Captain Zodiac

Had an awesome snorkeling trip at Captain Zodiac. Preston and Buddha were informative, serving and entertaining. They were great at not just spotting dolphins and whales but getting close enough and staying in proper position to not scare them or harm the animals.
They took us by the Captain Cook monument which has beautiful reef underneath. They offered advice and help to ensure we had the best time possible.
After a lot of time in the water, we were given some sight seeing on the way back to her pier. They showed us Pele and lava tubes all while explaining the colors on the rocks as well as local lore.
Your money is well spent with Captain Zodiac, especially if Preston and Buddha take you out on the excursion.

We were just the luckiest ducks in the world when we booked our Whale Watching tour with Captain Zodiac! Our tour guide Chuck was incredibly knowledgeable and was very patient because it took us over an hour to spot a whale but when we did — AMAZING!
Two humpback whales swimming so close to us that had I jumped off the boat I would’ve landed on a whale! Wild animals, or course, so no guarantees you’ll get quite as lucky as we did but the Zodiac boat is absolutely the way to go versus a bigger boat. Chuck was able to maneuver us as close as legally possible to the whales and as soon as we saw a blowhole we were able to speed over there so quickly!
For the adventurous at heart — sit at the front! Bumpy and will test every muscle in your leg but so fun! A little further back for a gentler ride.
Can’t wait for our next trip back and we’ll absolutely come to Captain Zodiac for our next adventures!

Great experience! We swam with over 100 dolphins and spotted a pod of 3 whales that we trailed to observe. Great shots from my GoPro of massive dolphin pods swimming all around me. Great informative and helpful crew.

Highlight of our trip. Captain & Buddha were amazing. Saw tons of dolphins swimming around our boat, saw a humpback whale and the snorkelling was great at Captain Cook. They were able to accommodate us same day on Christmas day. Both my husband & me were first time snorkelers. Buddha was extremely patient, taught us & swam with us to show the great sights. Its truly one of a kind experience & highly recommended. We got sandwiches, chips, cookies, drinks, delicious pineapple & oranges. God bless them both!

This was definitely the highlight of our trip to Big Island!
We made reservations online for the afternoon excursion, taking advantage of the $ 30 off per couple discount, but upon calling Captain Zodiac on the morning of the tour, we found out it was being canceled as not enough people had signed up. Leslie spoke to me on the phone and kindly offered to change us to a different tour on another day. She was able to switch us over to the beat the crowd tour which is an hour longer and still gave us the same price!
During the excursion we saw sooo many dolphins, it was unreal! Unfortunately didn’t get to swim with them but seeing them jump out of the water and swim around our raft was still very exciting. Colin and Buddha were very knowledgeable and great at spotting sea life, giving us bits of history and very patient with instructing us first time snorkelers!
I would highly recommend Captain Zodiac’s ocean tours to anyone visiting Big Island, as long as you don’t mind a bumpy ride, it will be an excellent experience!

My wife and I had the chance to experience this excursion during our cruise this past summer. It was awesome and had a lot of fun aboard

Captain Colin and Buddha are two amazing people. They both truely try to make the trip as much fun as possible. They want to tell you about the island and make sure you are having a blast.
The equipment is in great condition and they help with anti fog spray so you can see as well as possible.
we saw two humpback whales, swam with dolphins for a short period of time since they do not believe in interrupting dolphins for a long period of time which completely makes sense and I am glad we did not end up going to any «swim with the dolphins» places where you do so for hours.
Ask them questions about what they would recommend on the island, they are a great source of information and all in all it was one of the best days on the island.
Also — the boat is awesome and not like what you would get to ride on with any other charter.

Great times with Davonte & Dave. The snorkel was great. Dave even got in the water with me to help me get aquatinted with the gear. We were able to see Dolphins & a whale in the water while we were at the reef.

We met up with Capitan Collin and Buddha before we went out with them, as they were unloading their previous group.
I must say these two are genuine and great examples of hospitality of the locals if treated with appreciation! Let’s start by saying they zipped us along out to about 4 miles off shore looking for whales and dolphins! (Aka) Squirrels!!! lol! Then after stopping a few times to make sure everyone was ok we traveled to our snorkeling destination and these two gave great story’s and advice and were the highlight of our touristy part of our trip, the snorkeling was AWSOME! Then they feed us and motored us around into some amazing locations that only the zodiacs can maneuver into! Breath taking views followed by some of the best humor and hospitality you can ask for! I would recommended this trip to anyone who wants to laugh and have a amazing time on the big Island! Just make sure you get aboard their ride! And if your appreciative and fun hang on for some HIGHSIDE! LOWRIDER! All I can say is My self and my girl had a blast! Thanks Captain Collin and Buddha you guys Rocked!

Amazing Crew, they did a phenomenal job, we saw dolphins, pilot whales, spinner dolphins and the Captain Cook bay snorkeling was fantastic. I never post on Unilocal but today I feel these guys deserve it… 3 thumbs up!

Captain Zodiac is a must do if you’re visiting Kona. Captain Colin is a lot of fun and extremely informative with lots of facts about the Big Island. With 15 passengers on board he took the time to get to know everyone and has amazing pineapple cutting skills. Thanks Colin for a remarkable time!

Best decision ever!!! Captain Colin and liz made our experience unforgetable!!! Definitely do not regret. Both were very friendly and informative about the marine life and habitat we spotted up the coast. Snorkeling at captain cook was the best with the beautiful and calm clear waters. Loved it! liked that Colin and liz were so patient with my father, who struggled a little because he doesn’t know how to swim. Soooooo much fun!!!

We went out with Captain Colin and Buddha. What a fantastic day! The crew was super friendly and just awesome with our boys. (8 and 11) Buddha had our youngest swimming and diving the best he has ever done, and horsing around and in good spirits the whole day.
We had an action packed week in Hawaii, but this was our highlight.
If we were going to make one pick it would be this snorkeling trip. The boat ride was fantastic, seeing some of the caves, and speeding around.

Wonderful snorkeling in front of the Captain Cook monument! Calm waters, bountiful sea life and great guides, Collin and Buddha! The water craft (think Navy Seals rubber boat) was thrilling, but rough and speedy! Be forewarned! Saw spinner Dolphins and pilot whales as well as a sea turtle and a fresh caught 250 lb marlin!

Very disappointed with the conduct of the captain on this boat. Another tour guide was politely instructing some people to not stand on the coral and the captain zodiac captain had the audacity to start a huge scene and argue with the local guide who was merely trying to protect our reef. He then drove his boat right next to the shore nearly missing multiple swimmers in the water to argue with the kayak guide. As a steward of the land he not only embarrassed himself but also made his company look childish. The local guides need to be strong stewards of the land. Shame on captain zodiac for not keeping an eye on their guests and not instructing their guests to be safe and enjoy this beautiful bay the right way.

Captain Ken and Buddha are the best!!! Fun, laid back, experienced sailors. Great at navigating the coastline and getting us some up close encounters with the wild life. We saw humpbacks fluke and a 37ish ft one breach only 25 yards from us!!! Dolphins surfed next to the boat and were showing off, spinning into the air. Captain Cook’s monument makes for incredible snorkeling. I’ve never seen sooo many fish. Eels, needle fish, and everything else. The left side, closest to the wash rocks and (legal) kayak pullout has the largest fish and coral population and is consistently more shallow, so there’s lots to see. The sea caves and lava formations are also quite impressive. Experience of a lifetime! A must-​do in Kona!

We booked this excursion with friends who had used Captain Zodiac several years prior and really enjoyed the experience then. Glad to say that Captain Zodiac still provides a top notch snorkeling tour today, our group of 8 had a blast. Our Captain was Colin and he made the trip memorable by sharing knowledge of the area, what we should be on the lookout for and in handling the Zodiac like a pro.
We were able to spot a bait box lid that had been floating in the middle of the ocean for a while. Colin had prepped us that if we saw something he would check it out because anything floating in the ocean tends to draw marine life and as we approached the floating lid we saw Mahi-​Mahi circling the lid with various smaller fish in and around it. Shortly after there was a huge splash of water from a Marlin breaching the water. Fun!
After we finished snorkeling we were able to pull alongside a pod of dolphins and were fortunate to see a baby dolphin swimming alongside her mother. On the way back to the harbor Colin made several stops pointing out unique features along the coast and skillfully piloting the Zodiac inside some caves for close up views. He definitely knows how to handle the Zodiac and provide some thrills along the way.
If you are looking for a fun day of snorkeling on the Big Island check out Captain Zodiac and ask for Colin.

An excellent half-​day on the water. Saw pilot whales, dolphins and a monk seal. Snorkeling at Capt Cook was great. They were even able to provide a mask with Rx lens so that I could enjoy viewing the sea life.
Colin was knowledgeable about marine life, geology and history.

No better way to experience the Kona Coast! I live on the Island and will ALWAYS recommend the CZ crew over trying to go snorkel on your own.
Had Captain Shane and the man of the hour, Buddha, to keep us safe and fully entertained on our excursion. We chased some whales but the highlight was definitely the various dolphin pods we came across. Had some pretty magical encounters with both spinner and spotted Dolphins throughout our tour.
The snorkel spots on Hawaii’s west side are some of the best on the Islands and CZ made sure to drop us in the perfect spots each time. I made the right choice to borrow their gear for the snorkel. Never had an issue with a fogging up or leaking mask like I get with my personal (cheap) gear. They made sure we were fitted properly and had plenty of floaty devices for those who weren’t comfortable in the water.
Both of their personal experience and passion for being on/​in the water really showed with a couple who has never snorkeled before. They made them feel comfortable and by the end had them snorkeling like pros.
Being in the water is only half the adventure with these guys. The zodiacs handle like a Porsche and we were able to see the coastline in a way I know the other boat tours can’t offer. They have quite the adrenaline rush as we crept into a number of rocky wedges or zoomed along the jagged coastline.
Captain Zodiac is truly top notch and will always be my first choice when I’m looking to snorkel on Island of Hawaii. Mahalo CZ!

My husband and I took our 4 year old son on the tour. We had captain Collin and first mate Tatum. Both were so awesome and made the trip very memorable and enjoyable. Would def recommend to a friend. Bringing our daughter back when she turns 4!