Fanning Island Barracuda Reef Snorkel?

[pugsbest]

I noticed this trip in the excursion list but can't find any reviews. Has anyone done this? If so, what was your opinion?

 

Thanks!

Julie

[cruisewithus]

At Fanning, Do the Private beach excursion. I think it was like $15-25 and you got a tee shirt. My friends did the fanning snorkel and said that they did not see very much. But my wife and I did the Body Glove snorkel trip in Kona and it was the best wildlife I had ever seen!

[candydane]

At Fanning, Do the Private beach excursion. I think it was like $15-25 and you got a tee shirt. My friends did the fanning snorkel and said that they did not see very much. But my wife and I did the Body Glove snorkel trip in Kona and it was the best wildlife I had ever seen!

We're thinking about doing the Body Glove in Kona, but 2 of us are not very good swimmers. Was the water mostly calm? Did they have floats or something to use when in the water?

[cruisewithus]

Kona is a lot like the surf in the great lakes. There isn't any. Actually the locals call it Lake Kona. They had quite a few various floats and stuff like that so when you get tired you don't have to support yourself. As long as you can at least swim a little you should be fine.

[bankofdad]

I was sharing some information earlier on this topic, so here's a cut and paste based upon our experience:

 

The Fair Winds tour on Kona, to be quite honest, was somewhat of a surprise to us. I had read the tour books ("Big Island Revealed") and read reviews, but I had no idea how beautiful Kona really was. Because this is the youngest of the Hawaiian Islands, sandy beaches aren't abound (it mostly lava rock on the shores), which means water clarity is unbelievable. Fair Winds is the only Catamaram operator that goes out to the bay near the Captain Cook monument (though some inflatable boat and kayak tours go there), so it wasn't crowded at all. So, though I know many recommend Body Glove in Kona for the conveneince (and I'm sure they're a fine outfit), I would still do Fair Wind again given the opportunity. From the time we got on the boat until the time we got off, we really were spoiled. The crew walked around on both decks serving trays of danish and breakfast juices and Kona coffee (you didn't have to get in a line anywhere), and then the lunch BBQ was very well presented and very good quality. The draft local Kona brews after snorkeling were a nice touch, too.:D Regarding the snorkeling, the health of the coral formations and the number and variety of fish was incredible. Definitely the best snorkeling I've ever done in Hawai, and for that matter, I would have to say the best I've ever done anywhere (and I compare that to Cozumel, which is outstanding, Caymans, Roaton, Belize, Nassau, Key West, Key Largo, Haunama Bay, Shark Cove North Sore Oahu, Molokini, Kauai, or anywhere else in Hawaii to name a few). My biggest regret is that my 35MM underwater cammera broke on this trip, so I don't have any pictures:( , but I have great memories:D !

[pugsbest]

Cruise with Us,

Thank you for the info on the snorkel trip. What did you do in Maui and Kauai?

 

Bank of Dad,

Love your name!!! I originally checked into the Fair Wind Cruise and it was my first choice, but was nervous about their 24 hour cancellation policy. Since we have basically 5 days before Kona that we are "unreachable", I don't want to take a chance on being out over $100 each. Unfortunately the afternoon cruise gets back too late.

 

Hi Mom (Candydane)!

[cruisewithus]

:) In Maui, we rented a conv Mustang and took off for the road to Hana. It was amazing. We had plenty of time to take a ton of stops along the way. If you go that route there are red, black, and green sand beaches on they way. (I think the green one is there but not sure) There is also roughly 10 or so waterfalls on the way. I remember seeing at least 3 from the road, could probably seen more but was driving. You could also go to 7 Pools. We went there and climbed a waterfall and jumped off into the pool below, approx 40ft. After we did all that and dropped off the rental we had about 2 hours to walk around Lahaina. They have a ton of shops there. I bought a lucite sculpture from the Wyland Gallery while I was there. 1 thing you have to do is go to the HUGE Banyan tree, you will walk right by it. :) In Kauai, we booked the Kipu Ranch atv tour through the ship. That was my favorite excursions throughout my trip. Kipu Ranch is where they filmed movies like Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, and about 30 more. The atv's were clutchless manuals, so just about anyone can do it. LET THE MUD FLY! That was my motto, but most people didn't get mud on anything but thier feet. There was a lot of elevation changes, but at the end you go to the top of a mountain for an unforgetable view. After that we booked an afternoon flight with www.safariair.com This was my wife's requirement if we did the Atv tour. It was a little foggy but we still got some amazing photos. Very cool experience, I can't even begin to tell you all the stuff we saw. My favorite on the flight was the waterfall from Jurassic Park which you can only get to by either a really long hike or by chopper. You can save $70 if you book online and if you play thier little game you can get a voucher for a free T-shirt. :) Have fun and feel free to ask any other questions!