The hum of the engine was massaging my mind into a sort of meditation, the white noise of the wind washing everything away and clean, the bounce of the zodiac upon the water feeding the spirit of adventure as we cruised along the dry, sun-baked Kona coast. The hillsides of Kailua looked dry and brown, and the ocean was a deep, bold blue. One man had his hat blow off his head, but we were able to swing back around and get it.
Already it had been an eventful boat trip. We spotted dolphins right outside the harbor, and later, out in deeper water, a pod of pilot whales moving along the surface. There must have been a dozen of them. Then we cruised back towards the coast, idling under the sea cliffs as the captain pointed out lava tubes and ancient Hawaiian cultural sites. But all this would pale, historically speaking, to what we were about to experience.
When Captain Cook arrived at the Big Island in 1779, he took up anchor in a protected cove known as Kealakekua Bay. He liked this bay for its deep water close to shore, which allowed him to pull right up to the coast-a good parking spot, if you will. At that time, there were several Hawaiian villages surrounding the bay. The sight of his ship marked the first instance of Western contact on the island, and the Hawaiians believed Captain Cook to be the incarnation of a god. But that sense of wonder and worship from the Hawaiians took a turn just a few months later when Captain Cook was killed along the shores of Kealakekua Bay in a skirmish with the local village. Today, there is a monument at the water's edge commemorating his death.
Because of its history and its aforementioned deep water-there is a shelf that drops off just twenty or thirty yards offshore-Kealakekua Bay has become one of the Big Island's most popular snorkeling destinations. Due to the location of the bay beneath large sea cliffs, visitors cannot drive to the shores of the bay. They must either make a 4-mile roundtrip hike or come via a boat tour. There are a number of companies that run large-scale, 100+ passenger operations. Then there are others, like my boat here with Captain Zodiac, that offer smaller, unique experiences.
Thanks to our small, zippy zodiac, we arrived at Kealakekua Bay an hour before the big boats showed up. Entering Kealakekua Bay by boat is one of the most historically-soaked arrivals you can recreate here in Hawaii, imagining a time when these shores were buzzing with villages, before they had ever made contact with Westerners.
I enjoyed reflecting on both sides of the occasion: Captain Cook approaching this exotic, untouched land of Hawaii; the Hawaiians curiously watching a foreign craft approach their shores. In this way, the experience touched me well before I ever got into the water. But once in, a new world exploded-tropical fish, reef sharks, and, because luck was on our side, a pod of spinner dolphins. When the big boats showed up and the masses started pouring in, we'd already been in the water for an hour.
Our exit from the bay was, having discovered its secrets, equally as epic. Through the calm water we cut back towards Kona, the zodiac providing full maneuverability and excitement, staying close to the coast and watching for goats on the cliffs above the water. As our captain revealed more of its secrets, including some of his favorite hangouts and cliff jumping spots, I reflected on the what it might have looked like back in 1779, when Captain Cook sailed these waters.
For more information on small boat tours of Kealakekua Bay and the Kona Coast, visit Captain Zodiac.
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