Kailua-Kona - Celebrity Eclipse Honolulu to Vancouver Land Cruise Trip - May 13, 2023

Today's stop is at the port of Kailua-Kona on the big island.  It is another tender port.  On this morning I had booked an excursion just for myself through Celebrity to snorkel - Captain Zodiac Raft, Dolphin and Snorkel Adventure while Paul and his mom enjoyed a leisure morning on the ship.  This excursion was truly amazing.

I had breakfast on the open deck behind the buffet, headed down to the theater for my meeting time, and tendered ashore with my group.

When we reached the dock, we checked in with the tour operator where they had sunscreen for us if we needed any, were assigned a small group, and signed a waiver.  The zodiacs could hold 16 passengers and our group size was 11.  Our driver was Chuck and our guide was Little B.  Both turned out to be very knowledgeable and a lot of fun.  

We walked over to dock where the zodiacs would pull up.  They had one section that was lower and easier for boarding but with a lot of zodiacs to board, our driver looked at our group and said, "you all look pretty fit."  He then pulled up to the higher dock and tied up.  We then stepped on these giant tires and kind of jumped into the zodiac with the help of both the driver and guide.  Just getting into the zodiac was an adventure but we all made it.

In a zodiac, most of us sat right on the edge of the boat.  There was a rope we could slip our feet under for a little extra security and ropes along the side to hold on.  We were warned it would be a bumpy ride not meant for those with back injuries, recent surgeries, or who were pregnant.  And it definitely was bumpy!

We had a 30-45 minute ride to the Kealakekua Bay where we would snorkel.  On the way there we took a detour to find some other wildlife and came across a group of short finned pilot whales.

Even tying my hat on tight, the brim kept getting in my eyes, so I eventually just let it hang around my neck and took it off when the boat slowed and I could put it away.

Short finned pilot whale

We then continued on to the Kealakekua Bay where they told us to just jump in and return when we were tired.  We were given guidance on how far we could go.  None of the boats in the bay could anchor in the protected marine preserve so they just floated and moved around as necessary.  I had some issues setting up my SeaLife SportDiver underwater housing for my iPhone but eventually got it figured out (by just turning off the leak alarm that was falsely going off).  When I jumped in and put my face in the water, I was amazed by the colors and variety of fish.  No guide was necessary to find the fish!  And there was so much space that I rarely found myself running into another snorkeler.  

After snorkeling for a while, I returned to the boat where they had drinks and snacks out for us.  Before we moved too far, we got word there was a pod of spinner dolphins not far so we moved closer to watch them.  Then we got word of a whale shark so we headed that direction.  The boat drivers were radioing and messaging each other about wildlife sightings plus you could see where boats started to congregate.

The whale shark was truly amazing.  They are filter feeders that mostly eat plankton so harmless to humans.  When we arrived at the location where the whale shark was swimming around, there were a number of snorkelers already in the water.  Our guide jumped in as she had always hoped to get a photo or video of one.  Here is a link to the Instagram post of the video my guide took.  These whale sharks are huge!

We then continued back to the port with a few stops to look at the lava rock formations.  When we arrived at the dock, we actually were able to use the lower dock so it was much easier to get out.

Here is a video I put together of the excursion.

Meanwhile on the ship, Paul and his mom had a nice morning and enjoyed a lunch from the Mast Grill on their balcony.  They then took a tender to join me on shore.

We then spent a little time walking around the town and doing a little shopping.

Iced coffee - Kona is known for its coffee and it was so good I paid the high price for a pound of ground coffee to take home.

I had heard about Hilo Hattie so we had to make a stop.  I picked up a beautiful red Hawaiian print dress.

While Paul and his mom were enjoying some Hawaiian Shaved Ice over dole whip, we spotted this cute lizard (which I later read is an invasive species).

We then headed back to the ship.

In Kona, I had picked up a Hawaiian print dress at Hilo Hattie which I couldn't wait to wear so we dressed in a Hawaiian theme that night for dinner.  Paul wore one of the new Hawaiian shirts he had picked up in Honolulu.