We did some cliff jumping which was nice. We did not see any caves and nobody explained why. The kayak trip back was slightly difficult and very choppy due to all the boaters. Be aware that you spend much more time kayaking than you do snorkeling and it is physically demanding - one mother-daughter (adult daughter) couple had to be towed back. It was a good experience but wouldn't do it again.

The main focus of this tour was on the water slide and jumps on the boat. A good activity for families with young children. The snorkelling was average, as was the snorkelling gear provided. Most people snorkelled only for about 20 minutes before getting back to the boat. We saw a lot of dolphins on the way back though, which was excellent. Overall, a good activity got families. As a young couple, we felt it was a bit too noisy for us.

This was a really unique way to see the island, and my family and I had a blast! The snorkeling quality and difficulty of kayaking obviously vary with weather, but the beautiful views are amazing no matter what! The seas were pretty rough the day we went out, so we couldn't spend as much time in the cave, but the guides were really helpful, and we were still able to see plenty of fish, eels, and urchins despite the weather. The guides also pointed out some historical sites and things we never would have noticed alone. Excellent day trip!