Waikoloa Ocean Tours

Are you staying at one of the Waikoloa beach resorts during your trip to the Big Island? Check out these ocean adventures which cater to those staying at the Hilton Waikoloa Village, the Waikoloa Marriott, the Fairmont Orchid, the Mauna Lani Resort, the Hapuna Prince, the Bay Club, the Mauna Kea Resort, and other properties located north of the Kailua-Kona airport.

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Black Sand Beach Picnic Snorkel

Enjoy 4 hours of ocean indulgence as you visit a remote snorkel destination along the Kohala Coast. This is your chance to explore the pristine reefs and sealife that abounds near these black sand beaches created by ancient lava flows. This tour departs from the beach shack at Anaeho'omalu Bay (locals call it A-bay) which is located on the ocean side of the Waikoloa Marriott Resort. This tour is operated on either Sea Smoke (a 58' sailing catamaran) or Alala (a 65' sailing catamaran). Snorkel gear and instruction from a marine naturalist are included as you swim among colorful reefs, exotic tropical fish, and Hawaiian green sea turtles. While the crew sails back to A-bay, enjoy a deli-buffet lunch and a complimentary open bar for soft drinks, juices, beer, wine, and well drinks. Snorkel typically offered on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday (additional days during peak season). Adults $114, Children 5-12 $57, 4 & under free note: the rate will be increasing $5 per adult and $2.50 per child for any dates on or after 12/15/2009

Waikoloa Sunset Sail

Sail into the Kohala Coast Sunset, the most beautiful in the islands. Watch dolphins that frequently escort the boat, and see the setting sun's rays color the summits of five different volcanos! Dine on a dinner buffet of baby back ribs, pineapple glazed chicken breast, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, fresh local salads, dessert, and other seasonal favorites. A complimentary open bar for soft drinks, juices, beer, wine, and well drinks are included ... and of course there is a champagne toast at sunset. This cruise is typically done on Alala (a 65' sailing catamaran) and departs from Kawaihae Harbor ... complimentary transportation is provided from Waikoloa area hotels. Sunset cruise typically offered on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday (additional days during peak season). Adults $95, Children 5-12 $47.50, 4 & under free The rate will be increasing $4 per adult and $2 per child for tour dates on or after 12/15/2009

Beach Blast at A-Bay

The beautiful and NATURAL sandy beach at Anaeho'omalu Bay is among the most picturesque in Hawaii. This is the beach located oceanside at the Waikoloa Marriott Resort and is open to the public. Enjoy a day, or two ... or even five, with UNLIMITED use of boogie boards, snorkel gear, kayaks, hydrobikes, beach volleyball, and more! This package is available seven days a week from 8:30am to 4:30pm and offers a convenient way to enjoy the ocean with all the toys at one great low price.

Family Plan (price for a family up to 4 people): One Day $80, Two Days $125, Five Days $225 ... additional family members are $20 per package

Individual Plan (priced per person): One Day $40, Two Days $65, Five Days $80

When reserving the beach blast on the form on the right, select the length of your package and the date you'd like to start. Two day and five day packages are consecutive days.

Waikoloa Glass Bottom Boat

Anaeho'omalu Bay is lined by a gold crescent shaped beach and palm trees, and is home to coral gardens, colorful tropical fish, and many Hawaiian green sea turtles. For those who want to see the amazing underwater world but don't want to get wet, the 30 minute glass bottom boat tour was created with you in mind! This tour is especially good for families with kids who are too young to snorkel. The tours are held in the mornings at 9:15am and 10:00am (no tours on Wednesdays) Adults $21, Children 5-12 $10.50, 4 & under free The rate will be increasing $4 per adult and $2 per child for tour dates on our after 12/15/2008

Waikoloa Whale Watching

In the winter months Hawaii is home to a healthy population of part-time residents, the majestic and mysterious humpback whales. You can often SEE whales at a distance from shore ... but you can't EXPERIENCE them from far away. There is a tremendous difference between watching a whale splashing in the water two miles away and experiencing the thrill of looking over the edge of the boat and having one of these gentle giants swim directly underneath you. If you are here during peak season, do yourself a favor and go on a whale watch. 2 hour whale watching tours at 8am and 10am ... Adults $84, Children 5-12 $42.00, 4 & under free At 3pm enjoy whale watching and an open bar for beer, wine, and cocktails ... Adults $94, Children 5-12 $47, 4 & under free

Waikoloa Scuba Diving

The Kohala Coast offers some premier scuba destinations, and certified divers can participate in a two-tank boat dive for $159 per person. Snorkelers who are traveling with the diver(s) may ride along and snorkel for $62 per person. Non-certified scuba divers may do the two tank boat dive after completing an introductory pool dive which is $62 per person.

CRUISE SHIP PASSENGERS

Waikoloa tours are not practical for cruise ship passengers due to the distance from the Kailua-Kona Harbor.

ACTIVITY TIPS

If you are spending a week at one of the Kohala resorts, we highly recommend that you include a day at Anaeho-omalu Bay in your itinerary. We recently stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa, which is a full-featured resort nearby. Expect to hear a lot about the Hilton Waikoloa in coming days, since Pat and Vanna brought the "Wheel of Fortune" to this resort in September '08 to tape a month's worth of episodes. These aired in November '08 and February '09, and of course they'll probably get rerun again in the future. Anyway, the Hilton is sort of the "Disneyland" of Hawaii hotels. There's lots to see and do without leaving the resort, but they don't have a NATURAL beach; their beach is an artifically created salt water lagoon which has a huge man-made waterfall. Hawaii's greatest attraction is it's amazing natural beauty, and we much prefer natural beaches to ones created by bulldozers!

Anaeho'omalu Bay (locals call it A-bay) and its beautiful sandy beach are just a mile away from the Hilton; the closest resort is the Waikoloa Marriott. Fortunately in Hawaii ALL beaches in the state are PUBLIC ... even the ones that have exclusive 10 million dollar homes sitting just inland are required to allow public access. A-bay's sandy beach is perfect for launching kayaks, and catamarans can pull right up to the shore for your snorkel tour to exotic black sand beaches.

In addition to the ocean-oriented tours and activities found on this page, there are lots of other tours that either take place in the Waikoloa area, or pick up there. Be sure to check out these other pages on our site

Waikoloa Luaus - the "Gathering of the Kings" at the Fairmont Orchid and the Waikoloa Marriott Luauhhttp://adventureinhawaii.com/bigisland_luaus.htm

Kohala Waterfall Tours - easy hiking tour to rainforest waterfalls with Waikoloa pickup hhttp://adventureinhawaii.com/bigisland_waterfalls.htm

Helicopter Tours from Waikoloa - the 45 minute Kohala Coast Adventure and the 2 hour Big Island Spectacular depart from the Waikoloa Heliport hhttp://adventureinhawaii.com/bigisland_helicopters.htm

Kilauea Volcano Tour - a full-day narrated tour to see the active volcano and Hawaii Volcanos National Park picks up in the Waikoloa area hhttp://adventureinhawaii.com/bigisland_volcano.htm

Mauna Kea Summit and Stars Tour - watch a sunset at the 13,900 foot summit of Hawaii's tallest volcano, stargaze through telescopes, with pickup in Waikoloahhttp://adventureinhawaii.com/bigisland_maunakea.htm

Waikoloa Reservations

Upon submitting your activity reservation for processing, one copy is sent to your e-mail address so that you have a record of your order. We will make reservations for you and send an e-mail confirming all of the details. These confirmations are often sent a few minutes after your reservation, but some activities take longer to confirm than others. You will receive an e-mail confirmation by the end of the next business day at the latest. There are no tickets that you need to pick up prior to your event. Your e-mail confirmation will have all the details you need to check in and enjoy your selected activity. This saves you precious time when you arrive in Hawaii. 

A credit card is required to guarantee payment for your reservations, but in most cases WE DO NOT charge your credit card when your order is placed. Your credit card is typically charged five days before you leave for Hawaii, and a voucher is faxed to the vendor. Some activities are charged at the time of check-in and your e-mail confirmation will inform you if this is the case. If you cancel your activity after your credit card has been charged you will receive a refund less 10% to cover our credit card processing costs.

We do have one vendor that requires payment at the time that your reservation is made. These activities are clearly marked on our website with the words, "Payment required at the time of reservation."

After making reservations, you may reschedule or cancel your activity up until 48 hours prior to its start (a few activities have 72 hour cancellation policies ... see your confirmation e-mail for details). Within 48 hours of the start of your activity all reservations are final and non-refundable (unless the event is cancelled by the vendor due to weather or other factors). Due to our incredible climate here, weather cancellations are rare.  No-shows and cancellations without adequate notice are charged in full on the credit card used to secure the reservation and are non-refundable.