Snorkel With Giant Manta Rays In Kailua Kona

We had the best time with Bailey and his co worker. Our Manta Ray lady wouldn’t leave us alone she was doing barrel rows all night. Such a cool experience.

Our trip was with Snorkel Big Island on 11/1/26. Bayle and Dylan were amazing. Bayle moved us around to get the manta ray to come closer and she put on an amazing show. It was a great experience.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see the manta rays. Given the relatively high cost of the experience, I would have expected the opportunity to reschedule the activity, especially since we didn’t get to see what we had paid for.

This was such a magical experience! The crew was so sweet and even CAME BACK for us when we arrived just a few minutes late. Eli is an amazing tour guide. We saw two huge MantaRays and 3 reef sharks. It’s an experience to remember. The boat ride alone was so beautiful with the full moon rising and the stars shining, but once you get into the water it’s extraordinary! Mahalo

The weather was not good on the planned day of our excursion, but they notified us well ahead of time, and offered to refund us, or reschedule us. Fortunately, we had booked early in our trip and accepted the reschedule. What an amazing experience. It started with clear instructions and some humorous moments… (We’re in the ocean. Yes, sharks also coexist in the ocean.) We rode out to the site and easily transitioned into the water. It was a small group (important to us), so the few questions were quickly addressed and didn’t delay us getting started. We saw the bait fish that are precursors to mantas showing up, and sure enough, she gracefully cruised right through the middle of our group (show off…). Then, she left. We saw Galapagos sharks and heard some bottle nose dolphins approaching from just outside the lights. Then, the manta ray returned, but halfway through the group she slowed down and proceeded to do several back rolls, inches away from our prone and fascinated bodies. Remember, we don’t touch them, but they can gently brush up against us. Our pre-trip service set us up for success. (Nobody wants to be “chumming” in the middle of their vacation) Our onsite team was excellent. Our whole experience was outstanding.

It was good, a bit scary in the dark ocean but staff put you at ease. The young kid in the ocean was like a fish.

Your going to have a great experience! Captain Dylan, crew Bailey and Johnny were helpful and friendly!

It was truly amazing! So many giant beautiful manta rays came so close to us right away. There was so much other sea life, including dolphins! Captain Dylan and crewmen Elio and Bailey were fantastic, very friendly and informative. It was a lovely stress free experience!

A little late starting out, but crew was fun and efficient. Great experience and highly recommended.

This was a fabulous experience for my family. The crew was easygoing and explained every step of the trip. We saw a number of the majestic Rays. It was a small enough group that there was no crowding and each person could interact. The crew chatted with us on the outgoing and return trip. Gear was easy to use.

This was one of the highlights of our trip to Hawaii. We saw 5-6 manta rays and a few reef sharks. The tour guides were very friendly.

This was a wonderful experience. From pick-up to return, the whole evening was lovely. The staff was courteous, professional, and helpful. And, they did not try to upsell us stuff. Bring your own go pro and camera. The boat was clean, comfortable, and had all the safety features you would want. There are places to keep your things dry. Bring a cover up for the ride home. The boat has a covered area but we were wet and could have gotten a chill. It was a quick thirty minutes to the site. In the water right away and spent maximum time watching the Manta Rays feed. The Rays are breathtaking as they combine dance and acrobatics to move with a graceful elegance through the water. And they got so close. But don’t touch! Other boats in the area were big with 30+ people on board and lots of kiddos. The kids tended to scream with delight as the Rays approached. We were nine. All adults. What a difference this made.

Others in group can destroy experience if they're not comfortable in water. Thank goodness we had an awesome group of compliant participants. These gentle giants will come within inches of you if you stay calm, relaxed, and lay flat. Camera is a must for this experience of a lifetime.

Do this once in a lifetime experience! The crew was amazing. We had three rats feeding the entire time we were in the water and they performed quite the show. It was surreal! Guides were super friendly and shared a lot of information about the rays. This was the most amazing 30 min!!!

All three gentlemen were kind and ready to go for us. The meeting spot was easy to locate, communication was clear, and they started right on time. The safety information was easy with a bit of light humor. The boat ride out was beautiful. The time in the water was AMAZING! Our 10 & 11yo kids couldn’t have been more thrilled. We had almost non-stop action after the first few minutes. One of the guys took our camera down to the ocean floor and got the coolest video for us to capture a different perspective. Everything was safe, professional, and so much fun! Do NOT hesitate to book with this company!!!!

The crew was professional and informative while also relaxed. Many Mantas came to play, flipping and eating joyfully!

Manta Ray aerobatics (hydro?) - possibly the coolest thing you’ll see. We were lucky enough to see a bunch of Manta Rays on our sunset trip and the crew were excellent hosts and guides too. Highly recommended!

This was the best thing we’ve done in Hawaii! The Manta Rays glide up against you and are so soft. The crew were great and friendly!

Exciting to see the Manta Rays. We saw 4. Nice sunset, easy boat ride to site. Water was cool so wet suit worked great. 30 minutes in the water.

We had a great experience with Snorkle Big Island! It was easy to find their staff at the meeting point at the marina and the crew for the boat were friendly and engaging. When we got to the manta ray feeding area, we immediately saw them. Once we were in the water, we had rays coming up to us within minutes. We consistently had rays swimming right beneath our board for 2/3 of the time we were in the water. Highly recommend!

The crew and the captain were great and they made us feel great about the trip with explaining what we were going to see and Eli was very knowledgeable about the manta ray we watched swim under us.

We did this excursion as the second part of our Christmas Eve activities. My husband and I had snorkeled with the mantas previously but this was the first time for the rest of the family. As quoted by daughter in law "it was magical". The crew were friendly and knowledgeable and gave super clear instructions. They took very good care of the entire group and were very attentive to some small children that were along, doing their best to make them comfortable. The group was a nice, small size so the crew were able to give attention to everyone. We saw five mantas, four males and a female as well as two little sharks and a large number of fish. The mantas were with us almost as soon as we entered the water and the guides were able to point out each one and name them. One the mantas was normally not seen in the particular area we were in and I think the guides were as excited as the group! On the previous manta excursion, we were with a large number of other boats. For this one, however, the captain parked us away from the other groups and it was nice to not be continually running into other people. My son in law was super apprehensive before we got in the water as, anyone who lives on the east coast of the US knows, you don't get in the Atlantic at night! Afterwards, he said it was one of his favorite things we had done. Would definitely recommend this tour. This crew knows what they are doing.

The guide was not very informative and acted like he didn’t want to be there. He only spoke in short one word answers. Only saw 3 Manta Rey’s. I would recommend to try it but maybe let people know they are not guaranteed to see anything. Also bring a robe afterwards, it is a cold ride back in to shore.

We arrived early to this experience. We waited 30 minutes and then got called by Kelly. She said that they had to cancel our tour. No explanation just said sorry. Very poor customer service. Do not offer tours late if you can’t deliver. Would not recommend. Go with another tour guide I want my refund

This was an experience you should not miss. Bring warm clothes and towel for after the tour. Bring waterproof cameras and go pros.

The experience was incredible. The board was a little make-shift compared to the boards from the other boats. I would have liked to see a big platform like the other boats. Elijah worked his bag off swimming us around and was awesome in the water. Dylan was fantastic as well, good driver, very informative, polite and respectful. I would recommend doing a manta dive if on the big island

The experience is once in a lifetime. We got to see a female and male up close. I couldn't have asked for a better experience or crew than this one

It was a smaller group. They provided wetsuits- it was a little chilly. Captain Dylan and team were knowledgeable about the manta rays. And the Rays were large and impressive!!

Super awesome! Manta rays waited until the last minute to show up so they gave us a little extra time. Also saw so many sharks and really cool plankton but the experience never felt unsafe at any point.

Absolutely amazing. Seen/swam with sharks, dolphins, and of course manta rays. The three crew members friendly and helpful. We had a great time.

This was amazing. The crew was very friendly and knowledgeable. They got us to a place where we saw one ray very quickly, and then there were none for several minutes. So they moved us to another area where they said there was more activity, and we saw so many rays. They were absolutely stunning, and they came so close. We also saw a shark before we went back in. It was just the right amount of time in the water and we definitely got to see a lot of rays. I highly recommend!

Such an amazing experience!! Once in a lifetime chance while on the big island. Wear the wetsuit provided and bring a towel :)

We went out on the 8:30 pm manta ray trip. Great easy experience. Snorkeled about 20 feet from boat and hung onto lighted surfboards. Had about 15 manta rays cruise/feed at our boards lights. Some were up to 10’ across. They cruised so close that I could have head butted them every time! Absolutely awesome experience. They are huge but harmless. Most impressive/incredible wildlife experience I ever had. 10 star experience

We know that sometimes the mantas doesn’t appear, it’s not a guarantee tour, ok. But they were there around others boats and the crew made no effort to reach them, as move the boat to a better spot. We waited 30 minutes, in a cold water at night, at the same spot, seeing couple fishes. The crew should have more empathy and demonstrate more passion about their job. Nobody explained anything about the mantas, or why they are attracted by the lights, or even the harbor, big island or the place we dove. They just explained some mandatory infos about the boat, security and made some jokes about pee in the wetsuit. Maybe they should invest in better equipment, more powerful lights, like some other boats. It’s about the experience that you provide, not only about money and see mantas.

Nigut swimming with manta rays was a highlight of our trip. We had several sightings and they got very close. The crew was helpful and set us at ease. They were a little late to the pickup point, but called right away when I texted. You should know this crew uses a method that attracts plankton upward, enticing the mantas to swim high and show off. It's ethical and sensible. By my view, it appeared at least one other operator did not do this and instead used a huge floodlight on the floor. While it might have looked cool, they had not seen a single ray by the time we left and I was grateful to be on a boat using our method.

Snorkel Big Island had a great experience for night snorkeling with the manta rays. The boat was comfortable for the ride there and back, and was clean and well kept up. The crew was very knowledgeable and kind, while being firm on certain rules since you’re interacting with wildlife—which must be taken as a privilege to interact with, so I think the approach is warranted. The experience itself was great, 30 minutes while being inches away from huge manta rays feeding was a very memorable experience. Of course, you have to understand that you’re dealing with wildlife, so your experience will be different every time, which is a great excuse to go again and again! Highly recommend this activity for the price.

We did the 6:30pm snorkel and it was amazing! We saw about 8 manta rays and it was the highlight of our trip. The boat ride at sunset was beautiful and the whole process of meeting up was easy and direct. Would definitely recommend.

Was amazing experience to float with manta rays in the sea at night, with beautiful stars in sky. Shall recommend to do in hawai

The crew was helpful and apologetic but just did not have thier act together. They started the tour late, getting us to the viewing spot after all the other boats were already anchored and veiwing. I believe we got the least desirable location because we were beat out by all the other boats. So, we saw virtually no Mantas and recieved no compensation.

No Manta ray to be seen. waste the whole night and all the preparations with it. I went with another Viator tour 3 weeks ago and saw lots of rays.

First : the staff was late for almost 40mins Second: very small boat and very crowded with small light Third: the tour was no explanation about the manta ray at all Forth : You only got 30mins in the water and we din’t see anything I would not recommend this company

Great experience, staff was great. 10/10 would recommend! This is a great company to book with, hassle free, easy and convenient. My family had an amazing time!

One of the best experiences we’ve ever had!!! The two guys on the boat had everything dialed in and we legit had the best time ever. Definitely taking this trip again.

​While swimming with the manta rays was a truly amazing and unforgettable experience—it's unbelievable how close they come to you—the company's service left a lot to be desired. The staff seemed to lack personality and acted as if they were just herding people. They were rude, making jokes about customers who were nervous and asked for life jackets. This behavior made the environment feel unwelcoming. ​Additionally, the tour was not well-organized. They returned 15 minutes late from the first trip, which put our group behind schedule. To make matters worse, they had run out of wetsuits, which was disappointing and inconvenient for several people in our group. While the manta ray encounter was incredible, the tour operator's poor service and lack of organization significantly detracted from the overall experience.

Great trip. Saw about 10 Mantas. Everyone was kind and helpful. Definitely would recommend this tour company

Showed up 35 minutes after they told us to be there. Really small boat and really small board with barely any light. Only got to see a manta because they brought us close to a good tour but never got the real experience even though it costs the same as others.

One of the most amazing experiences we’ve ever had! The giant manta days swim right up to you! We went on the 6:30 PM boat and were able to catch a beautiful sunset also.

We had great manta ray viewing. One rolled right in front of my face! It was pretty exciting and the wet suit kept me warm enough. Although next time I will bring my own long sleeve 3ml- I brought my son-in -law with because even tho he has lived in Hawaii in the past he had never done this. It was well worth it-

It was a wonderful experience. We highly recommend. The crew was amazing and the manta rays did not disappoint. This exceeded our expectations.