Manta Ray Adventure: Kona's Best Snorkeling

513 Ratings

Kailua-Kona

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Experience the thrill of a small group night snorkel with manta rays in Kailua-Kona. Expert crew, stunning underwater views, and a commitment to conservation make this a must-do activity.

Duration: 2 hours

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

Experience snorkeling with the renowned Manta Rays alongside the Big Island’s most seasoned captains and tour guides.
Please verify your check-in time directly with the tour provider. Contact the tour provider to ensure your reservation has been accurately received. Check-in time should be no more than 40 minutes and no less than 15 minutes before the…

What's Included

Certified In-water Guide/Lifeguard
Use of snorkeling equipment
Shorty Wetsuit

What's Not Included

Gratuities
Private transportation
Prescription Snorkel Mask

Additional Information

Attention to detail, safety, and our expert team make this excursion unique. During this tour, participants can choose to visit either the northern manta site near Kona Airport or explore further south to Keauhou, depending on where the best manta sightings have been reported. Our licensed captains and dedicated guides are committed to ensuring the best…

Prior swimming and snorkeling experience is required to book this activity. Guests must be able to independently climb a vertical boat ladder. It is not recommended for guests who have undergone surgery or have mobility/physical restrictions. It is also not recommended for pregnant women. Please contact the tour operator for exceptions.

This family-run business takes pride in emphasizing the importance of caring for our land, ocean, animals, and each other.

Guests must arrive on time for the check-in time provided by the tour provider, which may be up to 40 minutes before the scheduled tour time.

Basic swimming skills are required
Previous snorkeling experience is required
Guests must be able to independently climb up a boat ladder
Guest must be able to converse in English to understand verbal instructions and safety briefings
Your safety is our priority! If you or anyone in your group would like a lifejacket please contact our reservation line.
Our Manta Policy: Manta Rays are wild animals and Snorkel Big Island cannot guarantee their presence. If a manta ray is not seen on your night out with us you may try again on a different night, or on your next visit. Guests who purchased tickets at our full online booking price may come back out again for free. Tickets Purchased through a 3rd party or at a discounted rate may join again for an additional $60 per person. Please keep in mind that seats may be extremely limited during certain times of the year. We usually are very successful in finding mantas for you; however, if they decide to take the night off the costs involved with setting up the charter will not allow us to offer you a refund. We appreciate your business and understanding of this policy.
Please confirm your check in time directly with tour provider. Check in time may be up to 40 minutes prior to tour time.
Not recommended for travelers with physical or mobility restrictions

Location

Snorkel Big Island

Kealakehe Parkway

Honokohau Small Boat Harbor. Coming from Hwy 19, turn West toward the ocean on Kealakehe Pkwy. Take the 1st right turn to enter the North side of the harbor. Follow the road around to a large dirt parking lot. Park near Public Restroom Pavillion.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.7

(513 Ratings)

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Jill_c

Jan 19, 2026

Beautiful Manta Rays - Jay, Elijah, and Jonathan were informative and kind! Nice boat ride out to the area where you see manta rays. They are so huge! Great experience. Make sure you bring a towel!

Review provided by Viator

Eric_j

Jan 31, 2026

Crew did everything they... - Crew did everything they could but only saw one manta at a distance. Knew other people who did the same night with other tours and had same experience so important to realize it could happen and not the fault of the tour. It does get cold so definitely take their advice and bring a sweatshirt or something like that.

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Kim

Jan 21, 2026

Just an fyi - You are in the water for 30 min. so wear the wet suit, water was not cold, but not warm. We saw manta rays but they did not get close (good or bad?)

Review provided by Viator

Kami_c

Feb 1, 2026

No mantarays - Unfortunately, we did not see any manta rays during our experience. I’m also not convinced there had been any confirmed sightings prior to us being guided into the water. The water was very cold, which made the experience more uncomfortable given the lack of activity. At the end of the night, we were told we could come back another evening for free, which I appreciated since sightings can’t be controlled. However, when I later called to reschedule, I was told only a small discount was available instead. That was disappointing and felt inconsistent with what we were originally told.

Review provided by Viator

Katherine_n

Jan 26, 2026

No Manta Rays ! - It was still fun, but we didn’t see any Manta rays! At the original meet-up we received our wetsuits and the woman in charge said we would be able to have extra time in the water since they didn’t have any other tours that night. However, after 30 min minimum in the water, our guide told us we had to get out of the water and back on the boat after seeing no mantas. We did see a lot of small fish and some sharks which did provide some excitement. On the ride back to the marina I asked our guide ( who was nice and friendly) how often no mantas are seen on the tour, he avoided answering my question and deflected into other facts and info without answering.. hmmm? The tour was still fun anyway though.

Review provided by Viator

Shannon_c

Jan 23, 2026

You get what you pay for - Swimming with manta rays was amazing! However when we first got there the crewmember greeting us and giving us wetsuits was very cold and unfriendly. We were the first family there but he proceeded to skip us during handing out wetsuits and then question half our party if we were with this tour (there were 7 of us). Meanwhile the other tours guide next to us were getting a very warm and joyous welcome while we felt like a burden asking for wet suits out of the back a truck. Our captain was very friendly and light hearted and funny. Our two crewmembers were also captains and were a bit more reserved and not as friendly. I think we could have parked at a better bouy location with better results and more lighting in the water. Was a little taken a back when we pulled in and were told we would have to wait for a boat to leave to get a bouy spot considering our time out there was not very long and we were expected to waste time waiting. I would have thought they would have scheduled the tour time so that we could get there at a good spot, or staggered times when they knew other tours were leaving. They did find an open bouy but it was not in a very good location (when reboarding the crewmembers told the captain that the manta rays seemed to like the shallower waters and the bouy we parked at was in a much deeper location). At our initial bouy we saw one right away and then a long break without seeing anymore until they moved us to a shallower location closer to a different bouy. We did see 4 more at the other location before another boat came to that bouy and we had to be moved for them. The other tour boat seemed to be having a lot more fun with their crewmembers tbh. You do get what you pay for and this boat was much smaller and less fancy than the others (we previously went snorkeling with Captain Cook). On the way back there was a hole on the left side of the boat (i think for fishing) that continually splashed water on one of the other guests and got him soaked and cold. Worth it for the price, but if you have more to spend would look at other tour companies

Review provided by Viator

H_s

Jan 24, 2026

You get what you pay for. - Ok if you want to see the manta ray from 50 feet away. Compared to another tour I was on, the manta rays came right up to the light it seemed the light was not strong enough to attract the plankton. Your was cheaper but I guess you get what you pay for. The crew was nice but didn’t overly engage.

Review provided by Viator

Debby_p

Jan 28, 2026

DO NOT BOOK ... I emailed the company afterwards and got no response! - I fully understand that manta rays are wild animals and sightings can never be guaranteed. However, my disappointment was not about unpredictability of wildlife—it was about tour execution and overall quality. During our tour, we saw only one manta ray, and it was not feeding or circling. According to the crew, one of the main lights used to attract plankton was not functioning, which clearly impacted viewing conditions. He also told us that sometimes the earlier group will make mantas full so the later group can't see anything...This felt like a basic operational issue that should not happen on a premium-priced tour. Additionally, the overall energy and engagement from the captain and crew were lacking. While they were informative before we entered the ocean, the tone throughout the trip was noticeably pessimistic, repeatedly emphasizing that we likely wouldn’t see much and of course we only saw 1. This set a discouraging mood for the entire group and further diminished the experience. No effort was made to elevate the atmosphere or make guests feel excited or valued. This review is not a complaint about nature being unpredictable, but about service quality, preparedness, and guest experience not matching what was advertised or reasonably expected for the price. As well, if they could pick a location with more manta rays or have more lights, perhaps it would've been slightly better experience. I hope the company takes this feedback seriously and improves both equipment readiness and crew engagement for future guests.

Review provided by Viator

Anonymous

Jan 19, 2026

Ehhh - This was a dud. Not only because we didn’t see any rays (which is totallly fine - this isn’t an aquarium), but also the “crew” just didn’t seem to have it together. They both seemed to be on this boat for the first time and it was chaos. No confidence that the “captain” knew what he was doing besides being a boat owner. Would do it again but not with this company.

Review provided by Viator

Julie_m

Jan 16, 2026

The boat was very late... - The boat was very late coming back in for our tour due to rough water. Everyone that got off the boat complained about being sick the entire time.

Review provided by Viator

Check Availability

From $137

up to 15 guests

1 - Adult