This was the ONE thing I wanted to do on the Big Island and I was not disappointed. The whole experience was so magical and surreal that I can only start at the beginning. Dusty and Chad were our guides and greeted us with a friendly and warm demeanor and immediately put any nervous nellies to rest. They explained everything that we would be doing from start to finish so we knew what to expect and be prepared. We were fitted with "shorties" to help keep us warm and to help keep us more buoyant. The boat ride was about 30 minutes and the ocean was a bit rough, but Chad stood there the whole time telling us what to expect when we got there, a little history and information about the Rays, and answered any questions we had. When we got there, there were a couple of boats already anchored and doing the same thing as we were going to do, but they all greeted each other as friends and as they picked their spot and put anchor we could see dolphins jumping out of the water, playing with the big waves. That got our adrenaline going and when they were ready, we jumped off the boat and swam to the floating dock and held on as they turned the lights on. We just floated with our faces down (they supplied all the snorkeling gear) and watched the most amazing show! It was like we were watching on tv, but one bumped into my leg so I knew it was real. They are so big and so graceful. They came so close, so often, but not once did they touch us. We had five visiting with us at one time. It was absolutely crazy! My nephew was next to me filming with his Go-Pro. At the last minute everyone ditched their phones because the water was so rough, but once you were out there, it felt different - calm. I really regretted not having my phone camera with me. But they took photos underwater and posted them for us on Facebook, so I was able to get those pics! You're out there with them about half an hour and that time went by so fast! I couldn't believe it was time to go back. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget and I'm so blessed to have been able to share that experience with my family. Dusty and Chad made it safe, fun and special. If you have a chance to do it - you just have to! You will not regret it!