Awesome experience! I’ll be honest, I read the negative reviews beforehand and was worried this was going to be a waste of money, but that was nowhere near the truth for our manta encounter. The staff were very warm, friendly, and our in-the-water guide, Jordan, was super knowledgeable about the mantas. I was really nervous after reading the reviews about jellyfish stings, so we rented the wetsuits/shirts. No jellies (found out later it mostly depends on moon cycle), but still glad we rented them because the water was pretty cold. Bring your own wetsuit if you want more full-body coverage.
We saw two manta rays and they swam within inches of our faces! You could hear the squeals of excitement through the snorkels of the other passengers.
There were other groups from other tours out in the water with us, but we were all spread out far enough that it didn’t seem to affect us.
My only suggestion is this: if you are not comfortable swimming and/or snorkeling, please consider that before you book. Would also suggest spending some time during the day out in the water practicing. We had a couple of people in our group that couldn’t figure out how to properly get into viewing position and I’m pretty positive that spooked the mantas that we did see and prevented others from coming over to our group. Also, yes, there is a waiting period after check-in, so be prepared.
Otherwise, would 100% do it again!