Tours and Tickets by Captain Zodiac Raft Expeditions
Zodiac Raft Whale Watching Adventure
Winter is the most exciting time to be out on the water in Hawaii, as it’s the time of year when thousands of migrating humpback whales visit the islands. On this exciting Big Island whale watching tour, experience the thrill of traveling aboard a high-speed raft, and then seeing a whale swimming just in front of the boat. Though the boat will obey the federal laws and not approach within 100 feet (30 meters), it isn’t uncommon for the whale to decide to swim up under the boat!
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3 hours
Kealakekua Bay Snorkeling Tour - 4 hour Kona Zodiac Adventure
This Zodiac tour of Kealakekua Bay Marine Preserve includes the opportunity to snorkel among the coral gardens. You’ll easily see tropical fish and other marine life in the crystal-clear waters, with a guide to lead the way. Beat the crowds with a midday rafting excursion that includes a picnic of deli sandwiches, Hawaiian fruits, juice, and more.
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4 hours
Kona Snorkeling - Beat the Crowd to Kealakekua Bay
Skim across the waves on an exciting Big Island Zodiac tour to Kealakekua Bay, site of the Captain Cook monument and Hawaii's finest marine sanctuary. Snorkel with a rainbow of tropical fish among beautiful coral gardens in the bay's clear, crystal waters. Enjoy the delightful picnic snack provided before you head out again. Our Zodiac rafts allow us to hug the shoreline and get into areas where other boats can't. Join us to explore vast sea caves, lava tubes and the rugged beauty of the coastline.
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5 hours
Pelagic Wildlife Excursion
Whale season is never over for Captain Zodiac. Join us for a unique experience of a lifetime where we venture into the unknown! Enjoy a morning wildlife watching tour with our experienced Naturalist captains and crew, who share a passion & respect for the ocean and its inhabitants. Kona is one of the few unique coastlines in the world with numerous species of wildlife year-round. We have the opportunity to encounter 17 different resident whale & dolphin species, turtles, sharks, Hawaiian Monk seals, various species of birds and much more. Experience our military grade Zodiac Hurricanes – the same boats used by Navy seals as we explore the diverse habitat provided by Hawaii’s deep underwater geography, an ocean safari for the true adventure seeker!
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4 hours
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JC and Elliott were fantastic! On The boat ride out to Captain Cook, we spent time watching dolphins and a mother and baby Humpback whale!! I was very nervous about the ride because I have gotten seasick so many other times, but I didn’t even fee a little queasy (I did sit at the back of the boat). At Captain Cook, we had at least two hours to snorkel and were not rushed or crowded! We had a nice sized group of 9. This mid-morning slot is the perfect time to be there!! Fish were everywhere, sunny, warm weather!! On the ride back, JC skillfully brought us close to interesting lava formations and told us about their creation and history. We had so much fun as he sped up a bit!!! This was the highlight of our entire trip, 5 full hours, so much fun, and would highly recommend to anyone!!…
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Date of experience: April 2021
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Response from Captain Z, Guest Relations Manager at Captain Zodiac Raft Expeditions
Responded 1 week ago
Happy to hear our staff JC and Connor were able to provide a great snorkeling and historical tour while in Kona. We really love to hear back from our guest after they are out with our employees. Sitting towards the back of the boat does help minimize the bounce and we are happy to hear you didn't get queasy. Hope to have you come back out on your next vacation.
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If you’re looking for an all around great experience this is the place. Absolutely fabulous day overall! Our captain was amazing, so knowledgeable about Polynesian and Hawaiian history which was so fascinating to learn about. Connor our snorkeling guide was great too-super chill! The boat ride to and from was awesome, got to see dolphins, sea caves and some cool natural geographical features. And the snorkeling was beautiful. 10/10 would recommend!!…
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Date of experience: April 2021
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Response from Captain Z, Guest Relations Manager at Captain Zodiac Raft Expeditions
Responded 1 week ago
Mahalo for stopping back by to leave a review! We are happy we could add more memories to your vacation in Hawaii. We know we can all use some outdoor happy times in 2021! Hope to see you again and thanks for choosing us!
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Frequent travelers who have to state this was the best tour we have been on..brought the teenage grandchildren who were kept in rapt attention by the cuteness of Conner and the intelligence and knowledge of “JC”..(ok, cuteness too. ) JC knows more about island archeology, history, marine life than anyone we know and we are professors. The girls -14 & 17- told us they learned more from this trip then they have in semesters of school. But, the reason we selected this trip was the early arrival at the bay which gave us plenty of time to snorkle before the crowds. Equipment was great, lunch was too, and we can’t do anything but compliment the professionalism, knowledge, and just general goodness of the entire experience.…
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Date of experience: April 2021
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Response from Captain Z, Guest Relations Manager at Captain Zodiac Raft Expeditions
Responded 2 weeks ago
Oh I'm glad JC and Connor were able to provide such great service in both the knowledge and eye candy aspects. They are both very great additions to our team here at CZ. We are happy you enjoyed the Beat the crowd snorkeling tour. Come see us again!!
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I had some friends visiting from the mainland, and we went on Captain Zodiac's Beat the Crowd snorkel cruise to Kealakekua. What a fantastic experience. We were super lucky to have spectacular weather and water conditions, and we were treated to sightings of spinner dolphins and a small reef shark. Obviously, none of those are things you can control or plan for, but they made the trip super special. Importantly, the cultivated aspects of the tour were exceptional. The three of us rode with Captain Rick and First Mate Cameron, on a zodiac boat with a family of five. The ride from Honokohau to Kealakeakua was beautiful, and though I was born and raised on the Big Island, it was the first time I'd done that. The ride was exciting but also felt very safe for the four young kids aboard. We stopped for some historical sight-seeing on the way out and on the way back, and Rick's delivery was informative and engaging. The small tour size felt intimate, and we got to chat quite a bit with the other group and Rick and Cameron. I've been on the Fair Wind snorkel tour to Kealakekua a few times, and honestly, I liked this more. The "beat the crowd" timing was awesome because we never felt crowded in the water. It was also great to be able to do some snorkeling, take a lunch break, and then do some more. I know this will be a highlight of my friends' trip, and I will definitely plan on it for future visitors.…
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Date of experience: March 2021
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Response from Captain Z, Guest Relations Manager at Captain Zodiac Raft Expeditions
Responded 2 weeks ago
Mahalo for the time it took to write such a detailed review. We appreciate all our guest and we are glad we could show you more of an smaller adventure ride. Each of the older companies here in Hawaii really do cater to different customers whether it be a slower ride for the extended family age group or a fast ride with adventure seekers. Happy you could share it with us.
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We had a private charter with Captain Zodiac. There were nine people in our group and it made sense to do the private charter instead of paying individually for a shorter tour. The day began with Captain Rick and the Amazing Amanda getting us settled on the Zodiac. Basically the day was ours and they made sure we got to check all our boxes. Coming out of the marina a pod of Spinner Dolphins swam alongside us. Captain Rick gave us a very informative tour of historic Kona. We then headed straight to Captain Cook’s Cove for snorkeling. Even in four foot seas the Zodiac rode quite well. It was a better ride than I was expecting. Snorkeling was incredible. Water visibility was at least 100 feet. We stopped for a lunch provided by the crew. Afterwards we went into a few coves and saw some pretty big lava tubes. We even saw the god Pele frozen on the side of a cliff. Our crew was very knowledgeable about Pelagic life and Hawaiian history. This was certainly a highlight of our vacation. I’d recommend this company to anyone and would use them again.…
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Date of experience: March 2021
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Response from Captain Z, Guest Relations Manager at Captain Zodiac Raft Expeditions
Responded 3 weeks ago
Mahalo for the excellent recommendation. All the great information in the review is great. Also we are happy that we were able to meet all your needs, which is what makes private charters so great! Captain Rick and Amanda really appreciate the shout outs. Hope to see you all again!
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