C. Hawk Hawaii

Captain Craig — thank you for an absolutely fantastic fishing experience during the Christmas break 2015!
We went with Craig twice, once we got 3 rainbow runners and a kawa-​kawa tuna, and another tuna and a 7 – 8 pound snapper for the New year’s eve table. Delicious! There was literally no bait in the bay, so we couldn’t get mackerel to live-​bait the hooks but going after the bottom fish was the perfect choice and made both times for an unforgettable experience for my family and I.
You are the best and we will be back for more!

Went out with Craig this morning and had a great time.
From the get-​go he had a plan to go out to location that had some floating debris (a broken pipe from the Natural Energy Lab). I mention this because I doubt most captains would not know of this and miss the opportunity. But, since Craig goes out a lot, he is very knowledgeable about where the fish are biting and how to give his guests the best opportunity to do some fishing and catching.
Captain Craig is a very patient, mellow captain – a great personality for someone to spend five hours on the water with. He took care of all lures and bait and provided great advice when we had fish on the line. Fun, relaxing and just a nice time on the water.
We did end up with several fish today: six ahi (yellow fin tuna) and one aku (skipjack tuna). We had some great National Geographic moments, too, with an ono chomping on one of our catches and a shark taking another. Well worth the price of admission, as they say!
If you want to go chase big Marlin, this is probably not your boat, but if you want to go out and catch some of the smaller fish, and much better eating fish – mahi mahi and tunas – this is a good boat and a great captain.

Craig rocks. simple as that. I’m a long time, freshly water fisherman but I don’t know a thing about salt water, sea fishing. That said, I can tell if someone else does… yup, Craig knows his stuff. Very personable and kind. Professional, the man knows his vessel, and equally important,. knows people.
We went out to the bouy, about 5 miles off the coast, and he «surgically» dissected the area about an ¹⁄₈ of a mile radius around it until we started getting hits. He utilized a technique I’ve used many times fishing. He had me in shallower water than my brother in-​law who he had deeper. Chumed then baited similarly to what he tossed. All bases were covered.
Oh yeah… the fish. .
We weren’t interested in trophies, we wanted fish we could take back and eat. Check!
Once he found the spot, we hauled in 10 fish, 6 of which we kept. (big family this trip) Ahi… all about 5 to 8 or 9 pounds. Craig baited the hooks, told me how much line to let out then showed me how to operate the gear correctly. I hauled in fish, he snagged them, threw them in the well and I was back in the water in minutes.
Crazy affordable as well. The next time we go back, we will see Craig again, no question.
Disclaimer: No matter how well a guy knows the water/​area, if the fish aren’t biting you’re not going to catch fish. It’s something uncontrollable. That said, if the fish are there, Craig will find them. As always, regarding the fish, ymmv.
As others have pointed out, Craig will take you out for whatever your looking for… he’s not just a fishing guy. Call him! You won’t be disappointed!

You cannot go wrong with Captain Craig. Great guy. Great service.
We came across some dolphins while swimming. You cannot ask for more.
This was our third trip with C Hawk Sea Service. We will continue to use them on our future trips for sure!

We went on the C. Hawk for fishing only, although you can mix and match your experience with whatever pleases the group you are bringing. First we had a difficult time finding the boat because we were looking for his sign on the water. Nope. He doesn’t park his boat in the water. So we finally saw his boat in the parking lot after driving around a few times.
Craig is very hospitable with getting stuff in the boat, he had lots of space for coolers, towels, and whatever else you plan on bringing. Then you take off your shoes and get in the boat. Shoes are returned after the boat ride to keep the boat cleaner. Craig values cleanliness. He takes good care of his boat and the whole operation is a well oiled machine.
Craig was very knowledgable about the area and knew the best bait to use and where to go. We ended up catching two tuna yellowfin fish. He let us keep what we could eat. Craig does all the work. You just sit back relax and pull in the fish when it’s time!
The one downfall is there is no bathroom so you either go in the ocean or hold it for 5 hours. Though that is such a small issue for the great time you are sure to have and how intimate the whole experience is!

Don’t bother getting on a big boat with 30 other people. There is no way they can beat the experience that Craig and C Hawk Sea Service provides.
A private boat for 5 hours and no set route. We were able to get away from the crowded tourist boats and swim with almost a hundred Dolphins, at least 5 huge manta rays and had an amazing whale watching experience. This is due, in large part, to Captain Craig’s willingness to take us out to areas where no other boats were and where he thought we were most likely to see the action. And we did! Craig’s was knowledgeable and friendly and provided drinks and fresh fruit snacks, but you can bring whatever you want.
I can’t imaging loading up on a big tourist boat again. This will definitely be part of future trips to the Big Island.

I had a wonderful time fishing aboard The C. Hawk. I was slightly apprehensive about the boat being smaller than some of the other charter boats, but it handled and moved with the waves really well and I never got sea sick, even when drifting to fly line bait.
The Captain is very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. He even picked me up and dropped me off at my hotel in Kona.
On a day when I believe many other charters got skunked, I caught two yellowfin tuna. Though the largest tuna was around 10 – 12 pounds, it was fun to fight it on the relatively light tackle.
The price was a bargain compared to many of the other boats, though the boat is smaller and lacks some of the amenities the larger and more expensive boats offer. Though I only wanted to fish, the Captain offers combination trips you can customize, which would be great for a couple or small group where not everyone was serious about fishing.

This is my first Unilocal review ever, and I wanted to personally go out of my way to provide insight on Captain Craig and my day out in the ocean. A couple buddies and I wanted to go fishing and decided to book Captain Craig and his boat. What we ended up with was something only experience can explain. The amount of knowledge and insight Craig provided us on the ocean and fishing really open doors to a new hobby. We caught fish, saw a group of dolphins and ultimately had a great experience with an absolutely fabulous guy. I would recommend you book captain Craig as his professionalism and expertise is one you won’t find anywhere else. I will definitely be back to fish on this boat again as this was the highlight of my trip! Can’t wait to return!

Craig took my family of five out on the water to see how many items on our «Hawaii bucket list» we could cover in one, 5 hour trip. Here’s the amazing things we did:
My five year old daughter and I snuggled on the couch at the front of the boat while the warm ocean water sprayed over our feet and we scanned the ocean for whales.
Watching a pair of humpback whales play in the water, and one of them breach all the way out of the water.
Listening to the whales sing through Craig’s water microphone as whales played 100 yards from the boat.
Watching a pod of over a dozen spinner dolphins within 10 yards of the boat, jump into the air and do 720’s before landing back in the water.
Jumping into the water with Craig’s snorkel gear and swimming amongst the same dolphins, who swam around and under us over and over. I got to see dolphins at arm’s length repeatedly. Knowing the dolphins were comfortable in the experience was important, as we were in the open ocean and they wouldn’t have kept returning if they felt threatened. (This is much better than the captive Dolphin Quest experiences they sell in the resorts.)
I don’t even know how you could possibly put a price on this experience but for a family of five this was a very sensibly priced adventure. When it started pouring down rain in hour 4, we headed back because we didn’t know how much more fun was even possible. We had done amazing, once in a lifetime things.
Craig is very laid back, and easy to talk to. I don’t know how you could do better for your time on the water at the Big Island.

Craig is an excellent captain and very easy to work with.
He is kind and patient and at the beginning fisherman but I really enjoyed my experience and caught two big fish for me
We went out early in the morning and stayed out till about one I think that there was a great opportunity and finding the right environment.
I would recommend this beginner or experienced fishermen.

Skip the bigger (crowded) boats and go with Captain Craig! We had a fantastic day on the C Hawk today– We fished, snorkeled, and fished some more, all while taking in the sights of the Kona coastline. Craig made sure we had a great time, cut our catch down to size for us, and wrangled every question we threw at him. Knowledgeable, friendly, courteous, and knows his way around the waters off of Kona. If we ever make it back to the Big Island we’ll make sure to charter the C Hawk again!

Spectacular day with Capt. Craig, it was everything our family had hoped for — got to catch hard fighting tuna and stock up on ahi for the week. My wife got to snorkel with the spinner dolphins. Capt. Craig had the local knowledge and a customer rapport that made one of our best days on the Big Island. After doing multiple excursions and tours this week, I appreciated that he did not have to pitch a Trip Advisor review, he had a genuine humble local touch. Getting lucky with the fish helped, but I’m certain he finds them most of the time. The snorkeling was an incredible add on. Great economical way for a family to do multiple activities compared to adding up other specific tours. Plus fill your fridge with fresh fish.

My husband, sons and nephews went out on the boat with Craig last week during our vacation to the Big Island. They had a terrific time watching dolphins, fishing, & snorkeling. They learned a lot about the local waters and his trips are very kid friendly!

Craig was sooo nice. We brought our kids (ages 8,5 and 1). I was concerned that things would be too rough for the baby but as soon as we took off, he fell asleep. As we were leaving the harbor, we saw a big pod of dolphins and we were able to watch them for a while. The water and sun were beautiful. Then we saw a mother whale and her calf. We followed them for almost an hour and saw them both surface multiple times. There was a whale-​watching tour that was also following them and my husband commented that the whale watching tour wasnt as close as we were. We had a private tour LOL.
About halfway through, Craig cut up some apples and pineapples for us and the kids. I eat apples and pineapples all the time but they tasted better on a boat. My 8yr old got sea-​sick and threw up on the boat and Craig cleaned this up and went on. I definately appreciate that we were able to «plan our own adventure» as it suited us at the time. Everyone with kids knows that sometimes you just have to go with it and he was able to do that. We had a great time!

craig and kurt are the best! big savings, super intimate, like going fishing with old pals! had a blast, saved a ton! swiming, snorkling, whale watching, dolphins, fishing! they do it all!

You will have the best fishing/​snorkling/​whale watching/​whatever else you want trip in your life!
The waters around Kona are beautiful and full of sea life. Craig’s priority is to make sure you will have a good time. If you catch a fish you can keep it f you like, he will even filet it for you! On many other boats you are lucky if the captain will let you keep a steak of your own fish…
I highly recommend Craig’s fishing/​snorkling trip. You can combine activities like fishing in the early morning and snorkling afterward.
I have seen dolphins, whales, a Manta Ray, giant sea turtles, more dolphins and everything else that lives in the ocean.
Captain Craig Hawkins and Carl Brown are some of the best people you will ever meet in your life.