Hunter, our guide, and Jeff, our boat captain, were PHENOMENAL. I was extremely nervous, and Hunter could tell. He was very reassuring, and made me (and everyone else) feel more than comfortable before we got in the water. Hunter knew so much much each manta ray that we saw, and told us how to identify it from the others! He also was extremely knowledgeable about other marine species we saw in the water.
Hawaii Oceanic also offers snorkel masks with prescription lenses! I personally did not use them, but a few others in our group did. I thought that was amazing customer service on their part.
For those of you reading this review to determine what to expect, I feel you! I did exactly the same thing. I was TERRIFIED to do this, but my boyfriend really wanted to. I wasn’t going to let him do it alone, so I just didn’t give myself a chance to second guess. I jumped in the water, to one of the best experiences of my life. Let me tell you, the manta rays will likely touch you, but they are COMPLETELY HARMLESS, and very gentle. The first few minutes, I was shaking I was so nervous, but I just held onto the board, and let the rays do their thing! Even if you are just tossing around the idea of doing this tour, DO IT. It is definitely something I will never forget!