This really was a “not to be missed” on the Big Island. I had been longing for this but wasn’t sure whether my two sceptical teens would enjoy the trip. Well they did, every very second of it.
First: Manta Adventures is a very pleasant company with an excellent captain and crew. Knowledgable and kind. The boat is new and specifically outfitted for manta ray feeding and spotting. You get good information on beforehand and really shouldn’t be late: there are only 8 or 9 spots at the coastline where a boat’s rope can be tightened. Other boats either need to be tightened to an earlier boat or throw an anchor deeper down in the sea (which basically means that the snorkelers are dropped at the spot and the boat is anchored elsewhere. We got the point so everyone was there on time and we secured ‘our spot’. There we got a special surprise: a visit from Monk seals.
We got a clear briefing - the crew is keen on safety and regulations - and then put on our wetsuits. The wetsuits provided had long sleeves and short trousers which kept us warm in the water (the water is not that cold, but drifting in it, motionless, for about an hour makes you pretty chilly after a while). Tip: bring dive (wetsuit) socks for your feet. Not that expensive and keeps your feet warm as well.
One by one we were directed into the water. Me and my family went first, which basically meant that we had the longest time in the water. If the cold bothers you, perhaps you should try to go later. But we enjoyed it from the first to the very last second (and being pretty skinny, we are usually easily cold).
You are to hold on to a bar that is (on both sides) attached to a surfboard. Beneath the board, lights are fixed which shine to the bottom of the ocean. Furthermore, the boat itself has lights which beam from below the hind deck. Plankton is attracted to the light; manta rays are feeding with the plankton. And that is a marvellous spectacle: the manta’s come up from the bottom of the sea, and right in front of you they make a backflip and start the same roll again. It’s beautiful.
Now every operator has its features but we were glad we went with Manta Adventures:
- we saw boats with snorkelers that left early. They may have seen manta rays, but not the feeding:
- there were boats with both snorkelers and scuba divers. The divers go in earlier to get adjusted to equipment etc; the snorkelers have to wait. Their trip takes twice the time, while they spend a lot of time just waiting;
- some boats have huge lights shining all over the ocean floor. Now the manta’s are attracted to that and you can see them more clearly, but they are everywhere and not necessarily near you. Manta Adventures boat has a few very strong beams shining down, both from the boat and the boards. That means that de manta’s are attracted to a very specific place: right below you. While we were instructed not to touch them, the manta’s had their own rules and bumped to our elbows and belly’s when they did their backflips, mouth wide open. So impressive.
Ultimately we stayed in the water for over an hour. We’ve seen some 30 manta’s. We were one of the last boats to leave, which seemed to cause all the manta’s to come to our boat at the end for a ‘grand finale’.
Back on the boat, the captain welcomed us with a warm shower. It was a wonderful experience.
On beforehand, I was wondering whether I would miss the fun if I went snorkelling instead of diving. But I honestly don’t think diving would have been better. The manta’s came so close, and you see them in their full glory because they roll up and down all the time. You just have another viewing point. A good thing about snorkelling though, is that the crew can still talk to you and point out where to look (and you can check on your kids if you want).
I highly recommend this operator.