Snorkel two of Kona’s best spots on one trip!

  We had a spectacular day on the water with Erica and Liz. Erica spotted a huge pod of spinner dolphins just as we set out on the open water. Off... read more we went, slipping quietly into the water to swim with 60-80 dolphins. A truly magical experience! They stayed in the area with us for a good 20-30 minutes and swam effortlessly around us, mamas and baby dolphins too. We even saw a bubble ring - so incredibly cool. After they swam out into the deeper water, we set off for some snorkeling and were greeted by a viewing of two humpbacks, flukes and all. When we made it to the Captain Cook snorkeling site, we were in awe or the clear, beautiful water and just so many colorful fish. You can see why it is one of the top 10 snorkel sites in the world. After setting off to head back to the harbor, we saw another two whales breach - one was a baby. What an unbelievable day out on the water! Erica and Liz were fantastic and it’s evident that they love what they do (I mean, who could blame them?!) An A++ adventure for sure.

  Dolphin Discoveries is a bit of budget outfit...check in on a public picnic table, some of the equipment while functional is a bit worn but Sydney, our captain was knowledgeable... read more and helpful and we really like the fact there was only 6 of us on the boat , the fact we got down to Kealakakua before the big crowds came, visiting the lava formations along the coast and the fact there were 2 .snorkelling dives --the other being Place of Refuge which was also astounding and somewhat less of a frenzy by late morning than Kealakakua. Boat is ridgid zodiac design so a bit bumpy but we (both in our 60s) found the boat ride there and back a lot of fun. If morning is cloudy or cool bring a layer or two to keep you from getting chilled. In summary, absolutely recommend.

  I would like to start (this somewhat disappointed) review by acknowledging 2 things. First, I have (twice) previously done a dolphin snorkel with this company and it was terrific... read more both times. Second, the perceived success of the manta snorkel is going to be largely driven by factors beyond the company's control (how many mantas show up!). So, I am going to focus on the things that *were* in the company's control and were below par. 1) Despite having to fill out our sizes on the registration, they did not have a wetsuit top in my size. I was very cold in the water (shivering uncontrollably by the end) as a result and this definitely detracted from the experience. 2) Despite saying that hot drinks would be provided afterwards, there was not. It was just a brief goodbye as we all shuffled off the boat quietly (since the viewing was a bit disappointing and I think the crew knew it). 3) The guide was pretty disengaged - he didn't even ask us all our names, offered no information (beyond the standard few lines about the plankton being attracted to the hotel's lights) or show any interest in us as a group. 4) During the brief viewing opportunities the guide consistently put himself in a vertical position so that his body (and long fins) blocked most of the view for me. Added to the above is that there was only one manta and although she did several fly-bys, the viewing summed to probably no more than 2-3 minutes. Overall, this felt like poor value for money particularly in group of 3, it is a considerable sum, and the return on investment felt poor ($100 per adult to be shuttled 500 metres offshore and dropped in the water with not much "service" around it). I have done a manta snorkel in Kona (different company) once before and came away awe-struck - this time I was just cold and disappointed.

  It was our second time using this company because we had such an amazing experience the first time. I was floored the first time, because it is such a personal... read more experience. Smaller vessel, intimate. They knew exactly where to go, and what an amazing experience. Found the dolphins right away, and gave us plenty of snorkel time at Captain Cook. I cannot even describe how this second experience was even better!!! Jen and John were phenomenal. On our way back, John even went after some whales for us to see, even though we were running out of time! We will most DEFINITELY be back next year with our friends. Thank you for such an amazing experience!

  These giants swooped right up under us and we could see all the way down their throats! A woman on another tour got panicky and had to be taken back... read more to the boat. These things are huge (1600 lbs.) they were amazing to see! And they are fast.
I was really happy with Dolphin Discoveries because they were so fast and efficient. We had very little wait time - it was all information all the time. Captain Bill was entertaining and Liz can recite the most obscure facts about manta rays. I have to say that I didn’t know how great this experience would be - this is not to be missed. You will be talking about it the rest of your life.

  Captain Erika and Liz were absolutely amazing. Their love of the ocean comes through in everything they do. They were also great with my 9-year-old son who was a little... read more creeped out by the depth of the water. They were super encouraging, and helped him have a great experience! Snorkeling At the coral reef was a beautiful way to end the trip! Oh yeah, this was a dolphin trip, so I should talk about those, too! We found dolphins within the first 30 minutes of being on the boat. They were mostly pretty far away, but still super cool to see. The number of boats in the area make it a little crazy to have so many swimmers ‘chasing’ the pods. Still, we swam with wild dolphins! Yippee!!!