Kona Food & Night Snorkeling with Manta Rays! | Big Island Days 1 & 2
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- Опубліковано 6 сер 2024
- Our first two days on the island of Hawaii (the Big Island) were spent in the Kona area exploring a handful of beautiful white sand beaches, eating delicious Hawaiian treats like shave ice, poke, and acai bowls, and going night snorkeling with manta rays, which is one of the coolest things we have ever done!
View our 7 Days on the Big Island Guide: adventuresofaplusk.com/7-days...
Plan your own adventure at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: adventuresofaplusk.com/one-da...
8 Best Beaches on the Big Island: adventuresofaplusk.com/blog/8...
AIRBNB: www.airbnb.com/rooms/17590596 (Kona)
www.airbnb.com/rooms/27115591 (Hilo)
Save $40 on your first Airbnb!
www.airbnb.com/c/kathrynf1503...
FOOD + COFFEE
Kona Coffee & Tea: www.yelp.com/biz/kona-coffee-...
Basik Cafe: www.yelp.com/biz/basik-caf%C3...
Da Poke Shack: www.yelp.com/biz/da-poke-shac...
Coffee @ Kai: we mention grabbing coffee when we got to town and this is where we got it! It has great views from the patio!
Scandinavian Shave Ice: www.yelp.com/biz/scandinavian...
BEACHES
Kua Bay: www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...
Hapuna Beach State Park: www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...
Makalawena Beach: www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...
Magic Sands Beach: www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...
ACTIVITIES
Manta Ray Dives of Hawaii: www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...
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ABOUT US
Hi y'all! We’re Adam and Kathryn, an adventurous married couple living in a Sprinter van! You can often find us scoping out the best coffee shops, eating tacos, climbing mountains, cuddling our fur child Kona, and dreaming about Hawaii.
We created Adventures of A+K to help busy, budget conscious, and adventurous travelers maximize their vacation time and money wherever they go through detailed travel guides, vlogs, and resources. Our goal: to help you spend less time (and stress!) planning your trip and more time enjoying it!
We will be sharing 1-2 travel vlogs a week, so please SUBSCRIBE to follow along on our adventures! :)
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Note: We’ve linked a handful items so you can see exactly which products we take with us. Full disclosure--if you click on these links and make a purchase, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you. We will only ever recommend products we truly love, actually use during our adventures, and think you can benefit from too!
A couple things we wanted to mention regarding our Hawaii vlogs:
1. The “Big Island” is officially called the island of Hawaii, but we may refer to it as the “Big Island” from time to time, as it is a more commonly known term worldwide and we want to avoid any confusion by making it clear which island we were on.
2. We likely mispronounced many Hawaiian words, so we apologize in advance. We tried our hardest!
We are so glad all of the links are helpful! We hope y'all have an amazing trip 🙌 Thank you for the kind words!
Awww hi Bambi!!! 👋 And thank you so much, currently hunkered down in Austin, but excited to get back out there again hopefully soon!
9⁰⁹⁰⁹⁹⁹⁰⁹⁰⁹⁹0⁹⁰8thand6thisfine⁹⁹⁹isnotaproblembutitisnecessaryfortherightpersonforyourbusinessoryourcompanynameofyourcompanyandtotherestisanimportantaspectthatisagood
I just came from there! The night snorkel was amazing. Yes, the water in Fall, Winter will give you a bit of sickness.
The waves were crazy! But it was worth it because the manta rays were absolutely incredible! I kept screaming underwater from excitement 🤣
Thank you so much. Just in case I don't get to swim with the Manta Rays, your experience filled my heart. You 2 are so fun. God bless from Arizona.
Thanks for virtually snorkeling with us Joan! ❤️
3rd trip to Hawaii coming up, first time to The Big Island. Loved watching your videos!
Woohoo! Can you sneak us in your luggage!? 😜 have a great trip and thanks for watching!
dude them poke bowls👍 I also love the poke from Foodland !
Gahhh we miss poke!
I'm a big Hawaii lover and have been fortunate to have been around 20 times but never the Big Island. Thanks for giving us a great introduction to it, now I'll need to visit!
Wow, 20 times is incredible! We aren’t sure why it took us over 5 trips to Hawaii to finally visit the Big Island, but we’re so glad we made it there!
@@AdventuresofAplusK my foster son Chris Hall watches your channel all the time he is 8 right now he wants to meet you guys when he meets you guys can he give you a hug we are going to be in Hawaii next year on April 15
Thanks for all of the Gluten-free recommendations!!also, love the cute swimsuit!
Thanks and thanks for watching!
I started with watching your’ Oahu playlist, just cause I’m going back again next month. But I’m really enjoying all the Hawaii the vlogs so far! I love your style of travel, fun but not too frivolous. You guys seem so chill and down to earth 😎👍🏽
Thank you so much! We’re so glad you have enjoyed watching them! 🤗🎉
So glad you guys did the Manta Ray activity. We enjoyed this in November 2012. Our fav was Emma (just happens to be the name of our oldest grand-daughter). Of course, watching your series on Hawaii has triggered the need to return to the islands for the 9th time. There's value is reliving the previous and anticipating the new experiences.
Snorkeling with the manta rays is one of the coolest experiences we have ever had! And we agree with you, going back to Hawaii and reliving experiences and having new ones is always amazing!
I did the manta ray night snorkel in Kona too! It was incredible! I had several manta ray “belly hi fives”. Such an experience!
Belly hi fives! That’s the cutest name for that!
Did you have to wear the wet suits? And may I ask what month you went?
@@kristenjack7384 When I did it, it was February and yes I wore a wetsuit. It was a shortie though (short sleeved and only covered down the thighs). They provide you with one, but I probably wouldn’t have found it cold if I wasn’t wearing one.
I live on Oahu and I totally LOVED your videos to plan my trip to the Big Island! Mahalo!!
Ahhh yay we are so happy to hear that! 🙌🏼
You guys are following me around. I lived 'Kona side' for 10 years then moved to Western Colorado where I was when you visited Durango and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Both times you were within a mile or so of my house. Aloha nui.
Been to Kauai 5 times and thinking of the Big Island. Your trip has been so great to watch and we are definitely going to stay in Hilo. Thanks so much for the great info and we look forward to watching the rest of your videos! We are headed to Boston this June, so that video of yours is next on our list!
That's so awesome to hear! Check out our website as well. We have a lot more content for the Big Island there and we can be much more detailed and provide even more recommendations than we can in video! We also have a massive guide and itinerary for Boston as well!
Thanks for watching!
Hawaii is probably the only place i’d ever try poke haha! What a beautiful place!
It’s sooo fresh and good! 😋
Another fun to watch vlog...you two are very entertaining! Such an absolutely awesome trip! Hawaii is so beautiful...thank you SO MUCH for treating Dad and me to this amazing island! The manta ray night time snorkel trip was so spectacular (even if I was part of the 75% 🤢🤣)!!! I would do it again for the chance to see those beauties! Loved my facial expression putting on my wetsuit 😂...could tell I wasn’t feeling very well! 😆 It was wonderful to go with y’all and experience such a magical place! ❤️
Hahahah we LOLed when editing and saw you putting on your wetsuit. Glad you’re not mad that made it in there 🤣 We had such a blast with y’all!
I thought it was funny when I saw my face! Plus the wetsuit wasn’t exactly easy to put on!!! 😂
It definitely wasn’t lol! 🤣🤣
Welcome to the big island.. right on! 🤙
Thank you for the warm welcome Francis! 🤗🙌🏼
You’re positive energy is fun to watch!
We get excited about any travel, but especially when we're in Hawaii!
You just made both of us get so excited!! We love Kona, and Da Poke Shack is one of our favorite places. We always make a point to get there. And it’s so entertaining when people ask of the food is fresh! 🤣 The manta dive is still on our list though. We haven’t been able to include it yet. Thanks for taking us along!!
Hi guys! Yay, glad we hit up one of your favorite spots! That’s hilarious about the fresh comment 🤣🤣 Definitely do the manta ray snorkel/dive next time-we are still speechless! 😍😱
I really enjoyed your video guys! 💜
Hi! Thank you so much, we’re so glad! 🤗
I will agree, Night Snorkeling with the Manta Ray is an adventure of a lifetime, can't recommend it enough. My arm got slimed by one when it was doing a very close barrel roll, they get super close. I am glad they are safe to swim with because they look very intimidating. Sorry you had choppy waters and got a bit sick - for that reason I would recommend the dinner cruise with Manta Ray tour.
BTW Poke is usually made with tuna but it can also be salmon - looks like you had tuna
We were shocked by how close they got! When they swim up with their mouths open they look pretty freaky, but dang it was so cool! (Over a week later and we are still mindblown!)
I had wondered if it had been tuna, thank you for clarifying!
@@AdventuresofAplusK It was 6 months ago for me still smile when I think about it and yeah I did make an entire Manta Ray video just of the experience
Ah nice! Like I mentioned in the video, I could’ve easily put 20 minutes of just manta rays in here. They are so mesmerizing! That GoPro rental was totally worth it!
Thank you for your helpful videos! We did the Heavenly Hawaiian Kona Coffee tour and tried Kona Coffee & Tea because of you; both were great.
That's awesome! Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!
I’m Watching from Turkey, I love them ❤️
Turkey?! That is so cool! We would love to visit there. Thank you so much for watching! 💗
U guys amazing n fun! Should do well once more people see.
We are doing well, I'd say 😄
Been there myself and your video brought back fond memories... Also, we have 6 rescue dogs ourselves. I cant say NO and the shelters know it. So i know how difficult it was to take Bucky back to the shelter. Travel safe and enjoy the beauty of Hawaii.
We realllyyyyy want to take dogs on field trips everywhere we go now, but I’m not sure my heart can take it! The van prevents us from getting any more dogs (plus Kona isn’t a huge fan of most dogs), but I am trying to convince Adam that one day we buy land and just have a million rescue dogs! 🤣😍
We’re glad we could bring back some memories for you! Can’t wait to share the rest! (PS: you’ll be getting a special shoutout in 2 more vlogs! 🤗)
You guys are awesome:) you deserve millions of views ...really good contents. Keep it up 👍🏻
Thank you so much, we appreciate the support!
So glad you did the Manta Snorkel. It's amazing. We've done it twice
It was so amazing!
@@AdventuresofAplusK ❤️
Great video! We were just there 3 weeks ago. Our favourite was HAPUNA beach, saw soooo many turtles and there was a manta ray that would randomly come around. Plus I gave poke a chance and it wasn’t for me. Broke the mouth was our favourite restaurant.
We went to Broke da Mouth our last night there...sooo good. 😋 And Hapuna Beach was so beautiful. That’s so awesome you saw turtles there, we freak out every time we see one! 😍
Poke is definitely not for everyone! I’d still rather eat steak, chicken, or pork over it, but it’s fun to have every once in a while and I’m still shocked I actually like it 😳
You guys are doing such a great job, love the videos. Can’t wait to see what’s next for you guys. We are planning for Maui next November. We are headed for Mayan Rivera this January. You’ve really inspired me to travel and see the world. Thank you!
Have you been to Maui before? We love it there! Let us know if you need any recommendations.
We went to Riviera Maya a couple years ago and it’s beautiful. We didn’t leave the resort much, but definitely suggest visiting Tulum! The water is stunning!
And thank you so much for the kind words! 💗
Beautifull couple🤩😍
I visited Kona back in the 90’s when I lived on Maui. Really a great place to land:) the only island I never got to was Moloka’i....of the islands that we are allowed to visit. Hmmmm gelato vs. shave ice.
Moloka’i and Lanai are the next two we want to tackle! I don’t think we knew you lived on Maui, that’s awesome, we love it there!
Adventures of A plus K from 91-2001. A lot different when you live there and fully immerse, but still loved the great family eateries and attractions.
Is that the one you can ferry to from Maui? Or is that Lanai? Sorry if I butchered the spelling. Was wondering if it was a rough ferry ride?
Life is a Photo Op when I was there, there was a boat or two that went over to Lanai from Lahaina, Maui. I don’t know if there have been any changes or additions. Always a great idea:)
Lanai is the one you can take a day trip to! We have yet to do it, but it sounds fun! And I think the roughness depends on the conditions that day. The water was super rough the majority of our big island trip, but it’s not always like that!
Fabulous job guys I really want to go there now ! What was the temperature s like it looked a bit cloudy , but still gorgeous 👌
It was probably low to mid 80s during the trip! When the sun was out it was very hot and humid, so the clouds were a nice break at times. The island definitely was cloudier than our past trips. The weather forecast said rain everyday, but we only got rained on once! 🙌🏼
Hi y'all - we love your videos so so much. And we're thinking about a vacation to Hawaii - never been there. I saw the videos of the big island and of Oahu. Do you have any videos to any of the other islands? Thanks!
We hiiiighly recommend Hawaii! We have been 6 times and have 10 videos on this playlist: ua-cam.com/play/PLZKRTK1yCEM4uEa7mI7JbG5QOQzAGditg.html
I couldn't believe it when you said the Lava Flow is your favorite drink. It's my favorite too. First had one at the Old Lahaina luau on Maui and I was hooked. Did you find a good one on the BI?
I actually don’t think I had any there! Better go back I guess 😉😉
We did the manta snorkel last week and one thing they don’t tell is there’s jellyfish and the guide that’s in the water with you got stung in his armpit.
Yikes!
such a beautiful place. New friend Ruthie
It’s absolutely beautiful there! Thank you so much for watching! 💗
The manta ray experience looks amazing, it’s on my bucket list for sure. Different experience but did a day’s boat trip in Croatia a few years back and the long sail at the end of the day, the waves got pretty bad and it was a similar feeling, wishing we’d taken some sickness medicine. I also felt like the land was rocking big time for the rest of the night, did you guys have the same thing?
We thankfully didn’t have tooo many bad side effects from the boat, but my mom was definitely not feeling hot the rest of the night! She says it was still worth it though hahah 😅 Croatia is very high up on the list of places we want to go to. Did you enjoy it?
@@AdventuresofAplusK Bless your mum, I know how she feels!
We found Croatia to be hit and miss. I visited for 1.5 weeks as part of a bigger trip including Bosnia & Montenegro and we preferred the other 2 countries, Bosnia well and truly coming out on top.
Croatia was full of Brits, and being from London, this spoilt it a bit for us. In Bosnia we were treated so well, it felt like locals were honoured we'd taken the time to visit their country - back in 2013 at least, they didn't have anywhere near the international visitor numbers Croatia got.
We found Split and Dubrovnik to be too busy and honestly, a little overrated. Zagreb was more chilled but not overly exciting! The countryside/coast however is amazing! Plitvice is my favourite place in Croatia as no one can swim in the water, so a beautiful area to hike. Krka is similar, but people can swim there so a different atmosphere. Mljet island has a stunning national park too. The boat trip I mentioned was from Hvar (hugely overrated and overpriced imo) to Vis, and the experience on the boat was lovely, but incredibly expensive. Your money will go a lot further in Bosnia and somewhat further in Montenegro. If and when you make it out that way, I'd highly recommend heading further north into Slovenia too :)
Having found this channel whilst the country is in self isolation has been perfect for me! Thank you for the continued entertainment and inspiration (though the other half isn't thrilled that I now have Hawaii firmly on the radar... it's SO far away!)
This is incredibly helpful feedback! We really want to visit Slovenia, Bosnia, and Montenegro as well. They all look to have gorgeous landscapes! Croatia definitely seems to have gotten extra popular, I’m sure Game of Thrones has only made it busier haha. We really want to visit countries that are a little less touristy (at least by Americans) and explore mostly the nature, but also the cities. Some of our favorite spots in Italy had zero Americans that we came across which was amazing!
Do you live in the UK now? I guess I assumed you lived in the US since you’ve visited a bunch of national parks.
And Hawaii is a trek, but sooo worth it!
@@AdventuresofAplusK My pleasure - I love talking travel so it's nice to know when I jabber on it's helpful too!
Yeah I'm British born & bred, but the US is by a long shot my favourite country to travel - it's so diverse and the people are just lovely! I spent my uni summers working as a camp councilor in the Adirondacks and in '06 after camp, road tripped from New York to LA, with a detour into the Canadian Rockies which sparked my wanderlust big time! Took a gap year after uni, lived and worked in Toronto then did an even bigger trip hitting the east coast then crossing the country via the southern states. I've been back a few times since for vacations, but still so much more I want to explore. Like you guys, I'd love to visit all the National Parks (I'm on 19 and counting) Not sure if I have the desire to visit all 50 states (though this may be lack of knowledge about what some have to offer... wait until you've Vlogged about them all - I bet I want to do all 50 after that). I've 'technically' been to 34 states due to road tripping, but have explored more than a roadside eatery/attraction in 22 of the states.
Maine, Tennessee, Alaska and Hawaii are the ones I've not yet visited that I REALLY want to! I know in the Q&A you talked about Peru/North West/Europe, but out of the states/national parks you've not visited yet, where are you both most eager to get to?
That makes us so happy to hear that you love the US so much! It's definitely crazy diverse and beautiful--many Americans don't even realize how incredible it is in our own country! It sounds like you have seen SO much of what the US has to offer, more than us probably!
We are determined to find cool gems in all 50 states, even if they aren't as popular of states! We aren't sure what all some have to offer, but can't wait to find out!
Maine and Alaska are very high up on our list as well! I think our bucket list spots we want to visit are Glacier National Park, see New England in the fall, and drive up to Alaska!
Hello question, I saw the video was posted in November did you guys happen to go in November as well I was thinking of visiting in November if the quarantine lifts but not sure on the weather? Thank you
Hi! This was the week before Thanksgiving last year, so mid November. We got pretty lucky with the weather! Mostly sunny and not too hot!
I went in winter it was cold im sure november is better than winter time
Great Video as usual-How many states have you been to.
We are at 20 currently! Hoping to cross off most of the east coast next year, which will raise the number a ton!
Poke! my favorite... get this - my wife is japanese and she hates fish. It's probably because she was actually born and raised in Sacramento (lol)....
Lol! I am slowly liking it more!
@@AdventuresofAplusK I love poke - some more than others... you just have to find the fish (different textures and tastes) and sauce you like..... I like spicy stuff and I really like 'ogo' or 'limu' (types of seaweed) on it... it is endearing how you are willing to try!
Sauces can make a huge difference! The texture is always so much better than I think it would be when I have it. Very soft!
Hi, cool video,what was the name of the manta ray tour boat company u both booked with? Thanks again
Hi! The link to the tour company is in the description
8:45 No, they "mostly" bury it in the middle like that to keep it from melting too fast.
Great video! What camera did you use for the manta snorkel?
We used a gopro!
Jealous! I have been to Oahu twice and Maui once. Trying to figure out what island to visit next, big island or Kauai??? What do you recommend?
Oh man, that’s SO hard! 🙈 We loved both of them so much. We plan to go back to Kauai next since we haven’t been in 3 years or so. They both kind of have a similar vibe. Less resorts than some of the islands, small towns, a variety of scenery. What type of activities do you like best?
Adventures of A plus K snorkeling, beaches, hiking, and FOOD! 😂
Lol! FOOOOD! Speaking our language 😜 We didn’t snorkel on Kauai so we can’t speak to that, but the manta ray snorkel was pretty incredible and we visited a couple other popular snorkeling spots on the big island and saw turtles! The food is great on both islands and the beaches are beautiful at both, although I think Kauai has more of the typical white sand beaches. We also hiked more on Kauai than on the Big Island. You honestly couldn’t go wrong with either island!
What company did you do this manta tour with?
Do you have to wear the wet suits? And up to what size do they accommodate? If you know. Please. 🙏
You won’t want to be out in that cold Pacific Ocean water without a wetsuit! I don’t know what sizes they have. Best to call them or check their website. Good luck!
how long were you able to snorkel with the manta rays?!
We honestly don’t remember, but it felt like plenty of time!
I did the Manta ray snorkel got super sea sick and never saw any Manta rays. Although most of the time you see them apparently . Bad luck I guess
That’s a huge bummer
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