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Manta Magic - Night Manta Ray Snorkel At Manta Village, Kona, Hawaii

Manta Magic - Night Manta Ray Snorkel At Manta Village, Kona, Hawaii

Overview

Avoid the crowds of the other "cattle boats" in Kona, and enjoy a small-group manta ray snorkeling experience with a maximum of 12 passengers.

This tour departs from Keahou Harbor in South Kona and enjoys a short 5-minute boat ride to our snorkeling site, Manta Village.

Your Captain and snorkel guide will educate you on Kona's famous manta rays and will discuss our safe and humane approach to engaging with the gentle giants.

After entering the water, you'll hold onto our lightboard, with your feet propped up by floatation devices, as the manta rays perform a graceful ballet beneath you. The manta rays filter feed on plankton that naturally gathers at the surface just before sunset, then accumulates underneath our lights. This is an opportunity to enjoy an evening on the water and watch in amazement as the manta rays glide around and dance for you.

We are proud to be a Green Listed company, and we take an environmentally cautious approach to our interactions with the manta rays.

City: Big Island of Hawaii

Thu 10 Oct

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $125.00

Make a reservation

Thu 10 Oct

Starting at $125.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Professional guide

Wetsuit (optional)

Use of Snorkelling equipment

Local taxes

Beverages

Additional Info

Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Must be able to swim without the assistance of a floatation device.
A ticket is required for all passengers, regardless of age or whether they are entering the water.
Maximum weight of 280 pounds per traveler.
Not recommended for travelers with neck problems.
Snorkel equipment is sanitized between uses.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (858)

Linda_N

Mar 2022

Overall, the experience felt rushed. At $129, it was totally not worth the cost over larger, more cost-effective tour groups (which I have been on). I chose this tour for two reasons, neither of which materialized. First, I hoped a smaller tour would provide more individualized attention for my parents who are in their 60s. Second, I had read reviews mentioning prescription goggles (I really should have called ahead to confirm). Instead, we were given snorkel gear with minimal interaction, then were rushed into the water. My dad put his snorkel gear on incorrectly, ended up swallowing a bunch of water, got flustered in the water and dark while not being able to see (due to not being able to wear his glasses), and ended up being directed back to the boat. I understand the crew needs to prioritize safety, but instead of a little bit of patience and understanding, I felt the crew assumed my parents didn't know how to swim (untrue) and chastised me for attempting to sneak them on this tour. Not how you want to feel on a special vacation with family. Our entire trip was 50 minutes from harbor back to harbor, which was shorter than I expected. Other things I'd enjoyed more about a prior tour I did with a bigger boat: a bigger light board may have attracted more manta rays, and hot chocolate at the end of the snorkel was much appreciated. The snacks offered at the end of this tour were not appealing.

Response from Host

Jul 2022

Aloha - thank you for your feedback and we apologize that you did not have a positive experience. On our tours, we have a staff of 3 people to assist a group of 11 guests or less. We are not aware of any boats that have a lower ratio of staff to guests, and most people find the interaction with our team to be very personable. Regarding your dad's experience, we're sorry he was removed from the water. We need to put safety first, and we need to protect the safety of our staff and other guests. If a guest is flustered in the ocean and displays that they can not comfortably swim, we need to take them back to the boat and re-assess the situation. If iwe determine a guest can not comfortably swim, we can not allow them to re-enter the water. When a guest is flustered and can not calmly float on the water surface, they risk kicking the manta rays and injuring them and / or scaring them away from our group. While we want all of our guests to have an amazing experience on their family vacation, there are rare instances when we have to protect the safety of our staff, other guests, and the manta rays, and this sometimes includes making difficult decisions. This tour is advertised as a 50-minute tour, so we're not sure why that was an issue. Some boats run longer tours because they depart from a different harbor with a longer boat ride to the manta ray site. Regarding prescription goggles, we do not provide them to our guests. Our guests sometimes rent them from snorkel shops in town, or bring their own masks on the tour. We do not make promises about prescription masks.

Corinne_T

Mar 2022

Our group was the first out so we enjoyed the sunset from the water. Seeing these magnificent creatures was absolutely amazing and thrilling. The boat ride is only 5 mins. Wear bug spray at dusk.

Ezzat_I

Mar 2022

Mantas get up close and personal!! Crew was super helpful, nice, and educational. Best part was how short of a trip out the water it was