Keauhou manta rays and Kona snorkeling

Sea Paradise

Sea Paradise sails from Keauhou Bay on Kona snorkel cruises, Kealakekua Bay tours and manta ray night snorkels aboard the 50-foot Hoku Nui catamaran.

Sea Paradise is located on the pier at Keauhou Bay, only ten minutes south of Kailua-Kona, and sails daily aboard the 50-foot sailing catamaran Hoku Nui. You walk a few steps from the check-in kiosk to the dock, slip off your shoes for barefoot comfort and watch the crew raise a bright-white mainsail as the twin hulls glide past black-lava coves toward clear blue water.

Morning and midday snorkel cruises aim for Kealakekua Bay, a marine sanctuary famous for 100-foot visibility and the Captain Cook Monument marking historic landfall. Lifeguard-certified guides hand out masks, fins, flotation noodles and view-window boogie boards, then lead you over coral towers alive with yellow tang, parrotfish and the occasional Hawaiian green sea turtle. After an hour in the water, you refuel on deli wraps, fresh pineapple and chilled soft drinks while the open bar pours ice-cold beer and signature mai tais for the downwind sail home.

Nighttime manta encounters swap reef color for gentle giants. You slide into calm, plankton-rich shallows off Garden Eel Cove, grasp a floating light board and watch manta rays barrel roll inches below as they feed. Wetsuits, dive lights and thorough briefings are part of the package, and hot cocoa waits on deck once the last fin clears the ladder. A free-return guarantee means you can try again if mantas decide to skip the show.

Seasonal whale-watch cruises (December – April) drift offshore at a relaxed pace while naturalists cue you to breaches and tail slaps, then drop a hydrophone so you can hear haunting humpback song. The catamaran's wide trampolines and low rail keep camera angles clear, and binoculars ride in a deck locker for shared use.

Every trip includes reef-safe sunscreen, freshwater showers, two marine restrooms and dry storage for phones and towels. Guest counts max out at forty-nine, leaving plenty of elbow room whether you are gearing up at the stern or stretching out under the jib. Free parking lines the Keauhou Shopping Center; check-in is thirty minutes before departure.

Ready to swap poolside loungers for coral gardens or glowing manta loops? Book a morning sail from our Big Island snorkeling catalog, claim a twilight manta seat, or explore the broader range of Big Island tours and activities to balance sunlit reef time with volcano craters and starlit summits.