Big Island Snorkeling Guide
Kealakekua Dolphins
Snorkeling with Spinner Dolphins at Kealakekua Bay was one of the great highlights of our Big Island Snorkeling Tour. While swimming above them over a shallow sandy bottom, we watched babies nursing and listened to them communicating with their amazing clicking sounds. Big pods swam very close and best yet, we watched them jet to the surface, leaping free in stunning aerobatic spins before splashing down.
The dolphins come in to these shallows waters to nurse, rest and apparently have fun. They jump an amazing distance out of the water and will often spin many times around. These Spinner Dolphins are the smallest of the Hawaiian dolphins. The first time we snorkeled with dolphins at Kealakekua there were also some Bottlenose Dolphins present.
Site Snorkeling Details - Napo'opo'o Beach Park (Kealakekua Bay)
Big Island Snorkeling
The dolphins tend to hang out off Napo'opo'o Beach and are more active in the early mornings.
We swam out to see them from the boulder beach at Napo'opo'o Beach Park. Yep, even though it is called Napoopoo Beach Park, there is no sand here. There used to be, but now it is a large boulder beach, and a fairly steep entrance into the water. We had to time our entrance into the water carefully because of the unsteady footing and the waves.
Once we got in, it was a good long swim out to where the dolphins were that morning. But once we got there, we pretty much just stayed in the same place and let the Dolphins come and go around us. It was simply a fantastic experience. Their voices were so loud we could even hear them when our heads were out of the water.
Looking out from the beach you can just see the white speck that is Captain Cook Monument near the point.
Another way that some people avoid the difficult rocky entrance and the long swim is to rent a kayak and put it in at the pier just down the road from Napoopoo Beach Park. But if you have read our review of the different ways to snorkel at Captain Cook Monument (across the bay from the dolphins), you will remember how much we don't like dealing with the people on the dock. We prefer to swim. Besides, it is nicer not to have to deal with the kayak when you want to be focused on the dolphins in the water.
In the picture below you can see some kayaks out were the dolphins are, and if you look carefully af the right hand side you can see one jumping out of the water.
There are new restrooms and showers available at this park, and plenty of shade. The parking tends to fill up early though.
Do you have a wonderful spinner dolphin experience from Kealakekua that you would like to share? Click below.
Driving Directions - Napo'opo'o Beach Park (Kealakekua Bay)
Big Island Snorkeling
Directions to Napo'opo'o Beach Park from Kailua Kona
Drive south on Hwy 11 (Hawaii Belt Rd/Kuakini Hwy) out of Kailua-Kona more than 10 miles until you pass the 111 mile marker and see Napoopoo Road on the right side. Turn right and follow the winding road down toward the ocean. You will come to an intersection with Middle Keei Rd. Turn right here, staying on Napoopoo Rd. and follow it until it ends. Take a right and follow the road to the end and park.
Next - Snorkel at Manini Beach
Return to from Kealakekua Dolphins to the Big Island Snorkeling Guide
|
