Snorkel With Giant Manta Rays In Kailua Kona
Description
A New Listing for an experienced company and crew. Snorkel Big Island has been operating Manta Ray Snorkel Excursions for over 12 years. Attention to detail, safety, and our expert crew, set this excursion apart. During this tour we can visit either the northern manta site near the Kona airport, or venture further south to Keauhou depending on where the best manta sightings have been. Our licensed captains and dedicated guides pull out all the stops to make sure you get the best viewing possible. Prior swimming & snorkeling experience is required to book this activity. Guest's must be able to independently climb up a side boat ladder. Not recommended for guest's who have undergone surgery or have mobility/physical restrictions. Not recommended for pregnant women. Contact tour operator for exceptions. This family run business takes pride in sharing the importance of taking care or our land, ocean, animals, and each other. Please arrive on time for the start of your scheduled tour.
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Your safety is our priority! If you or anyone in your group would like a lifejacket please contact our reservation line.
- Our Manta Policy: Manta Rays are wild animals and Snorkel Big Island cannot guarantee their presence. If a manta ray is not seen on your night out with us you may try again on a different night for a rebooking fee. Please keep in mind that seats may be extremely limited during certain times of the year. We usually are very successful in finding mantas for you; however if they decide to take the night off the costs involved with setting up the charter will not allow us to offer you a refund. We appreciate your business and understanding of this policy.
- Please confirm your check in time directly with tour provider. Check in time may be up to 40 minutes prior to tour time.
- Basic swimming skills are required
- Previous snorkeling experience is required
- Guests must be able to independently climb up a boat ladder
- Guest must be able to converse in English to understand verbal instructions and safety briefings
Reviews(131)
Do this once in a lifetime experience! The crew was amazing. We had three rats feeding the entire time we were in the water and they performed quite the show. It was surreal! Guides were super friendly and shared a lot of information about the rays. This was the most amazing 30 min!!!
All three gentlemen were kind and ready to go for us. The meeting spot was easy to locate, communication was clear, and they started right on time. The safety information was easy with a bit of light humor. The boat ride out was beautiful. The time in the water was AMAZING! Our 10 & 11yo kids couldn’t have been more thrilled. We had almost non-stop action after the first few minutes. One of the guys took our camera down to the ocean floor and got the coolest video for us to capture a different perspective. Everything was safe, professional, and so much fun! Do NOT hesitate to book with this company!!!!
The crew was professional and informative while also relaxed. Many Mantas came to play, flipping and eating joyfully!
Manta Ray aerobatics (hydro?) - possibly the coolest thing you’ll see. We were lucky enough to see a bunch of Manta Rays on our sunset trip and the crew were excellent hosts and guides too. Highly recommended!
This was the best thing we’ve done in Hawaii! The Manta Rays glide up against you and are so soft. The crew were great and friendly!
Exciting to see the Manta Rays. We saw 4. Nice sunset, easy boat ride to site. Water was cool so wet suit worked great. 30 minutes in the water.
We had a great experience with Snorkle Big Island! It was easy to find their staff at the meeting point at the marina and the crew for the boat were friendly and engaging. When we got to the manta ray feeding area, we immediately saw them. Once we were in the water, we had rays coming up to us within minutes. We consistently had rays swimming right beneath our board for 2/3 of the time we were in the water. Highly recommend!
The crew and the captain were great and they made us feel great about the trip with explaining what we were going to see and Eli was very knowledgeable about the manta ray we watched swim under us.
We did this excursion as the second part of our Christmas Eve activities. My husband and I had snorkeled with the mantas previously but this was the first time for the rest of the family. As quoted by daughter in law "it was magical". The crew were friendly and knowledgeable and gave super clear instructions. They took very good care of the entire group and were very attentive to some small children that were along, doing their best to make them comfortable. The group was a nice, small size so the crew were able to give attention to everyone. We saw five mantas, four males and a female as well as two little sharks and a large number of fish. The mantas were with us almost as soon as we entered the water and the guides were able to point out each one and name them. One the mantas was normally not seen in the particular area we were in and I think the guides were as excited as the group! On the previous manta excursion, we were with a large number of other boats. For this one, however, the captain parked us away from the other groups and it was nice to not be continually running into other people. My son in law was super apprehensive before we got in the water as, anyone who lives on the east coast of the US knows, you don't get in the Atlantic at night! Afterwards, he said it was one of his favorite things we had done. Would definitely recommend this tour. This crew knows what they are doing.
The guide was not very informative and acted like he didn’t want to be there. He only spoke in short one word answers. Only saw 3 Manta Rey’s. I would recommend to try it but maybe let people know they are not guaranteed to see anything. Also bring a robe afterwards, it is a cold ride back in to shore.
