It's for sure a great snorkel site and worth visiting. Just seems that it's gotten very very busy. We kayaked out there today and there were so many bodies in the water. Seemed like the fish felt the same way; most of them were in very shallow waters close to the coast; almost too shallow to snorkel there. Lovely monument... More

Love the site but too many tourists can just ruin the experience. The water is cold and clear here. Not for the faint of heart, the water is deep here. Don't expect the fish to be close to the surface. But there are many if you look closely. The Captain Cook Monument itself is a small obelisk. You are asked... More

We chose to hike to the monument - a bold move! We loaded backpacks with extra water and picnic supplies and hiked the two miles and 1300+ feet down - time: 45 min Snorkeling was great - aqua socks stuffed into your fins would be worth trying- we did not have any aqua socks, so we had to gingerly step... More

After several trips to the Big Island, we finally rented a kayak and went to the Captain Cook Monument. Nothing special UNTIL we went snorkeling. WOW! Crystal clear shallow water, incredible diversity of life. Fish we have not seen at any other location, large fish, an underwater bridge and more. Even the one-mile trip was enjoyable. Tip: don't pull into... More

Some of the best snorkeling I've done in my life! Cool corals and the occasional manta ray! More

We hiked in - would have been much more enjoyable to kayak in - there are guides available if you do your homework. The snorkeling didn't live up to the hype, to me, and we had better luck at 2 step (which is also really really easy to get to, about 7 miles further south). More

If you are thinking of hiking to the monument, don't attempt unless you want to challenge yourself with the arduous steep hike back up. This might be a nice place to kayak to, but I have not done that. As far as the monument itself, there are nicer places to hike to. More

Lots of work to get out there but well worth it. Best snorkeling on the island More

Me and my bf rent a kayak down the road from Marley's rental. Very reasonable price $ 40 for a double from 8-4pm. He also provide life jacket and dry bag and watch for our valuables. and it save you alot of time and effort to rent from other "big" companies, like kona boy, etc. b/c you don't have to... More