Travel Blog #130 – Snorkeling Kona with Body Glove

Jan 16, 2021 | Activity Information

The morning we went on the Body Glove I woke up and looked out the window and was delighted to see that there was not a breath of wind in the sky and the ocean was completely calm. Perfect weather for snorkeling.

We met the boat at the Kailua Pier, which is located right off of Alii Drive in the heart of Kona town. The crew was very organized and as soon as we arrived we were able to board the boat and make ourselves a plate from the breakfast buffet that was set up in the main cabin. I mixed some cream and sugar into my coffee, gathered some fruits and a bagel from the buffet and then made my way up to the top deck.

Within a few minutes we were pulling away from the pier and making our way South towards our snorkeling destination, Red Hill. We hadnt even gotten all the way out of the bay before we spotted our first group of dolphins. They were swimming and jumping near our boat and as soon as the word got out that they were there most of the passengers exited the main cabin to get a better view. They really put on quite a show for us and it brought a great deal of excitement to our group.

After the excitement of the dolphin encounter it seemed like the rest of the trip to our snorkeling destination went by in a matter of minutes. As the boat glided to a stop I looked around and was in awe of the clarity of the water right off of the shoreline. Where Im from on Maui the earth is not quite as rocky as it is in Kona and it seems like there is a bit more sediment that gets into the water. The water here was some of the clearest Ive ever encountered, anywhere.

As I got into the water one of the crewman noticed that Im a free diver from my extra long fins and weight belt and suggested that I check out a cave located on the north end of our snorkel area. I was happy for the tip because when I got over there I found that there was actually not one cave, but a whole network of caves. I got in some good practice holding my breath as I explored the different entrances and exits of the underwater cavern before I made my way back towards the boat to catch up with my girlfriend who had waited about 15 minutes longer then I did to get into the water. We snorkeled around together for a while before we decided to go back to the boat to play on the water slide, eat lunch and grab a drink from the bar.

After a while everyone got back on the boat. The Captain turned over the engines and we began to make our way back towards the harbor. We spent the return trip having drinks and making friends with some ladies that were seated next to us. It turned out to be a very delightful morning.