My Wife and I traveled to Kona in 2019 to scout out a location for our 2020 wedding. We met several people along the way, whom all recommended the night dive. At first, it seemed terrifying to us. Who in their right mind would jump out of a perfectly good boat let alone at night! No way, No how.
Well, I can tell you having gone and jumped out of said boat. This is that once in a lifetime adventure that will change your life. I have traveled quite a bit. I have seen the popular sights, been exclusive and rare places, hiked to vistas, climbed mountains, checked out the famous national parks, etc. This tops it all. All of it. Nothing comes close, or even pales in comparison to watching these massive, elegant, peaceful fish come right up to you.
We had the pleasure of attending this trip after our wedding in Kona. My Wife, Sister, Brother in Law, Nephew, and myself all in a group with about 12 other attendants. Captain Bill, and deckhands Ocean and Riley, were our Crew. We had done research and watched youtube videos leading up to deciding if this trip was for us. Pictures and videos still just don't do this experience any justice. To be there, inches from the Rays, is just something that can't be captured or translated in an online review. You just have to be there!
Captain Bill and Crew were amazing. They provided drinks and fresh pineapple to snack on which was a really nice touch. Ocean was the more experienced deckhand and did an incredible job explaining key points, instructions, and what to expect in the water. He had a great informative portion where he educated us on the Manta Rays. We even had time to solo snorkel and swim before actually getting in with the Rays. They let us test our gear and just relax in the ocean for a bit which was really nice too.
As the sun went down, we were briefed on what to expect. The sunset from the ocean was stunning and beautiful. Anticipation grew as the light boards and platforms were set out. We were instructed to slowly enter the water and carefully swim over to the stations so we did not disturb any fish that may be nearby. The water was cold, but tolerable. We were warned in advance that it would be cold, but we were asked to tough it out if at all possible. I can tell you this - it will be cold and you have to tough it out. It is worth the money, the cold, everything, to just tough it out.
Within minutes of having the boards out - plankton clouded the water. Visibility was still great, but you could see the ocean coming alive. Plankton began to build into a hazy cloud all around us. Smaller fish known as "aHolehole" came to feed first. It was like you were in a lifesize aquarium! Hundreds and hundreds of these fish darted around everywhere you looked! Ocean and Riley would periodically yell out that a Manta Ray was coming. When they signaled you could pop your mask back down in the water to wait.
The first Ray that came in was about 10 feet across and weighed somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,000lbs. It glided into the plankton cloud with this smooth cool collective, before turning up, and angling into our light board. With effortless control the Manta Ray did a barrel roll within 3 inches of our masks. Before diving that night, we were strictly told that we could not under any circumstance touch the fish. Otherwise - we could be kicked off the tour for compromising the fishes protective coating which could fatally harm the Ray. But if we could have - we could have kissed one of these beautiful creatures :) it was seriously that close!
Having been told to check this out by the locals, to actually doing the tour, and now writing a review. From my family to yours - please - book with Manta Adventures. The boat, the equipment, the light board setup, the professionalism of the Captain and Crew, it all stood out from the other tours in the area. You might pay a little more with this group - but there just isn't an amount that I wouldn't pay to go do this again and again and again with Manta Adventures.