Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park

Captain Cook monument. Photo by Aloha Kayak Co., Big Island Visitor's Bureau.

Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park is where Captain James Cook, the first Westerner to discover the Hawaiian Islands, first set foot on Hawaii soil. He was greeted warmly by the Hawaiians—and later killed by them here. A small monument shows the spot. You can see it as you snorkel in these clear waters surrounded by cliffs where secret caves contain the bones of Hawaiian chiefs.