K-bay vs. Kapoho

About 4 or 5 yrs ago my husband and I rented a house on K-bay with another couple for 5 nights. We rented kayaks for the full time, kayaked and snorkeled every day, and absolutely loved it. Wonderful dolphins two days (who certainly didn%26#39;t seem to be behaving as though they were stressed or wanted to get away from the kayaks). From what I%26#39;ve been reading on this forum, things have been deteriorating. Damage to coral from careless kayakers, disturbed dolphins, fewer dolphins...

We are coming to the Big Island again next Jan, and were thinking of renting on K-bay again ,but I am somewhat discouraged by these reports (and also by the prospect of possible bans on kayaking across the bay). I am considering Kapoho as an alternative, both for its allegedly good snorkelling and its reasonably easy access to VNP. But, how likely are we to see the sun in January? And just how bad is the situation at K-bay? Are there any restrictions in place at this time? (I couldn%26#39;t find any on the hawaii.gov website).

Any alternative suggestions are welcome. We like to hike, kayak, and snorkel---lying on a sandy beach is not a priority.

Thanks.

K-bay vs. Kapoho

Kapoho has Kona-like weather year around and you will see the sunrise every morning. Kapoho Beach Lot is a gated subdivision with more nicer homes than the Kapoho Vacationland subdivision next door. You can search this forum for K-Bay information. (Part of the bay is closed and off limits, no legal kayak rental by the bay.) I personally would go to Kapoho instead of K-Bay, there is much more to see and do on the East side of the island and I love the dining options in Hilo and Pahoa much more than in Kona.

K-bay vs. Kapoho

The two areas are very different. TT has already described quite a bit.

You can%26#39;t kayak out of Kapoho, I can%26#39;t imagine. The tidepools are protected and then the violent east side ocean breaks at the edge. There are dolphins who frequent the bay down at Kehena.

Whether or not the dolphins are trying to flee the kayaks, dolphin habits are well known to marine biologists. They are nocturnal hunters and they rest during the day in sandy-bottomed bays where they can see the shadows cast by sharks who are their main predator. They do not sleep when they rest because they are never safe enough to sleep. They shut down one half of their brain at a time (or so I%26#39;ve read), while the other side remains vigilant.

If people came in YOUR bedroom and wanted to party while you were asleep, even if you joined in the fun, if you still had to go out and hunt but without rest, you can imagine the lack of sleep would catch up to you. The dolphins are being deprived of needed rest and it throws their rhythm off, whether or not they appear to be fine with the contact. The numbers are down, the births are down, and they have been known to behave aggressively.

For all you know, what appears to be playful interaction may be their way of protecting their space. Humans call it ';playful'; but that%26#39;s our interpretation.

Kayaking is ruining the environment there. The government here has to balance the commerical/tourism interests against environmental concerns, which is why it isn%26#39;t shut down and may not be until it%26#39;s too late to save the coral and the dolphins. Make your own decision, but do not justify your decision with the fact the government still permits it ... it won%26#39;t be the first unique marine resource in Hawai%26#39;i that was permitted to be utilized to death in order to encourage tourism.

If people keep it up, eventually it will be like Hanauma Bay ten years ago and in danger of being dead so they%26#39;ll have to step up and try to nurse it back to health by putting regulations in place.

We don%26#39;t seem to be able to learn to restrain ourselves when we want to have fun until they make laws against stuff.

Back to Kapoho, the Beach Lots have walking access to the Champagne Pond which is nice for kids but nothing to see snorkeling. Good place to practice.

Tidepools fronting vacation land have limited public parking, so there%26#39;s an advantage to Vacationland that you can walk to snorkeling if you rent close enough to the pools. As TT said, the places are older and funkier than the high end Beach Lots, which are a gated subdivision.

You can kayak on the west side where the water is calmer without stressing out Kealakekua, for example Kiholo Bay or Keauhou Bay.

In January, the ocean can be subject to northwest swells and quite violent, so keep in mind this isn%26#39;t the best time of year for snorkeling excepted in protected areas.

Thank you, TT and KK.

I understand that the two areas are completely different, and am glad to hear that we might get good weather in Kapoho (though I know there are no guarantees!). I am also fully aware of the power of the ocean in Hawaii (one of the things I%26#39;ve always loved about K-bay is how calm it is).

Much as I love K-bay, I guess I don%26#39;t want to be part of it being loved to death, and will have to consider myself fortunate to have experienced it on two separate trips (the first trip we hiked down). I don%26#39;t like big snorkel boats with 50 of my closest friends, so I guess snorkeling there is out for this trip. After K-bay, though, would you think the snorkeling at Kapoho would be disappointing? Then there%26#39;s always the nasty bacteria I keep reading about. I%26#39;m hoping that problem is exaggerated by paranoid people and the press.

Is there anywhere else you%26#39;d suggest? I was originally planning to split our time between K-bay and Volcano, but when I read about Kapoho, it sounded as though we might be able to do several dayhikes in VNP while staying there, instead. Maybe another ocean location (kayaking, snorkeling) and Volcano would be a better choice? We definitely want to rent a house/cottage---the resort scene is not for me. Restaurants are not important, either. Last time we loved grilling fish, making a salad, and eating on our own lanai.

Kapoho is nice. Just go out farther than the first pool, which doesn%26#39;t get much water exchange and the babies do their thing there.

The bacteria issue is everywhere, and it%26#39;s real, so just don%26#39;t go in if you have an open cut. The Kapoho snorkeling is supposed to be remarkable. I will be checking it out later this month.

There are at least two tours that take small groups to K-bay, if you want an intimate tour (which sounds better to me!).

Thanks. Sounds like Kapoho might be a good choice for us.