Anyone use Captain Zodiac in Kona for snorkling?

[pdz]

Is it better to take the morning trip or the afternoon excursion? It seems it may be difficult to make 8:15 AM start time since we have to tender off the ship. Any comments?

[Sargent_Schultz]

I called them up before our cruise and they indicated it didn't matter.

 

We did an afternoon tour and here are some pictures from it

 

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[vbmom87]

Is it better to take the morning trip or the afternoon excursion? It seems it may be difficult to make 8:15 AM start time since we have to tender off the ship. Any comments?

 

I was told that morning is best for water clarity. From what I have read on this forum, if you line up for your tender tickets at 6:30 a.m. you should not have a problem. My DH, on the other hand, did not want to have to wake up earlier and hassle with getting his own tender tickets. He just ate the cost of doing it through the cruise ship and had no regrets. If you want to risk booking at the very last minute at the dock, they said the price was only $62. That is probably great for those staying on the island who have flexibility. For those that want to be sure to have availability, it could be risky.

 

Just as a sidenote: We ran into a couple who did the snorkeling at both Molokai and at Kona with Captain Zodiac. They said the snorkeling in Kona was much better than in Molokai.

[vbmom87]

I called them up before our cruise and they indicated it didn't matter.

 

We did an afternoon tour and here are some pictures from it

 

 

 

I emailed Zodiac, and they recommended morning. Guess it is all who you talk with.

[Sargent_Schultz]

I emailed Zodiac, and they recommended morning. Guess it is all who you talk with.

 

I guess so. However, water clarity could not have been better for our afternoon snorkel. Also $62 if you waited to book.

[vbmom87]

I guess so. However, water clarity could not have been better for our afternoon snorkel. Also $62 if you waited to book.

 

Your photos were remarkable. My DH just didn't want to purchase another camera just for underwater. From what I have read, there are times when the water can get pretty churned up by afternoon and interfere with viewing. Perhaps this is not common, but possible. Good to hear that you had great viewing with an afternoon tour.

[aussie2324]

I called them up before our cruise and they indicated it didn't matter.

 

We did an afternoon tour and here are some pictures from it

 

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Did you book through CCL or CZ direct ? I assume they would have had OP who paid through CCL on the same tour as well. What time did they have you back at the dock ? We are on the Spirit in September and would like to do this tour. :)

[Sargent_Schultz]

Did you book through CCL or CZ direct ? I assume they would have had OP who paid through CCL on the same tour as well. What time did they have you back at the dock ? We are on the Spirit in September and would like to do this tour. :)

 

We booked through the ship although others didn't.

 

They ran a number of boats and sent them off as people showed up, so if you get there early, your specific tour might leave early.

 

We booked the afternoon and left before the scheduled start time. I'll have to check the time stamp on the pictures to figure out when we returned.

 

The tour is scheduled for 3.5 hours with 8:30am and 1pm departure times.

 

The shore excursions available on our cruise are listed here:

 

http://www.zydecocruiser.com/CarnivalSpirit/Hawaii/shore/index.htm

[acctgtogo]

It was several years ago, but we did the Zodiacs in the morning. It was fantastic. We even got to see pilot whales on the way to the snorkel site. We also snorkeled at Molokai. The snoreling there wasn't great - cloudy waters and not much to see.

[Sargent_Schultz]

Molokini (the crater) is one location where it matters whether morning or afternoon and even where you snorkel once there.