The soaring cliff face overlooking Kealakekua Bay on Hawaii Island’s western Kona coast is freckled with dozens of small caves.
“Hawaiians would do sacrificial burials in those cliffs, and those caves are where they would bury — or hide — the remains of royalty when they passed,” said Frank Carpenter, the co-owner of Kona Boys, a Hawaii Island activity provider that’s operated kayaking and snorkeling tours in Kealakekua Bay for nearly 30 years.
Carpenter took a moment to share local lore about the sacrificial component of the ancient burials at those sacred cliffs.
“When someone royal would pass, a commoner would be picked, and they would be lowered over the side of the cliff with a rope, carrying the [royal’s] bones,” Carpenter said. “They would hide the bones in one of the caves and barricade the front of the cave with rocks from inside. Then as they climbed out, they would cut their own rope and fall to their death to hide the location of that burial.”
On the Water
I learned this lore earlier this spring, when I joined one of Kona Boys’ five-hour Morning Magic kayaking and snorkeling tours in Kealakekua Bay.
We met up with our guide at the southern edge of the bay a little after 7 a.m. An easygoing, 1-mile paddle over the glassy, brilliant blue Pacific Ocean transported our group of four to the northern end of the bay. There, at the shoreline of Kaawaloa — once the location of a thriving Hawaiian village — our guide helped us out of the kayaks and into our snorkel gear.
And we have a baby humpback whale born in that bay almost every year, which is a spectacular thing. The abundance for that small area is incredible.
“We have people from the age of 3 to over 90 who have done the tour,” Carpenter told me later. “As far as fitness level, it pretty much fits in most people’s parameters. We get a lot of families on it, but we also get a lot of individual travelers and couples. It really runs the gamut.”
With its towering sea cliffs and views of the Kona coastline, Kealakekua Bay is a beautiful location above the water — and below the ocean’s surface is one of the state’s most impressive coral reef ecosystems.
Morning Magic tours attract a variety of travelers, from young families to older travelers.
Credit: 2025 Kona BoysThe bay is home to more than 250 species of fish, according to Carpenter, who notes that tourgoers also often spot octopuses, eagle rays, eels, white-tip reef sharks and Hawaiian spinner dolphins.
“During the winter season, it’s also common to see humpback whales,” he added. “And we have a baby humpback whale born in that bay almost every year, which is a spectacular thing. The abundance for that small area is incredible.”
Kona Boys’ commissionable Morning Magic tours are $229 for adults and $209 for children, and include lunch. Maximum occupancy for the excursion is 12 people, but Carpenter notes that any time more than eight people are booked, the company provides a second guide.
And while the location’s natural splendor is undoubtedly the tour’s chief attraction, the wonderful stories and colorful insight shared throughout by our Kona Boys guide really made the morning adventure an immersive and memorable experience.
Kona Boys has been running kayaking and snorkeling tours for nearly 30 years.
