Manta Ray Night Snorkel in Kailua-Kona, HI

It was a little slow, getting started, but more in a relaxed way. The boat was great for a night ride across the waves, and it was a beautiful scenery, even in the dark. The manta rays were absolutely fabulous! And worth every penny. Tyler, Josh, and the captain were all fantastic and guided us through everything. This set up of how to float in place while watching the mantis was really easy. Our whole family loved the entire trip! We would go again and we would definitely book with the Snorkel Big Island group!

This was one of the coolest things I have EVER done. We lucked out and saw about 20 manta rays on our trip out, and they were swimming around us, doing flips and barrel rolls, and even brushing up against us the entire time. It was pure magic seeing these massive, graceful creatures so close and so unbothered by our presence. Huge shoutout to our amazing guides — they were knowledgeable, fun, and made sure everyone felt safe and comfortable the whole time. And big thanks to our boat driver for getting us out there smoothly and keeping the vibe relaxed and upbeat. You could tell they all really love what they do, and that energy made the night even more special. If you’re in Hawaii, do not skip this. It’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that you’ll be talking about forever.

This was amazing. They take you out on a boat and then the move the boards that you are holding onto to the best places to see the manta rays. This really made sure we saw a ton. It was truly life changing.

This was a safe awesome experience in a small group of 15 people, perfect. . Very safe and had all the gear required . Love this company

It was an unforgettable experience! The clouds parted on our boat journey and we saw the Milky Way and a few shooting stars. The boat crew of 2, one captain and one snorkel/manta guide, kept us safe and well informed. Our group of 20 didn’t seem too large, and maybe it was the fact that it was nighttime and our group was fairly quiet and respectful. We snorkeled in about 20 feet of water, really just floating at the surface holding onto the lit board, which attracted plankton, which attracted the manta rays. After floating in the water for less than 5 minutes two giant oceanic mantas came up to the board and started feeding, in a swooping ballet type of graceful swimming with mouths open. They got very close to us, inches away, which was incredible. We felt very safe in the night waters, very close to shore, with the lights of the board and the snorkel guide swimming around us all making sure we could see the mantas, were doing okay, and having a good time. You do need some snorkel experience to do this comfortably to be able to have your face and mask in the water, breathing through your snorkel, for the short 30 minute float. As well as prior knowledge about manta rays and comfortability getting into the ocean with a group to see wildlife. I would also recommend accepting the offered wetsuit if you get cold easily. The water temperature in September was about 75°.

zero manta rays on the night tour very disappointing boat captain and tour guide were nice but i paid to see mantas expect some type of compensation

We loved seeing Manta Rays while snorkelling in the dark. However, we were a bit disappointed, we were told to arrive 1 hour before the activity was scheduled to start, to check in, not sure why. It was just a long wait, because the car with the boat only arrived when the activity was supposed to start, so another 20 minutes wait until the boat was ready in the water to board. Also I think the guides were a bit bored, not interested so much, it was like for them a thing to get done and over with. One of them told us we did not need wet suits, so my husband did not wear one, he ended up being freezing cold! The comment about not peeing in the suits and leaving them stinky for other people was odd, one of the other guides then confirmed that he would wash them anyway. How odd was that? Also it was a long was to be on the boat just for 30 min snorkelling.

This wasn’t my first time snorkeling with the manta rays but had some friends visiting for the first time. We all loved it. Crew and captain were knowledgeable and very good. I highly recommend this tour but please, for the sake of the crew, other tour guests, and the manta rays, truly know how to swim and snorkel, and feel comfortable getting into the open ocean at night.

It was confusing at first when we first arrived. They were not there when they asked us to be, but once we figured out who was in charge they were professional and ready to go. Captain was a good driver, crew was knowledgeable, and likable. Everything was clean and provided many different sized wet suits. My nine year old fit their smallest one! They helped my kids when they needed the extra hand, and made the experience so fun. Five mantas! Too cool. Unforgettable

We had a fabulous time and lucky to experience many “manta-ray’s” up close! The whole family loved this!