The Body Glove Hawaii Blog

The Big Island of Hawai’i is an island of superlatives. It is the youngest but also the largest island of the Hawaiian chain with the world’s tallest mountain, the world’s most active volcano, is the southernmost point in the United States, and then there are some of the most magnificent coastlines. There is more to see and to do than the average vacation schedule can hold! You might plan to return soon or just stay a little longer! Just to give you a few more reasons … Did you know that the Big Island of Hawai’i is home to four other National Park Service managed attractions? Explore the history of Hawai’i Island and feel the magic of these ancient places: Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site: Perhaps you have seen the large stone structure when driving north on highway 19 just before…

Guess where one of the most talented musicians on our island spreads his magic several times per week? We are proud to be one of the locations that Bula Akamu blesses with his amazing voice. Soulful, passionate and with a voice spanning several octaves, Bula is at home in a variety of genres and especially when you experience him live, you will find that his enthusiasm and love for music is contagious! Bula graduated from the prestigious Berklee College of Music and has since released 2 albums “Innovation” and “Wahi Pana”. Meet Bula and his music several times a week on the Body Glove Historical Dinner Cruise. Enjoy a local-style, made-from-scratch dinner buffet by our Chef Jason Lofland, amazing insights into the history of Kona and its southern coast shared by one of our historians Michaela or Kalei, and let the…

In 1986, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home brought the plight of the humpback whales to the big screen. However, it was actually in 1970 when these whales were listed as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Conversation Act. Just recently in April, 2015, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) proposed to revise the endangered listing for humpback whales. Conservation efforts have worked to bring back the population of this species, especially in the Southern Hemisphere and Northern Pacific regions. A Brief History of Whaling and Regulations From the 1920s through the 1950s, humpback whales were heavily hunted and exploited. In 1946, commercial whaling was regulated by the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. It took another 20 years for them to prohibit commercial hunting of humpbacks. By this time, efforts were being made to protect whales…

May 8th, 2016 is the day to celebrate our Moms. To help share the love, Moms are free on the Body Glove Morning Snorkel Adventure on Mothers’ Day. Enjoy a fun morning out at sea, see dolphins and snorkel or float in the Big Blue to your heart’s content. We’ll keep you safe and well fed with a great continental breakfast, followed by a delicious BBQ Lunch. Coffee, tea and all soft drinks are included. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options are available. We have all snorkel equipment ready for you as well as floating tubes, a fun “lily pad” to rest, noodles and much more. We also offer a SCUBA upgrade. If you have never done it before, no problem. Our well trained and experienced instructors will teach you how. Just bring your towel, we even provide a reef…

Dads snorkel for free on June 19th! Get wet this Father’s Day on the Body Glove Morning Snorkel Adventure. Enjoy a fun morning out at sea, see dolphins and snorkel or float in the Big Blue to your heart’s content. All that fun comes with a great continental breakfast, followed by a scrumptious BBQ Lunch. Coffee, tea and all soft drinks are included. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options are available with a 48 hour notice. All snorkel equipment is provided as well as floating tubes, a fun “lily pad” to take a sunny break on, noodles and much more. We also offer a SCUBA upgrade. If you have never done it before, no problem. Our well trained and experienced instructors will teach you how. Just bring your towel, we even provide a reef safe sunscreen lotion for you.

Are you planning a visit to the Island of Hawaiʻi and thinking of trying snorkeling for the first time? If you are, you are in for a treat, as a whole new world awaits you. The waters off the coast of Kona on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi are crystal clear, warm and home to many unique species of tropical fish. Snorkeling is the perfect way to get up close and personal with the magnificent beauty of the ocean. First time snorkelers will be in awe at the magical experience of swimming and interacting with wild marine life. Here are a few tips to ensure you get the most out of your snorkel experience. Good equipment Use equipment that fits properly. There’s nothing worse than a leaky mask or uncomfortable fins. Test your mask by placing it on your face out…

Famed oceanographer Jacques Cousteau claimed no aquarium, however spacious it may be, can duplicate the conditions of the ocean. This becomes abundantly clear for visitors who venture out for a day on the water looking for wild dolphins. The Big Island offers ample opportunity to get up close and personal with these intelligent, magnificent creatures, and also for snorkeling with the abundant and colorful marine life. One such snorkel spot in Kona is Red Hill—an underwater paradise accessible only by boat. The crystal clear water of the protected marine sanctuary of Red Hill is home to more than 600 species of enchanting ocean wildlife, including spinner dolphins whom often join along side the boat on the way to the snorkel site. In the Hawaiian language the name for dolphin is ‘naiʻa.’ There are four different species of dolphins found in…

The Makahiki is an ancient Hawaiian festival, honoring the Hawaiian god Lono. The festive holiday spans four consecutive lunar months, from approximately October through February. The focus of the season is a celebration of the ʻaina (land), fertility and the harvest. This Hawaiian tradition coincides with the fall and winter holidays celebrated by other cultures around the world, and like many other world festivities, it celebrates peace, abundance and gratitude. However, unlike most other global holidays, early Hawaiians celebrated the Makahiki for a full four months by distributing food, playing games and enjoying a long period of peacefulness. During this time, priests would take down the tikis of Ku, the god of war, and erect the tikis of Lono, signaling the beginning of the Makahiki season. Prior to European contact, Lono’s priests reenacted the god’s circuit around each island, stopping at each boundary…

Explore Kona’s Past in the Footsteps of the Ali’i Combine the magical with the practical and make your day in Kona the best ever. Especially when traveling to Kailua-Kona from the Northern areas you can expect construction-related delays in traffic, which intensifies in the afternoon hours. So beat the traffic and leave your Kohala Coast lodgings before the jams can take a chunk out of your day. Use this great app created by the Kailua Village Business Improvement District (KVBID) for a self-guided tour along the footsteps of the Ali’i, the Royals of Hawaii. Follow this link to download the “Kona Royal Footsteps” to your iPhone or Android: http://historickailuavillage.com/royal-footsteps-along-the-kona-coast You will discover seven miles and seven centuries of Hawaiian history along Ali’i Drive in Kailua-Kona with the extensive information on the app satisfying even the most curious travelers. Main locations have…

Every winter the Island of Hawaii is fortunate to experience the return of the North Pacific Humpback Whales on their annual migration to the islands where they come to give birth and mate. The official whale season runs December 15th-April 15th, with peak whale watching season in late January to early March. An estimated 10,000 whales make their way to the warm Hawaiian waters and when it’s time to return to their northern feeding grounds in Alaska, the new mothers and their calves are the first to leave. They make the 3,500 mile journey north where they will feast on up to 2,000 pounds of small fish each day. The giant marine mammals are a traditional part of winter on the Big Island, and whale watching is a big draw for visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of these majestic…

The Hawaiian islands are a jewel in the Pacific and there’s no place on earth that inspires the imagination in quite the same way. It’s not just gorgeous beaches and perfect weather, though: Hawaii also has a rich local culture and history. Among the most important figures in the history of the islands is King Kamehameha I, also known as Kamehameha the Great, who rose up out of legend to become a crusader in battle, a skilled diplomat, and a true leader for his people in a time of great cultural changes. Keep reading to learn more about the king responsible for uniting the islands of Hawaii! The History of King Kamehameha the Great  Kamehameha was born into a royal family in North Kohala. His mother was Kekuiapoiwa, the daughter of a Kona chief, while his father was likely Keoua, the…

For hundreds of miles their multi-tonal moans travel underneath the deep blue ocean waves. Their song is a chain of sharp howls, deep moans and cries, strung together in a complex and beautiful manner that holds the power to leave us stunned. This is the song of the humpback whale, a magical and haunting sound that never fails to pierce the hearts of listeners as they wonder at the mammals below the water. The humpback whale is one of the largest animals on the planet—it’s about as long as a school bus, for context. Once hunted nearly to extinction, their numbers have somewhat recovered, and their species was recently taken off the list of Endangered Species. (They’re now considered a Threatened species in Central American and Western North Pacific regions.) Humpback whales continue to be studied by scientists who hope to…