Phoenix, Arizona
“Highlight of a 10 day Big Island Visit”
Oh boy, where to begin? My family enjoyed 10 days on the Big Island and 3 of them with Kona Ocean Adventures (KOA). There were 11 people in our group that ranged in age from 3 months to 41 years old. Besides the baby we had four kids 3, 6, 8, and 10 years old.
The crew was punctual and professional for all 3 trips. There were no hidden charges or unfortunate surprises with the services. We used the same boat for all trips – it was very clean with plenty of seating for our group. The boat had a canopy that covered at least ½ of us at any time. It was easy to keep the baby out of the sun.
Trip 1 – snorkeling to the South of Kona. We were not in the water more than 15 minutes before we chanced upon a pod of dolphins. We counted at least a dozen and quickly jumped off the boat to join them for a swim. Once back on the boat, we traveled to Kealakekua Bay and enjoyed incredible snorkeling. The Capt (Pono) and Lindsey could have not been kinder or more accommodating for our very active group. My 6 year old daughter immediately took to Lindsay and they snorkeled together for an hour. Capt. Pono graciously volunteered to keep an eye on the sleeping baby while the mom got to spend some time snorkeling near the boat. Once we climbed back aboard, Pono had prepared a wonderful lunch of wraps, fresh pineapple, chips, salsa and a few local specialties that you would only expect to see at a luau.
Trip 2 - night dive/snorkel with manta rays. Three in our group wanted to dive and the rest chose to snorkel. One extra crew member joined us - dive master Joy. She checked all our gear and gave us detailed instructions on how the dive could best be enjoyed. It was an amazing experience. We saw 23 mantas that night including “Big Bertha” with her 14 foot span. The 3, 6, 8 and 10 year old joined Lindsay and the other adults to snorkel with the rays. Once again Capt Pono was on baby duty while mom got a few minutes to swim with the mantas. KOA provided wetsuits and gear for everyone on board (including the kids) and they had hot cocoa and fresh fruit waiting for us once we returned to the boat.
Trip 3 – ½ Day dive. Just the 3 divers went on this two-tank trip. The crew was Capt Pono and dive master Seth. Seth set up all our gear and led us through extraordinary underwater scenery. We found a 4 foot white-tip shark, several eels, octopus and one eagle ray. We enjoyed diving through multiple arches and looking over the edge of the “drop-off.” Once again we found a pod of dolphins and enjoyed watching them jump and play in the wake of our boat for several minutes.
Even though a month has passed, my kids are still talking about Lindsey and the manta rays! Everyone in our group had an amazing time and cannot find enough adjectives to describe the experiences with Kona Ocean Adventures.
The crew was punctual and professional for all 3 trips. There were no hidden charges or unfortunate surprises with the services. We used the same boat for all trips – it was very clean with plenty of seating for our group. The boat had a canopy that covered at least ½ of us at any time. It was easy to keep the baby out of the sun.
Trip 1 – snorkeling to the South of Kona. We were not in the water more than 15 minutes before we chanced upon a pod of dolphins. We counted at least a dozen and quickly jumped off the boat to join them for a swim. Once back on the boat, we traveled to Kealakekua Bay and enjoyed incredible snorkeling. The Capt (Pono) and Lindsey could have not been kinder or more accommodating for our very active group. My 6 year old daughter immediately took to Lindsay and they snorkeled together for an hour. Capt. Pono graciously volunteered to keep an eye on the sleeping baby while the mom got to spend some time snorkeling near the boat. Once we climbed back aboard, Pono had prepared a wonderful lunch of wraps, fresh pineapple, chips, salsa and a few local specialties that you would only expect to see at a luau.
Trip 2 - night dive/snorkel with manta rays. Three in our group wanted to dive and the rest chose to snorkel. One extra crew member joined us - dive master Joy. She checked all our gear and gave us detailed instructions on how the dive could best be enjoyed. It was an amazing experience. We saw 23 mantas that night including “Big Bertha” with her 14 foot span. The 3, 6, 8 and 10 year old joined Lindsay and the other adults to snorkel with the rays. Once again Capt Pono was on baby duty while mom got a few minutes to swim with the mantas. KOA provided wetsuits and gear for everyone on board (including the kids) and they had hot cocoa and fresh fruit waiting for us once we returned to the boat.
Trip 3 – ½ Day dive. Just the 3 divers went on this two-tank trip. The crew was Capt Pono and dive master Seth. Seth set up all our gear and led us through extraordinary underwater scenery. We found a 4 foot white-tip shark, several eels, octopus and one eagle ray. We enjoyed diving through multiple arches and looking over the edge of the “drop-off.” Once again we found a pod of dolphins and enjoyed watching them jump and play in the wake of our boat for several minutes.
Even though a month has passed, my kids are still talking about Lindsey and the manta rays! Everyone in our group had an amazing time and cannot find enough adjectives to describe the experiences with Kona Ocean Adventures.
No comments:
Post a Comment