I'd recommend going with another outfit that does this near the "Manta Village". Although this is a smaller outfit with 1 boat, they were great to work with, however, I don't think they have the right spot or perhaps the mantas didn't like the way our grouped smelled. After a 4 minute boat ride, we jumped into the water at our spot. We were lucky to catch a flash of 2 mantas. While talking to others on the island, they used a different outfit and were able to see a lot of mantas. I understand that these are wild creatures but I feel like I paid a lot of money and was duped.
Одговор домаћина
Aug 2021
Aloha Ryan,
I'm sorry to hear that the mantas were not as active on your tour out with us. As you mentioned they are wild animals and come and go as they please. While we try our best to give each guest the experience they came for, sometimes it doesn't always work out the way we intend it to. I can assure you that it had nothing to do with the snorkel site or the way your group smelled. Just by browsing through past reviews it's evident that we typically have great showings at "Manta Village", and then occasionally ones that are not as strong.
It's also worth mentioning that your experience happens with every other manta operator on the Big Island. It doesn't matter who guests choose to go out with because each night is different and the number of mantas varies from night to night and from site to site. It's hard to decipher whether the other visitors you spoke with went out with a different operator to the northern site known as "Manta Heaven" or out on a different night when there were more mantas at "Manta Village". Either way it happens to all of us.
I am glad to hear that at least you were able to see 2 Mantas and found our small family-run business easy to work with. We would be happy to work with you if you would like to try your luck out again on a different night.
Mahalo,
Hawaii Island and Ocean Tours
For those reading, Hawaii Island and Ocean Tours visits the Southern site known as "Manta Village" near the Sheraton hotel at Keauhou Bay and takes about a 5 minute boat ride to get to. This site has between 1-5 mantas that consistently show up and is great for snorkelers.
The Northern Site known as "Manta Heaven" or "Garden Eel Cove" usually requires a 20 minute boat ride and is located near the Kona Airport. "Manta Heaven is known for having the record number of Mantas in one given night but also notorious to completely shut off or go through periods of dry spells where no mantas are seen. "Manta Heaven" is the preferred site for scuba divers but snorkeling can be done there as well.