Fair Wind Snorkel Cruise on the Big Island
One of our favorite activities on the Big Island of Hawaii is to take the Fair Wind Snorkel Cruise by Big Island Ocean Guides. The great thing about the Fair Wind snorkel cruise is you get several experiences in a 3 hour tour (yeah sounds like Gilligan’s Island – I know). It is exciting to get on the Fair Wind II catamaran and boat to Captain Cooks monument which is located in Kealakekua Bay. Besides the awesome catamaran ride you get to watch ocean fishing, and if your lucky get to reel in some big game fish. The crew always leave two fishing lines off the back of the boat and if any fish are caught they let someone reel it in. So if this is your thing, hang out in the back of the catamaran and be the first to jump in line. We see fish caught about 50% of the time (as we have taken many cruises) and have seen some pretty big fish caught on the way to and from the bay.
The Bay is a state park and protected which keeps the coral and marine life vibrant and flourishing. There are other ways to access the bay by land, but it requires a dangerous hike down a steep cliff of rocks, or requires you to rent canoes or kayaks and paddle in from the south. We personally like the Fair Winds tour because it provides comfort, great food, and is very easy with young kids.
The food alone is almost worth the price of the snorkel cruise. They offer drinks, fruit, and desserts on the way to the Bay during the AM cruise. And then once anchored in the bay they offer a great barbecue of hamburgers, hot dogs, and even include veggie burgers. The whole wheat buns taste great. Maybe it just the fact that the sun is out, and you work off some energy from snorkeling in the bay, but I always remember the food tasting absolutely delicious.
High Jump from the Fair Wind II
There are two cruises, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. We always take the morning cruise as the wind is usually calmer which makes it easier to snorkel. The AM cruise is $15 more dollars than the afternoon cruise.
Once you are in the bay you have plenty of time to snorkel, swim, jump off the high platform, slide, and eat. They offer several options for snorkeling. We have our own snorkel gear, but they offer very good options when it comes to snorkel masks, floatation devices, and flippers. So if you don’t own your own gear, don’t go and buy it if this is the only snorkeling you will do on the island. They even have tubes and underwater viewers if snorkeling is not your thing. The snorkeling in Kealakekua Bay is some of the best on the Big Island. There are plenty of different species of fish, plus we often see turtles and manta rays as well. If you are lucky you may see dolphins.
Overall, everyone has a blast on this cruise. Whether you are young or old, experienced snorkeler or not, it just is good fun. With a cool catamaran ride, fishing, snorkeling, swimming, talking with friends, eating, sliding off the slide, or jumping off the high platform, it seems everyone comes back with a huge smile on their face.