Captain Cook Snorkel Tour with SeaQuest Hawaii

While we were on the Big Island of Hawaii, we went to one of the best snorkeling spots, the Captain Cook Monument, with SeaQuest Hawaii. We loved the experience, saw a ton of sea life and enjoyed our captain and tour guides. Here is what to expect on your snorkel tour.

Though our snorkel tour with SeaQuest Hawaii was complimentary, all photos and opinions in this article are my own.

This post may contain affiliate links. This means that I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase through the links in this article.

SeaQuest Hawaii
78-7138 Kaleiopapa St, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
When you arrive for your tour, you will check in inside the gift shop. Here you can rent a GoPro underwater camera, grab souvenirs, and use the restroom before your snorkel tour. I highly recommend taking a motion sickness medication before your tour. You do not want to be miserably seasick, and it’s better to be safe than sorry! I’ve had great luck with Dramamine or Bonine and take it about an hour before the tour.

The boat does have a dry storage area so don’t fret about getting anything wet. Make sure to bring sunscreen, towels, and water. SeaQuest Hawaii will provide you with snorkel gear, flotation devices (if needed) and post snorkel snacks/drinks. Our captain and crew were fantastic. They told us some history about the area during our boat ride to the snorkel spot.

SeaQuest Hawaii offers multiple snorkeling tours on the Big Island. We did both the Night Manta Ray Snorkel & the Captain Cook Monument Snorkel with them. The Captain Cook Monument Snorkel is $92 for children ages 5-11 and $105 per adult. Read more info and book the Captain Cook snorkel tour HERE.
Read more about the Night Manta Ray Snorkel HERE.

On our boat ride we drove down the Kona coast and checked out the massive lava fields.

Captain Cook was the first person to sail to the islands of Hawaii. He was the first person that the native Hawaiians had ever seen and arrived during a ceremony to the Gods. They actually thought he was one of their Gods to begin with. He left to sail to Maui but his boat was damaged, so he returned. Him and his crew got into a disagreement with the native Hawaiians and they ended up being killed in the battle. The monument was erected to remember Captain Cook, his crew, and the native Hawaiians that died here.

Underwater, in this area in front of the monument is a 315-acre marine sanctuary called Kealakekua Bay. This area is actually where the “drop off” from the Disney movie Finding Nemo was inspired. You will get a full hour of snorkeling in the area, and you are welcome to get on and off the boat as you please.

I recommend using a pool noodle while your snorkel. Obviously, I can swim fine but snorkeling is tiring, and the noodle helps preserve your energy.

We saw lots of different fish and sea life in this spot. It was definitely one of the better snorkeling spots we’ve been to.

I used my iPhone to take these photos inside of a diving phone case! You can shop it above, this works 100x better than those cheap phone waterproof bags and is worth it.

Also, from Finding Nemo, this is the fish they call “Mr.Johanssen”.

When you decide you are done snorkeling the crew will have snacks and drinks ready for you on board the boat. We snorkeled for about twenty minutes, got on the boat for a snack, then returned into the water until it was time to leave.

Upon returning to the boat, we actually saw a huge pod of spinner dolphins. They hung out in the area for a bit and got really close to the boat.

On your way back to Kona you will stop and be able to see some Sea Caves up close.

Another movie that Hawaii inspired for Disney was Moana. This volcanic formation on the coast the natives say is “Pele” which is the character Ta Ka in the movie Moana. Her face is on the left, laying on her side facing the ocean. See an up-close photo of her face below.