Big
Island Paddling
Kealakekua Bay / Captain Cook Monument
Rating: C5/E4+/P5 (rating information)
Kealakekua Bay and Captain Cook monument
(Click
on picture for large view)
Kealakekua Bay is a protected historical gem of the Big Island. Just South of the bay is a cement "boat launch" and parking area.
Just to the
North of the boat launch in the
parking area is direct access to the bay via a slightly rocky shore.
For those
who would rather avoid knocking
around in the waves against the lava rock, you can drop your boat off
the cement pier and then climb down into it from the depressions in the
pier. It can be even easier than that if you choose to let one of
the many local boy "launch helpers" handle the kayak for you.
Either way you are quickly heading out into the bay towards the easily visible white Cook's monument on the North side of the bay.
If you start early in the morning (7-8am) you
will most
likely not only have few others to contend with, but will have the
added pleasure of running in a pod of dolphins playing in the
bay. They are around most of the day, but especially in the early
morning and near sunset.
The monument is only about a mile across the bay and is quite an impressive 27-foot white spire against the forest green.
It was erected by the Australian government in 1878 to
commemorate the exploits
of Captain Cook and marks the location of his demise at the hands of
the natives.
There are a number of pretty good entry slots in the shoreline phase lava near the monument and the swell is usually very small.
There is about a 50' shelve of beautiful living coral that drops off suddenly and disappears past the 50+' visibility.
There are lots of trails of smooth phase lava along the shore
and one that runs
uphill North that is the access trail
for horses. The area has lots of mongoose scurrying about and
into the thick vegetation. This was suppose to have once been a
large fishing village of the Hawaiians called Ka'awaloa but all that is
left is some
lava walls which are probably from more recent times.
The trails will take you to the monument and the other way to the closest point which is not protected from the weather and has strong swells.
There are some potential secluded camp spots along the shore and the area is surprising pretty clean of litter for how many visitors it hosts each day. If you see some take it with you when you leave so this place can stay this way.
As I said you probably want to get there early as the bay populates increasingly as the day progresses. It is one of the popular commercial boat stops as well as kayaking destination and end of the trail for the horses.
The number of kayaks along the shore multiplies and traffic can
get heavy
especially on the weekends. When
snorkeling you need to what out for fellow snorkels as the afternoon
comes and so do more visitors. Especially popular is the NE
portion of the bay next to the monument called Ka'awaloa Cove.
On your way back I suggest you go along the shore cliffs as there are many lava
formations including
large and small lava tube caves (some ancient Hawaiian burial caves),
shear
pali face and
peekaboo ocean caves.
This was my first kayak trip on the Big Island so its hard to rate this paddle accurately and I may change its rating later. But even though it was a mostly overcast day it was a totally enjoyable and easy paddle. aloha
Kealakekua Bay is a protected historical gem of the Big Island. Just South of the bay is a cement "boat launch" and parking area.
Just to the
North of the boat launch in the
parking area is direct access to the bay via a slightly rocky shore. For those
who would rather avoid knocking
around in the waves against the lava rock, you can drop your boat off
the cement pier and then climb down into it from the depressions in the
pier. It can be even easier than that if you choose to let one of
the many local boy "launch helpers" handle the kayak for you.Either way you are quickly heading out into the bay towards the easily visible white Cook's monument on the North side of the bay.
If you start early in the morning (7-8am) you
will most
likely not only have few others to contend with, but will have the
added pleasure of running in a pod of dolphins playing in the
bay. They are around most of the day, but especially in the early
morning and near sunset.The monument is only about a mile across the bay and is quite an impressive 27-foot white spire against the forest green.
It was erected by the Australian government in 1878 to
commemorate the exploits
of Captain Cook and marks the location of his demise at the hands of
the natives.There are a number of pretty good entry slots in the shoreline phase lava near the monument and the swell is usually very small.
There is about a 50' shelve of beautiful living coral that drops off suddenly and disappears past the 50+' visibility.
There are lots of trails of smooth phase lava along the shore
and one that runs
uphill North that is the access trail
for horses. The area has lots of mongoose scurrying about and
into the thick vegetation. This was suppose to have once been a
large fishing village of the Hawaiians called Ka'awaloa but all that is
left is some
lava walls which are probably from more recent times.The trails will take you to the monument and the other way to the closest point which is not protected from the weather and has strong swells.
There are some potential secluded camp spots along the shore and the area is surprising pretty clean of litter for how many visitors it hosts each day. If you see some take it with you when you leave so this place can stay this way.
As I said you probably want to get there early as the bay populates increasingly as the day progresses. It is one of the popular commercial boat stops as well as kayaking destination and end of the trail for the horses.
The number of kayaks along the shore multiplies and traffic can
get heavy
especially on the weekends. When
snorkeling you need to what out for fellow snorkels as the afternoon
comes and so do more visitors. Especially popular is the NE
portion of the bay next to the monument called Ka'awaloa Cove.On your way back I suggest you go along the shore cliffs as there are many lava
formations including
large and small lava tube caves (some ancient Hawaiian burial caves),
shear pali face and
peekaboo ocean caves.This was my first kayak trip on the Big Island so its hard to rate this paddle accurately and I may change its rating later. But even though it was a mostly overcast day it was a totally enjoyable and easy paddle. aloha
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keoni@isp.com