The family-run Bay Side Adventures in Kealakekua Bay offers friendly kayaking and snorkeling rental services and informative introductions on using the equipment safely.
When you rent kayaks from Bay Side Adventures, you never have to haul the boats to the beach. They will have the kayaks ready for you at your destination. The company’s no hauling policy protects customers from injuries caused by moving the kayaks. It also helps to keep the boats in great shape, so you will have top-notch equipment whatever you rent.
Another perk of Bay Side Adventures is the quick tips the guides provide before you set off in your kayaks. They will provide directions to get to the Captain Cook Monument and information on what to see in the area when you arrive. Plus, these guides will help you to get into your kayak and instruct you on how to enter and leave the kayak while on open water and how to use safely paddle. Even if you’ve never been in a kayak before, you’ll be ready to cross the bay after your introduction.
Each kayak rental includes a dry bag to store anything you want to protect from the water. You also get a life vest for each boater. While optional to wear, you should put the vest on to stay afloat if your kayak overturns.
While kayaks are the most popular rental from Bay Side Adventures, they also will outfit you with snorkeling gear and standup paddleboards. Both also have the same all-day rental as the kayaks, so you never need to rush back.
The beautiful Kealakekua Bay has calm, smooth waters most of the year. The stillness makes paddling easy and comfortable, even for beginners. Once you get near the Captain Cook Monument, leave the kayak for some of the best snorkeling on the Island of Hawaii.
Snorkeling near the Captain Cook Monument is the highlight of the trip for many visitors. By renting a kayak to reach these waters, you don’t have to compete with a boatful of other tourists diving in to snorkel.
Underwater, watch for a colorful array of sea life around the coral reefs. Visitors report seeing reef sharks, spinner dolphins, butterflyfish, yellow tangs, eels, sea turtles, and octopi. Make sure to bring a waterproof camera to take pictures of the marine creatures that you see while snorkeling and as you paddle across the bay.
Getting to Captain Cook Monument and the reef in its nearby waters is difficult unless you arrive by sea. Renting a kayak gives you the freedom to choose the time that you arrive and how long you stay, as opposed to commercial tours. With unlimited time for your rental, you can stay the entire day on the water if you want. Plus, you can choose where to snorkel in the waters of the bay.
Experience the freedom to create your kayaking and snorkeling adventure with help from Bay Side Adventures. There, you can rent all the equipment you need from a friendly, laid-back, and professional team who will help you have the adventure of your life.
Insider Tips:
-Arrive as soon as Bay Side Adventures opens to get your kayak and get into the waters around the Captain Cook Monument before tours arrive around 8 am.
-Go kayaking in the morning for the best chance to see spinner dolphins in the water.
-Parking is difficult in the very small parking lot with half a dozen spots. Look for nearby street parking, especially if you arrive in the late morning or afternoon when the lot is usually full.
-Do not place your rented paddleboard or kayak on the land around the Captain Cook Monument. Doing so could incur high fines.