Big Island: Manta Ray Night Snorkeling Adventure In Kailua-kona

Absolutely amazing experience! The relatively small group made it feel personal, and we had plenty of time to enjoy the incredible manta rays up close. The crew took great care of everyone on board and kept the atmosphere fun and positive, even with somewhat rough sea conditions. Fantastic crew, amazing mantas and an unforgettable experience. Highly recommended!

There is some anxiety associated with floating in the ocean at night, but the crew were professional and did a nice job of calming everyone. Once you’re in the water, you quickly become swept up in the moment and all is good. Beautiful experience. Make sure you sing…the Manta Ray's will respond.

We had a great experience and had a lot of fun! Everything went really smoothly! The crew and Captain Jordan were great!

Amazing experience! At first we did not see anything but our guide pulled us on our raft till we found them. Gentle giant. They would swim right up to us. A once in a life time experience !!!

The kid that led everything and dove out with us was super funny and very knowledgeable. He was very helpful. My husband needed help to get back on the boat right away and he was helping him right away. We seen 2 of the mantarays and it was just a lot fun. Watching the sunset was beautiful..

Great crew, absolutely wild seeing the manta rays up close, doing backflips and all that, we even got to see some eagle rays, so epic

Elayo and Kelly were awesome!! They made us feel comfortable and entertaining! Very informative and helped us feel relaxed!

Kona Coast Boat Tours was absolutely fantastic! I had the opportunity to experience their nighttime Manta Ray snorkel tour, and it was truly incredible. Seeing these magnificent creatures swim around you and getting to appreciate just how massive they are is an experience that is hard to put into words. We even had a Galapagos shark make an appearance and swim around for a bit, which was an exciting bonus! Our guide was wonderful, incredibly knowledgeable, and had a great sense of humor. The young man who walked us through the experience and helped us throughout the trip made everything even more enjoyable. Overall, this was an unforgettable experience and absolutely worth doing if you're visiting the Kona coast. I would highly recommend Kona Coast Boat Tours!

This was one of the coolest excursions I have ever done! Be prepared to hold onto the rail and just float at the surface. The mantas come to you. We weren’t sure we would see that many, but we saw at least 20! Some were probably repeats. They come up from the bottom and perform a beautiful back flip right at the surface as they get a mouthful of plankton. They glide right past you; I’m talking inches from you! It’s a must see!

So exciting and fun. Highly recommended. A must for a visit to the big Island. Saff are awesome. Very friendly and knowledgeable.

Wonderful experience. Friendly crew that made sure everyone had a good safe time.

Incredible. Must do experience. Captain Lena and crew were the best. The mantas were massive and came right up under the raft. Bucket list item for sure.

This was the highlight of our big island trip. Our kids ages 6, 9 and 12 absolutely loved it too. The guides were great and entertaining and seeing the manta rays was incredible.

Jordan and Mana are amazing guides. They will make sure you see rays. We saw rays deep in the first 2 minutes. About 15 mins in caught 4 doing big rolls. Great experience

It was beautiful and a trip not to miss! We had a flat ocean, 87°, and almost a full moon. Would recommend.

As advertised. Tom was kind enough to call us a few hours before our planned trip to move us a touch earlier to ensure the most of our experience. It delivered and then some. Inches from the beautiful mantas. Would book again without hesitation.

Beautiful boat ride. Rays were there. They didn't want to come close to us this time. The other times they came right up to us. We stayed in the water longer this time then other times. Friendly people, with great costumer service.

Captain Lena and her crew were the best. Not only informative but very entertaining. We did the 9:00 time and saw so many mantas. We had an amazing time. We would do it again.

Awesome experience. The Manta Ray's swam right up to us and glided inches away. So cool! Fun tour guides, good boat ride. If you get motion sick, it may not be the best option.

Absolutely amazing! Once of a lifetime opportunity, great for couples and family’s! Guides were fantastic would absolutely do it again!

Easy parking and great seating. Very short swim to plankton light and they provided a top wetsuit to help keep you buoyant and warm. Saw 6 plus rays and one even rubbed my belly as it went by. Bring your own towels and maybe a light jacket for the trip back.

This excursion was unbelievable! Our crew of Lena, Mana, and Aleo were fun, super-knowledgeable, and made sure we were safe while having an unforgettable experience. Massive manta rays swimming inches from you is something you just can’t get anywhere else, and we live on Oahu. This is a must!

Our crew was professional, informative and chill — which made the experience so much more epic for those of us on the tour, who were unsure what to expect. We originally signed up just to tag along on the boat and watch, but we were convinced to give it a try and I am so thankful and grateful for the option and encouragement.

The crew do a great job. They got us there quickly and got over some Manta Rays. They Were there to help at all time. If you are prone to motion sickness, be prepared for a lot of rolling.

We got up close and personal with Manta rays. This isn't a swimming experience. You swim about 15ft from the boat and then float around a light up raft as you watch Manta rays feed. It was different than our last snorkeling experience but just as cool.

My husband's & I's experience was amazing! Toby, Mana, & Jordan were the best crew! They were super helpful with everything & gave proper directions. They also made the experience fun! We didn't have a lot of snorkeling experience but with their help, it made it easy! Definitely would recommend! I hope that you get these 3 gentlemen as your crew when you book! :)

Experience was awesome. Kelly and the other crew were great. I highly recommend. Remember to bring a towel for after adventure.

If you can muster up the courage to get on a boat with two random people you just meet to navigate through a dark ocean then you will be rewarded with a majestic view of manta rays and other sea life. Seriously just take some sea sickness meds and get ready for an excursion everyone should get to enjoy. (Also to clarify the crew and safe and nice, the scary part is the ocean at dark.)

I didn’t know what to expect but it was amazing having the mantas come right up to us. Once the school of fish came it seemed the mantas disappeared but the fish were pretty too.

I laughed when the guide said they would remove anyone who licked a ray. I laughed even harder when the first one doing a roll came close enough that I actually could have licked it The trip definitely did not disappoint. This checks one off my bucket list.

This was an incredible experience from start to finish. The captain and crew made sure there were mantas in the area before dropping anchor, and it paid off. We saw so many mantas, and they came astonishingly close. At one point one glided by just an inch or two from us! The boat is large and stable, which is great news for anyone prone to seasickness. The crew also kept us comfortable with ice-cold water and Sprite, plus snacks like chips and energy bars to refuel after we got out of the water. We'll definitely book this tour again on our next trip to the Big Island. Highly recommend!

Great guys who really know what they’re doing. The whole experience felt safe, relaxed, and well organized. You can tell they have a lot of experience and genuinely care about their guests. Definitely worth every dollar! Highly recommended.

Great time with very knowledgeable guides. We had a blast and the guides were funny as well. Would highly recommend

The crew was well organized and on time. My directions that came from the person who answered the phone were terrible! We ended up driving around to locate the desired dock and found it. Good thing we allowed extra time for travel! We enjoyed the 3 men who ran the boat, experience. They were kind, funny, and efficient in their tasks. They were always communicating with each other in a cordial manner. The experience was worth every penny paid and we gave a generous tip to boot! We will likely repeat this experience again the next time we return to the Big Island.

The night time manta ray excursion is an absolute must if you are on the Big Island. It is an incredible experience. I have done this twice, with two different boat operators. Some boat operators go to the hotel. This one goes near the airport. I found this trip was certainly as good as the other trip to the hotel. You are in the water a long time with plenty of time to see Manta Rays. We saw many and they get very close to you sometimes even touching you (you can’t touch them, but they may touch you). The boat was comfortable - basically maybe 8 rows with two seats on each side. They gave us frito lay brand chips and they had water and Sprite. Captain Kelly did an excellent job. Elayo and Mana were fantastic. They were in the water with us the whole time giving fun commentary and helping to spot the manta ray, even doing count downs. You might consider bringing a go pro or a phone case to film. It is a little challenging to capture with a phone case, but possible. I also suggest you have the captain take the group’s photo on the ship and airdrop it to you so you can post on social media what the experience looks like. I tipped them and encourage you to do the same.

This was a wonderful experience with my adult daughter. Our only regret is not being able to give the manta rays belly-rubs. They were so close. The guides were funny and made this an experience to remember.

This tour was extremely well-run. Our tour guides (Kelly & Kala’e) were extremely nice, funny, & professional. Everyone met up at the meeting-point in the harbor, check-in was fast and easy, and then you were given a jacket wetsuit and snorkel gear. (You could also bring your own wetsuit and snorkel if you prefer). It was about a 20 minute boat ride to the manta ray spot, and drinks/snacks were provided (water, sprite, chips, granola bars). At the manta ray spot, we got about 30-45 minutes in the water. One guide stayed in the boat and the other was in the water to give fun facts and help anyone swim. You hold onto a bar as the manta rays come up to feed (my arms did get tired). Everyone also got a pool noodle to help keep their legs afloat. You could go back to the boat at any time. We saw about 5 manta rays, and they came super close to you as the fed. There was also an option to just stay in the boat the whole time as a ride-along. Overall, I thought this tour was extremely well run, super cool, and well worth the money. Would definitely recommend!

Amazing experience! Seeing the manta rays up close was a unique experience. The activity was very easy and relaxing.

This was our favorite activity for sure. The guides we very knowledgeable and funny. We saw so many manta rays and they got so close! It was a 15-20 minute boat ride each way, which was also fun. I definitely recommend it!! Worth the money for sure.

It was a truly wonderful experience; I was lucky enough to see not only manta rays but also sharks. However, it was a shame that the snorkeling mask didn't fit my face well, causing water to constantly leak in. I had to keep one hand on the mask to clear out the water and press it against my face, which left my arm sore for days afterward. No matter how much I tightened the strap or adjusted the seal, it didn't help—likely because the mask was either too big or worn out. I really wished I had brought my own full-face mask. That said, I appreciated that they provided buoyancy noodles and that the staff were friendly, energetic, and gave detailed explanations throughout the tour. However, I would have been even more satisfied if a staff member had come over at least once during the activity to help readjust the position of the buoyancy noodle.

Great crew !! Funny and informative. Saw some Manta Rays and it was a nice boat trip there and back Just the right amount of time in the water

Absolutely amazing. The boat ride alone was so much fun. I didn’t expect the manta rays to be so big but they get up really close and it’s spectacular. The guides worked so hard to be sure we saw plenty of rays. Everything was perfect!

We had an incredible time! We took kids with us and they loved it! They gave good instruction and were very helpful. Highly recommended

Amazing experience!!! We saw manta rays the entire time we were in the water. So incredible to experience them within inches & watch them doing their rotations as they feed. We had four of them under us at one point. The crew was fantastic - friendly & comical! Great time - highly recommend!

This experience was wonderful. We had done a similar tour in the past and this one was way better. The atmosphere was great, the crew was fantastic you spent a lot of time out in the water and the experience with the mantas was 10/10. I would highly recommend this experience was phenomenal.

WOW!!! If you’re thinking about this tour just book it. You will not be disappointed. We saw so many manta rays, with schools of fish everywhere. One ray was 2 meters wide. Came within an inch of your face. Such majestic creatures and a highlight of our trip. Also a huge thank you to our very funny tour guide and the crew who did a great job. Will definitely recommend this tour to our fellow Ozzie’s travelling to Hawaii.

It was an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone! The tour guides were very helpful and friendly. We saw several Manta Rays!

We had a wonderful experience, saw about 5-6 Manta Rays!! The boat ride to the location was also very thrilling. Our guides were awesome, very funny and helpful:)

Snorkel trip - saw lots of various fish and a giant eel. In the boat ride back they pointed out various sites and a pod of spinner dolphins. Erika and Lucas were fantastic. I recommend the trip.