Kealakekua Bay (Pathway of the God) was my most memorable trip so far.

The third day of our trip to Hawaii, I woke my friend Joe up at 7 o'clockish (that's like noon CST so it was easy for me) to go for my planned trip to the Captain Cook Monument.  We drove down a steep winding road down to Na'opo'po park and set up by 8am.  The guide book mentioned there might be some locals hanging out offering to 'help' you for $5 tips, but they did not bother us.  For this trip I brought the Innova Helios, along with my rudder, as I'd read about some windy weather in the forecast this week.  The boat was in a single suitcase; life jackets, 4-part paddles, and other gear went in another duffel.

Getting in the water was a little tricky, mainly because I tend to be over cautious in new places.  It was a 3-4 foot drop into the water off a concrete wall.  Joe and I noticed a couple who found a spot with a couple steps bringing us down another foot or two.  We tied the kayak up and dropped it in.  10 minutes later we were off!

We paddled into the bay, which was beautiful, but didn't see much until about half a mile out.  Joe was reminding me that he hadn't seen any dolphins yet, and at about 9am I saw a splash to my right.  Joe spotted some dorsal fins to his left.  

Spinner Dolphins!

It was tricky getting pictures of them, because by the time my camera focused and took a picture, they were underwater.  I must have taken 50-60 pictures of water, cliffs, and Joe's paddle.

In this picture, we weren't trying to get them in the picture but you can see fins popping up on both sides of me!





The dolphins got quite close, one went under our boat and I dropped my camera into the water and got this picture of a dolphine underbody.  They came in waves.  Joe estimated that we saw about 20 dolphins in maybe a 30 yard area, and there were groups of them everywhere!  It was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced in the water.  I never thought much of how dolphins are captive in zoos, but since this, I feel badly for them.  The spinners came in and out of a bay into the ocean and had complete freedom.  I understand that many zoo creatures might have been injured or have other reasons for their captivity, but it still felt odd to see the 'Dolphin Quest' show offered at a nearby hotel, where the dolphins basically had a puddle to frolic in.
These shots are of Joe and I at the Captain Cook monument.  This was also a superb place for snorkeling.  The water was calm, clear, and blue.  



More dolphin shots follow.  The only thing that topped this part of the trip was snorkeling at Honaunau the following week.  On that trip we were not expecting to see dolphins at all and found ourselves swimming with them.  I have even better pictures from that trip but alas, that wasn't an inflatable kayaking trip, and doesn't belong here ;).  This is the premium spot to go kayaking and see marine wildlife on the Big Island, and a super place to bring your IK from the mainland!   I will be posting other trips we took.  Sadly I did not take many pictures after this first trip; just tried to enjoy the water!


One final shot of our dolphin friends, right before they rise for a breath of fresh air....


Kayaks Used:
Innova Helios