Kealakekua Bay

Kealakekua Bay is an outdoor activity in Captain Cook, HI, part of the Island of Hawaiʻi guide. Cost: free.

End of Napoopoo Rd at Napoopoo, Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park · Captain Cook, HI

Why you should go…

Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island's Kona coast is a Marine Life Conservation District where you can snorkel but not fish, and Hawaiian spinner dolphins often rest here in the morning. Captain James Cook arrived in 1779 and was killed on its shore; a white monument at Ka'awaloa marks the site, reached by the steep Ka'awaloa Trail or a permitted guided kayak tour. At Napoopoo stands Hikiau Heiau, a sacred temple platform you are asked not to climb onto.

#snorkeling
#kayaking
#captain cook monument
#marine sanctuary
#state historical park

What's around here?

The closest stops to Kealakekua Bay, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Sightseeing
History Buff
Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park
Under $25
Walk the Royal Grounds and a centuries-old place of refuge guarded by carved wooden kiʻi on the Kona coast.
3.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Sport & Outdoor
Outdoor Adventure
Hāpuna Beach State Recreation Area
Under $25
Swim, bodysurf and picnic on one of the few white-sand beaches along the Big Island's west coast, south of Kawaihae.
36 mi awayMore like this
Sport & Outdoor
Iconic
Mauna Kea
Free
Stop at the visitor station at 9,200 feet, then take a four-wheel drive road to Hawaii's highest summit and its observatories.
38 mi awayMore like this
Sightseeing
Iconic
Kīlauea
$25–$50
See one of Earth's most active volcanoes and its summit caldera inside Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
41 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Sport & Outdoor
Iconic
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
$25–$50
Drive and hike around Kīlauea's summit caldera, then follow Chain of Craters Road down to the sea.
43 mi awayMore like this