May or may not be open depending on scheduled renovations.
Visit the visitors center to learn some history about the island, explore fish ponds at the beach, and potentially see lots of turtles!
The best Manta Ray tour on the island!
If you are going to pick just one place to snorkel on the Big Island, you must visit Kealakekua Bay (Captain Cook). This bay is a marine life conservation district and it’s some of the best snorkeling in all of the Hawaiian Islands. The water is clear, there are plenty of fish and coral, turtles, and spinner dolphins. This spot CANNOT BE ACCESSED BY CAR. Your options are to do a 4 mile hike down, or rent a kayak and do a self guided tour. You can get rentals from Ehu and Kai Adventures.
Awesome beach in Kona to hang out and soak up some sun.
Fun and easily accessible snorkeling.
Also called Honaunau Bay. Aptly named for the two steps that help you enter the snorkeling area, this site offers good snorkeling right offshore. This isn’t a great place for kids or beginning snorkelers because there isn’t a sandy beach to walk in from. There’s not much of a beach to enjoy, but the sea life more than makes up for it if you don't want to snorkel. You can pay $5 for parking.