Kona Boys

We lucked out and had the tour (midday meander) all to ourselves! Our guide, Ben was very knowledgable and friendly (not to mention quite the catch). The whole experience, from making the reservations to returning the gear was handled in a friendly and professional manner. We had a great time

We were told that the Kona boys were the only way to go, for a kayaking trip and we agree wholeheartedly. Frank at the shop was very helpful informative and reassuring after encouraging us not to go out when the swell was so great but to wait until it subsided. He assured us that AJ our guide was experienced and had good judgment on the water, and all of this turned out to be true. AJ was conscientious, cautious and as such was reassuring about somewhat rough waters. He was delightful, kind and knowledgeable about the history and natural history of this fascinating precious area. Snorkeling was awesome, we spotted a whale AND we had the privilege of meeting Rainbow and watching her swim with and sing to a group of 20 – 30 spinner Dolphins. A major highlight of our packed trip.

The Kona Boys peeps could not be more helpful or friendlier. I was looking for a place to gear up to SUP (stand up paddle) and snorkel Kealakekua Bay and they hooked me right up. Full service: boards, paddles snorkel gear, roof rack… even loaded the boards on for me. (Note: they also rent kayaks). Gave very clear and concise directions on how to get down to the bay. The boards were awesome and in great shape (not always the case with rentals!), great paddles and such good snorkel gear we wrote down the brand in case we ever were to buy our own set. Paddling the bay was AWESOME. We saw Dolphins… LOTS of dolphins. Snorkeled among pristine waters with beautiful fish. Kealakekua is an utterly gorgeous nearly completely protected bay. Largest on in the Hawaiian Islands. Consistently excellent conditions for paddling. And hands down one of the greatest spots I’ve SUP’d (and I’ve SUP’d a lot of places: Southern California, Central California, Canada, Iceland the Bahamas). And Kona Boys great boards & gear and friendly service were the icing on the cake of an outstanding day! (They even recommended an awesome lunch spot — Annie’s…get the wasabi grilled fish sandwich!!! — when we returned the boards). If you plan on paddling Kealakekua, whether by SUP or kayak, I can’t recommend renting gear from the Kona Boys enough!

Great experience! The snorkeling was the best on the island. AJ and Danielle were great guides. The lunch was yummy. I highly recommend Kona Boys!

What an amazing day we had sea kayaking to Captain Cook Monument and snorkeling in clear blue water. Guides Danielle and AJ were immensely helpful, patient, and personable. Check out this local business. You won’t be discussed!

Awesome customer service! Just rented 3 paddle boards. Quality gear and they spent a lot of time giving out local knowledge on places to launch.

Amazing and helpful. We got a rental for very cheep with free snorkel gear. Our rental included a cooler and wet bag which were a necessity. Would go back again.

We just got back from kayaking in the bay. We used the Unilocal offer for snorkeling gear and they give you a cooler and dry bag with the kayak rental. They had a nice selection of clothes and were very helpful. Great deals and great service.

There are a lot of ways to get to the famous snorkeling alongside the Captain Cook monument across Kealakekua’s fantastic blue waters. You can go in a big cheesy motor boat that screws up the local ecosystem if you don’t give a shit about preserving the environment for future generations. And you can probably get a cheap kayak from some of the locals who rent them to inexperienced tourists without the required licenses. But if you want to experience this unparalleled natural marvel in a way that is respectful of the bay and maximizes your enjoyment of the experience, you can do no better than Kona Boys.
We took a morning kayak/​snorkel tour and it was a first class experience from start to finish. The reception and setup was great – they have a cool little venue off the side of the main highway where they run you through the plan for the day and set you up with equipment (which was high-​quality – better than most of the other places I’ve rented snorkel gear from). Our guide, Kai, was a local who knew the area and its history like the back of his hand (hint: if you want to know if your guide really knows their stuff, ask them to show you the exact spot where Captain Cook actually died). Of course, the real star of the experience is Kealakekua Bay itself – snorkeling there is like being in the biggest, most insanely gorgeous tropical fish aquarium you’ve ever seen. My only regret is that I didn’t have an underwater camera.
There are a lot of different ways to experience the local south Kona coastal environment, but Kona Boys are the best. They’re eco-​friendly and professional all the way.

We had never really kayaked before but our guides were awesome so we quickly felt comfortable and confident. It was a rush being out on the ocean and seeing dolphins up close. The snorkeling was great, the snacks delicious and the guides/​other group members were lovely. We did the afternoon «meander» which felt just about right, time-​wise.

SPINNER DOLPHINS!
We did the kayak through the bay to the Capt. Cook monument and snorkeling.
It was awesome.
There were other groups that took motorized boats but I was very happy to kayak the bay.
The coral and colorful fish are indescribable… And the frolicking spinner dolphins are so cool.
Our guide was Justice. He was great. Really fun and the history gives you a great mental imagery to go along with the unbelievable landscape view.
I’m so jealous of his job.

We rented kayaks for an afternoon kayak experience. The folks at Kona Boys were helpful and super nice. The kayak experience was amazing and I can’t wait to do it again.
My only critique is that the employees obviously know the island and know how to kayak very well, so they glossed over areas about which I would have appreciated hearing more. It was my first time kayaking (though most of my group had kayaked once or twice previously) and it was all of our first time on the island. A little more instruction would have quelled some anxiety. But we got through it and had a great time.
I highly recommend!

Brock took incredible care of us, personally fitting us for booties, snorkel gear (masks, snorkels, fins) before making sure we had a good sense of where to go and what to look for in the area. They offer tours and very clearly take great pride in their Unilocal and Trip Advisor ratings (aka they are all over customer service)! Awesome small business doing good work in Kealakekua.

My boyfriend and I rented a kayak from Kona Boys to go snorkel near captain cook monument.
We had a very positive experience from beginning to end. Very helpful and friendly staff !

We wanted to snorkel Captain Cook’s monument on my wife’s birthday. The weather did not cooperate. The Kona Boys helped us make the most by offer a private tour for my family in Kona. We went paddle boarding, kayaking and even a little kayak surfing. Our guide, AJ could not have been nicer. We spent almost 4 hours on the water and saw more spinner dolphins than I could count.
I highly recommend the Kona Boys for your water activities. Also, their store is really cool

The Kona Boys were great. We booked online weeks prior to our trip and when we showed up it turned out that I had selected the wrong package. They were super accommodating and made the changes for us free of charge even though their policy says 48 hour notice for changes.
We went on the Midday Meander in Kealakekua Bay and kayaked over to the Captain Cook memorial to snorkel. Our guide Lauren was very friendly and outgoing just like everyone else at Kona Boys. She was very knowledgeable about the bay and the history and did a great job encouraging the novice paddlers.
They provided excellent natural snacks and overall it was a great outing.

My friend and I had a great kayaking adventure with Kona Boys last week! Neither one of us had ever been on a kayak. And my friend had never snorkeled. Our guide, Ben, made us both feel completely safe and at ease. He was a good instructor and storyteller. Once we arrived at the monument, Ben was so patient with my non-​snorkeling friend! He stayed with her at the dock, encouraged her and got her comfortable enough to take in some of that underwater world. It meant the world to her! At the end, the banana bread was to die for! I have been a customer of Kona Boys before, but this was the first guided experience I have had with them. Well worth it! Thanks!
–Debra

My sister-​in-​law and I didn’t do the tours and we had our own rental car, so I can’t say anything about the guides and teaching quality. That said, John gave us some wonderful tips four our stand up paddle-​boarding (SUP-​ing) and they set us up with all the equipment to attach our two boards to the SUV safely. About $ 75/​board for 24 hours. Comes with oar and tether.
We ended up taking their directions, along with the launching permits for Kealakekua Bay (required for that Bay especially), and spending the next morning getting to the Captain Cook monument and snorkeling to our hearts’ content. LOVED IT ALL. So helpful from start to finish.
TIPS: We were not authorized to go ashore with our paddle boards. But just bring snorkel gear/​goggles, keep your tether on, and float about with your board. Just watch out for other snorkelers!
OH yes, and bring a dry bag. There is no place to park at Manini Beach/​boat launch. You have to park about 5 min away and carry your keys with you. Also, your paper permits. So yes, dry bag!

Friendly staff, good pricing and super helpful when it came to locating the drop spot for snorkeling. It was a wonderful kayaking experience thanks to them!

I had thought that it might be too much money to use a service for snorkeling, but we went with Kona Boys and loved the trip. They did everything to make our trip better and easy. Great Guide, Kayaking, snorkeling and history of the area. Even the lunch they brought was great. It did cost a little, but well worth the money to make to trip come alive. They even had the sun blocking hoodies in the shop for us people that burn very easy. The sun blocking hoods really kept us out of the sun and able to enjoy the time in the water and kayak. We were so lucky on our trip over to the captain cook memorial. We saw a huge school of spinner dolphins that hung around all morning. They had babies and they jump all around us as we paddled across the bay.
The only item I would have liked improved is a map from the store to the beach with some help on where to park and where to meet the guide.