Best Places to See Dolphins on the Big Island

After 10 days in Hawaii, and lots of snorkeling excursions, we narrow down the two best places to see dolphins on the Big Island. If you want an even closer experience, read our tips for swimming with these amazing animals in the wild, and make sure you review the conservation section to make sure you’re not endangering our flippered friends.

We returned from Hawaii three weeks ago (although it feels like eternity), and still run into people who ask us about the trip. We still tell them the same thing: AMAZING!!! The highlight for me, is no contest – swimming with dolphins three days in a row.

My top snorkeling vacation is still my family’s tour of the various national parks in the Virgin Islands; however, Hawaii has the distinction of being the first place that I swam with wild dolphins. I used to internally roll my eyes at people who said they “played” with wild dolphins. However, there was a brief moment, when I was snorkeling, and two dolphins came up to surface next to me. I swear they looked me right in the eye. Instead of diving back down, they circled me twice. It was such an incredible moment, and transformed me from a person who had an average interest in dolphins to a really fanatical, “OMG DOLPHINS” with heart eyes emoji type person.

Hawaii is an excellent place to spot dolphins, and particularly spinner dolphins. Spinner dolphins typically inhabit waters further from shore, but the Big Island has a few bays with deep water that offer the dolphins shelter from predators during the day, while they rest. Their name originates from their aerial acrobatics. Spinner dolphins have the ability to leap 3 meters high, while spinning between two and five rotations. These impressive stunts are most common at night when the dolphins feed; however, you will often see their acrobatics as they return to the warm, clear water in the bays. We happily viewed a few incredible jumps, but were not lucky enough to capture any on camera.

Best Places to See Dolphins on the Big Island: Hōnaunau Bay/Two Step

The first place that we swam with dolphins was at Hōnaunau Bay, a snorkeling spot recommended to us by locals and several guide books. At the dive shop where we rented our gear, she mentioned that we should swim out and along the right side of Hōnaunau Bay, if we didn’t see the dolphins closer to the reef. If you arrive early, free parking is available on the street, right along the shore – make sure you read the posted parking signs. There is also a bit of free parking before the entrance to the Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, and park entry is only $5 for a whole carload. You can probably leave your car there while you check out Two-Step, but check with the ranger to verify before parking.

The guidebooks describe snorkeling here like the ‘Under the Sea’ scene from The Little Mermaid; however, once we spotted dolphins from shore, we made a beeline out to the deeper water. I still enjoyed the colorful fish and coral, and will definitely explore more of the reef when we return.

When JZ entered the water, he quickly began swimming to the right outer point of the bay, and about half way out, a pod of dolphins swarmed him. Conscious of the 50 yard buffer for swimming with these creatures, he took photos from a distance, and two dolphins circled him from behind, almost brushing his shoulders. Overcome with excitement, he raced back to the shore to make sure I had a go in the water before they left the bay. We took a couple turns snorkeling with the 50-odd dolphins in the bay, before packing up for the day.

On the way home, we devoured the most amazing pork laulau at Kaaloa’s Super J’s, and decided we would make the hike to the best snorkeling spot on the Big Island! (Side note: Super J’s pork rivals my native Carolina BBQ. The welcome home atmosphere and pride they take in their food is worth a stop –  we made three!)

Best Places to See Dolphins on the Big Island: Keylakekua Bay/Captain Cook Monument

Kealakekua Bay is often proclaimed as the best snorkeling on the Big Island. It boasts warm clear water, right off the shore, and there are even a couple of coral arches in the reef for those willing to take a longer swim. It is also naturally protected because it is difficult to access. There are only two ways into the bay: a grueling hike, or hired boat (can you guess what we opted for?). The Captain Cook Monument offers a bit of shade, but otherwise, the above-water area is barren. There are some trees away from the entrance to the water, but you need a lot of very good mosquito repellant. Thankfully, the underwater views compensate for the extra effort and lacking amenities. You enter the water directly in front of the monument, and the colorful reef quickly drops off into incredibly deep waters, which offer a protected resting place for large pods of spinner dolphins during the day.

Kealakekua Bay is a popular tour spot, with large boats bringing in loads of tourists, and a few smaller operators offering kayak tours. Note: it is illegal to land a kayak near the Captain Cook monument if you are not on one of the tours. We debated a boat tour, but like the flexibility of exploring on our own, so we opted to hike through the Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park to the water.

The hike is not recommended in most guide books, but we felt prepared after a solid breakfast and a briefing from our Airbnb host. The hike descends 2 miles to the bay and, more notably, ascends two miles through barren lava rocks and in between farmland. It is exceptionally hot, with very limited shade, especially for the afternoon return. There are no facilities or running water, but 8 markers help set your pace and expectations. We thanked our hiking boots on multiple occasions for saving our ankles from the rough, rocky terrain, but we also saw families in flip-flops.

We did not pack light, which contributed to our shoe choice. JZ and I each carried ~25kg(55lbs), between CZ, camera gear, our snorkel equipment, food, and 6 litres of water. The most intense parts of the hike are over loose, black lava rock bouncing back the intense heat of the afternoon sun, and we began to ration water halfway back to the car. We brought 2 gallons for the second day, and both days we drank most of the gallon we left in the car, as well. We also packed a few vitamin waters for the second day, and had some fresh strawberry lemonade from Super J’s in the cooler waiting for us!

Yes, I said second day. The snorkeling was so incredible; we decided swimming with dolphins would beat anything else we might do in Kailua-Kona. Also, JZ really wanted to explore the reef arches, after spending the entire first day with the dolphin pod.

The reef arch attracts fish to eat the particles underneath

It is beyond amazing that there is so much diversity to experience on the Big Island. We snorkeled in many places, and every swim was worth the effort. It is  unbelievable that we saw more dolphins in a couple hours snorkeling than the rest of our lives. They are incredible creatures, and we are grateful for the experience.

Dolphin Conservation Efforts

Unfortunately, our excitement waned as we began our research for this post. We discovered that human interaction with the spinner dolphins has potentially fatal consequences. When investigating snorkelers above, dolphins are unable to rest properly during the day. This leaves them tired, when they head out to feed in the evenings, making them more susceptible to predators. After we read more, we immediately felt guilty about our interactions.

If you still decide to swim with dolphins,  remain 50 yards away at all times, limit your time with a pod to 30 minutes, and refrain from sudden or loud noises. We do have to say, even after swimming with them, that spinner dolphins are quite impressive from the shore! If you want to read more about Dolphin conservation efforts, check this out.

The Quick Details

• Two Step – There is parking along the road here, but you will ned to arrive early. Otherwise, you can park further  up the road near the entrance to the national park and walk down.
• Kealakekua Bay / Captain Cook Monument – You can hike down from here, or find a tour. It is a rough, rocky trail so bring boots. Also it is largely exposed to the sun so you’ll need plenty of water, and you should pack food also.
• Jack’s Diving Locker is our recommendation for rental gear, if you want to hire nice snorkeling equipment for your adventures. We didn’t attend any tours, but the service in the shop was excellent. They gave us tons of useful information, and were genuinely excited about helping us enjoy our time in the water.
• All photos were taken with the Canon G7X and Canon Underwater Housing.

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