Kealakekua Bay (Napoopoo)
Captain Cook, HI
Kealakekua Bay is a marine conservation district on South Kona's coast, best known for the white obelisk across the water marking where Captain Cook died in 1779. Snorkeling and kayaking here rank among the best on the island, thanks to a steep drop off just offshore that keeps the reef and the visibility remarkably clear.
The history and the snorkeling here are genuinely world class, but reaching the best reef means a kayak or boat, not just a walk in from the wharf.
How we score beachesPaddle or take a tour boat to the monument side rather than trying to swim it from Napoopoo. It's farther across the bay than it looks from the wharf.
A small lot near the old Napoopoo wharf serves the public shoreline access and fills by mid morning on weekends.
A short, mostly flat path leads from the lot to the water at the wharf, though entry is over rock rather than sand.
Summer's calmer water gives the clearest visibility for snorkeling and kayaking. Winter surf can make the wharf entry rougher.
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