We’re not exaggerating when we say this is our family’s best-ever tour — and one of the most fun days we’ve ever had. We were a bit hesitant to book the charter, as there weren’t many reviews online compared with other operators. The reviews were uniformly good, but it still gave us pause. We learned on the tour that Captain Ko focused exclusively on the Japanese market until COVID interrupted his operations, and that he only started offering tours to English speakers within recent months. Thus, the relatively few reviews on English-speaking sites. Let’s just say we’re glad we listened to the reviewer who said, “Just book it.”
Let me tell you about our perfect day on the water. Captain Ko and his crewmate Kamma (not sure of the spelling) greeted us at the harbor with the boat tied up and ready to go. We were asked what we wanted to see that day. We said, “Wildlife and a private beach, please.” Captain Ko and Kamma exceeded our expectations in every way. We saw spinner dolphins right out of the harbor. We stopped at a manta ray snorkel spot, and although we didn’t see rays, we saw plenty of gorgeous fish. Even better, we were the only ones there — quite a difference from the Captain Cook area. After we moved on from there, we stopped near another boat to snorkel with 3- to 5-foot reef sharks — a rare treat.
We eventually made our way to a private white-sand beach. Although it wasn’t completely private, it was still gorgeous and very secluded. As we snorkeled to the shore, we came across two sea turtles munching on the sea grass. We then lounged on the beach for a while, swam back to the boat, and loaded up on snacks.
On the way home, Captain Ko’s eagle eyes spotted two humpback whales. It’s early in the season for humpbacks, so this was an unexpected treat. We were already nearing four hours on the water, but the captain graciously extended our tour for an additional half hour so we could enjoy the whale watching. We saw dolphins again upon entering the harbor.
Captain Ko and Kamma were wonderful hosts. They were friendly, easy-going, informative, and enthusiastic. Kamma even acted as our personal photographer at times. The boat itself was super-comfortable. There were several seating and lounging areas, a speaker system that played our tunes via Bluetooth, and cup holders galore. Our hosts provided snorkel gear, snacks, and drinks, so we weren’t wanting for anything.
Overall, it’s hard to put into words what a beautiful day we had — although I suppose we just did, ha. Captain Ko and Komma are a phenomenal team. They go above and beyond to make your day as perfect as they can. We can’t recommend this tour highly enough.