Dolphin Discoveries

"Captain Josh and Tim were PHENOMENAL!! They made everyone feel safe and comfortable. Both very knowledgeable and helpful. Having terminal cancer this was a “buck list adventure” to make Memories with my family. These gentleman became such apart of this memory! The experience, scenery, history, snorkeling were all a hell of an experience !! Thank you gentleman for making this possible!!!"

"We had a great time on the tour! Captain Shelley and Captain Nicole made it so memorable with the wonderful stories about the Big Island history. We were lucky to see some dolphins, humpback whales and sea turtles. The snorkeling site was awesome too! We signed up for the tour at Dolphin Discoveries store at the Keauhou mall and the process was so easy."

"Warren was upbeat, outgoing and knowledgeable. He claimed luck in our outlandishly positive experience but his skill in maintaining distance but being in the area with a motor off is what allowed luck (curious whales) to approach and explore our vessel. We experienced humpback whales swimming under our boat and surfacing within 10 feet. It was extraordinary."

"We arranged an evening snorkel with manta rays on New Year’s Eve (12/31/23) at 7 pm via our hotel concierge at the Outrigger. After arriving, getting fully kitted out (wetsuit, snorkel, etc.), and waiting for our boat to arrive, we received text messages that the weather was too bad and the trip would be canceled. The weather seemed fine to me (warm, tropical, a little blowy, no rain but occasional sounds of thunder or fireworks in the distance). But still: if the trip would be dangerous, fair enough. Problem is, the same boat launch serves several other tour companies offering the same manta ray snorkel experience. And every one of those other tours went out as scheduled. So my family got to watch a half-dozen other tour groups see the manta rays up close while we sat at the Outrigger Hotel’s manta ray viewing deck instead. It should come as no surprise that the weather didn’t change appreciably between the 7 pm cancellation and the ringing in of the new year. That was our last night at the Outrigger and we’re not likely to be back in Kona any time soon. So that’s a “once in a lifetime” opportunity missed, either because the Dolphin Discoveries captain perceived a risk that no other captain saw ... or just maybe because he wanted to get his New Year on a little early. I guess we’ll never know. But whatever the reason, it was deeply disappointing. Hopefully the Outrigger has moved to a different and more reliable vendor. (The photos are from the Outrigger viewing area, showing other operators at work. My camerawork sucks, but the boats are the little floating lights and the snorkelers are the diffuse bright blue zones in the water. The first photo is at about 8 pm, the other around 10:30. Weather seems just fine for those other folks ....)"

"Wonderful snorkeling trip with Brent! We did the Captain Cook Snorkel Adventure and found that the 1.5 hrs of snorkeling was more than enough time to explore the incredibly intact reef off Kealakekua Bay, which has great visibility ...water is super clear. Highlights were spotting two different types of eels and an octopus! There were only 6 of us on the tour and it was great to be with a small group. Brent was a great captain and guide and sprinkled in lots of historical tidbits on the ride to and from the reef, with a stop on the way back at some sea caves. Light snacks (chips, fresh fruit, trail mix) and water/juice/soda were provided, and I appreciated trying on the snorkel gear on land, before heading out on the boat. Highly recommended!"