Wonderful Manta Ray Night Snorkel! - This was an experience my husband and I will never forget! What a thrill to see so many mantas 'barrel rolling" so close to us! Such beautiful and majestic animals! We were given short jacket style scuba shirts and snorkel gear and good briefings.We also brought long sleeved rash guards from home to help keep us warm. I felt safe, informed, and well taken care of during the experience. We stayed in the water about a half hour or so and the rays did their thing for the whole time! This was actually our third time visiting the manta rays as we've seen them as scuba divers over the years and this experience didn't disappoint! This kind of stuff never gets old! Remember to bring towels and sweatshirts as you might be a bit cold after getting out of the water.

Don’t miss out! Book with these guys! - Amazing! This crew is professional and great to spend time with! They made sure all our needs were taken care of and are easy to communicate with. We started taking a snorkel on power catamaran tour and was so impressed we booked the manta ray tour in the parking lot via a phone call for 2 days later! We got lucky to get Captain Jacob on both tours and he was very knowledgeable and a pleasure to talk with. Highly recommend!

Rad Manta Ray trip - We had a totally tubular time with the manta rays! Our guides Bryce, Noah and Jeremiah were so rad! They made the trip so awesome! We will definitely be back dudes!!

Put this on your bucket list - Thank you so much to Jordan, Ulo and the Hang Loose crew. If you come to the Big Island, do not leave without doing this. You will not regret it and it will be one of the most magical experiences you ever have in your life. My husband and I took our 11 year old daughter and she said it was the best excursion she has been on. As soon as we arrived, The crew calmed our nerves, kept us laughing and provided an unforgettable experience. We were given wet suits and a pool noodle, a life jacket was offered but not needed, were also provided with snacks and drinks. We then took a speed boat to their “secret, secret location” haha about a 10 -15 min ride. The crew will give you the instructions, you will swim about twenty feet to these rectangular mats/rafts, hold on to mats and float, while looking down into the ocean. They will turn on the lights under these mats, which will attract plankton, which is what manta rays eat. I’ll be honest I was a little uneasy at first. Snorkeling in the ocean at night?? The ocean is scary with mysterious creatures and I was afraid to get stung or bitten. However, as I learned, these manta rays do not have stingers, are harmless and are gentle giants. So many came inches from my face! We also saw dolphins! The crew were all super attentive and kept a lookout always, made sure we were comfortable and felt safe. As they spoke and educated us on the mantas, I feel as though they really have a genuine love for these creatures and even name them. They named one Big Bertha because she was as large as a boat! We didn’t see her that night but saw quite a few others. I was wearing a waterproof pouch with a phone around my neck to record videos and take pictures. Unfortunately, my phone got detached and sank to the bottom of the ocean. The good news though, the crew dove down and got it back for me! I’d like to say how thankful I am, that they dove down about 60-80 feet to get it back for me. Again, these guys were the best. I would recommend getting a pouch that floats, if you want to bring your phone to capture vids or photos! I also want to mention my daughter and husband did complain about their arms and shoulders being sore, because as you are floating and holding onto the mat for an hour it could be tiring. I did feel like I had guns the next day but it was all worth it! I’ve been telling all my family, friends, coworkers, random people I meet while out in public, every chance I get about this experience! Highly recommended!

Magical experience - Thank you so much to Jordan, Ulo and the Hang Loose crew. If you come to the Big Island, do not leave without doing this. You will not regret it and it will be one of the most magical experiences you will ever have in your life. My husband and I took our 11 year old daughter said it was the best excursion she went on in Hawaii. As soon as we arrived, the crew calmed our nerves, kept us laughing and provided an unforgettable experience. We were given wet suits, a pool noodle, a life jacket was offered but not needed, was also provided with snacks and drinks. We then took a speed boat to their “secret-secret location” about a 10 -15 min ride. The crew will give you the instructions, you will swim about twenty feet to these rectangular mats/rafts, hold on to mats and float, while looking down into the ocean. They will turn on the lights under these mats, which will attract plankton, which is what manta rays eat. I’ll be honest I was a little uneasy at first. Snorkeling in the ocean at night?? The ocean is scary with mysterious creatures and I was afraid to get stung or bitten. However, as I learned, these manta rays do not have stingers, are harmless and are gentle giants. So many came inches from my face! We also saw dolphins! The crew were all super attentive and kept a lookout always, made sure we were comfortable and felt safe. As they spoke and educated us on the mantas, I felt as though they really have a genuine love for these creatures and even name them. They named one Big Bertha because she was as large as a boat! We didn’t see her that night but saw quite a few others. I was wearing a waterproof pouch with a phone around my neck to record videos and take pictures. Unfortunately, my phone got detached and sank to the bottom of the ocean. The good news though, the crew dove down and got it back for me! I’d like to say how thankful I am, that they dove down about 60-80 feet to get it back for me. Again, these guys were the best. I would recommend getting a pouch that floats, if you want to bring your phone to capture vids or photos! I also want to mention my daughter and husband did complain about their arms and shoulders being sore, because as you are floating and holding onto the mat for an hour it could be tiring. I did feel like I had guns the next day but it was all worth it! I’ve been telling all my family, friends, coworkers, random people I meet while out in public, about this experience! I love talking about it every chance I get. Highly recommended!

Fantastic sea creatures and amazing staff! - Our family of four had a great experience with the Big Island Manta Ray Night Snorkel through Hang Loose Boat Tours. The Manta Rays were amazing, but that's not what I'm going to write about. That part of the experience will probably be the same no matter who does the tour. But in a customer service focused experience, the staff makes all the difference! The staff on the boat did a fantastic job working with our two neurodiverse kiddos and helped them to have a great time. On the one hand, Bryce very ably helped my 11 year old set up his snorkel mask when he was starting to get upset with getting it on properly. He went on to have an AMAZING experience, and was so mesmerized by the Manta Rays that he was one of the last people back on the boat. On the other hand, Bryce and the rest of the crew also helped my 9 year old have a great experience, even after she got a little freaked out by the magical creatures we were there to see. One of the Mantas got REALLY CLOSE, and panic ensued. Bryce and the crew made her feel safe and then told stories about sea creatures that helped her enjoy watching the Manta Rays from the boat when it became obvious going back into the water wasn't going to be an option. Keep up the great work and thanks for making our family's experience one to remember!

it was worth it! - Booked a tour for 6:30 pm on a Saturday. My tour guides were AJ snd Ula. I would recommend booking at 6 or 6:30pm to see the sunset while on the boat. Finding the location was a little hard but please follow the instructions and directions they gave you in your booking. You meet and check in near the bathrooms under a brown pavilion. Plenty of parking. Checked in and paid $40 for a GoPro rental then got snorkel gear and half wetsuit fitted. If you have your own gear please bring it.. I’m not sure how many times the snorkel gear was used and the wetsuit was slightly wet and cold. Then it was off to the boat. They provided us with snacks (chips, granola bars) and water and sodas. I did not eat anything beforehand just in case not to throw up. I normally don’t get motion or seasickness and took 1/2 tablet of zofran (anti nausea pill) about 1 hour before tour. When I’m telling you the ride was rough, IT WAS ROUGH. Bumpy, windy, cold, wet and water splashing in your eyes. I sat in the front row which was the most bumpy but nicest views. The guys kept checking on us to make sure we were ok but the back of the boat is most stable. I think the ride to the site was worse in terms of bumpiness but sunset was nice to watch. Once we got to the location which was near the airport we parked near some other boats. They helped us off the boat and gave us a pool noodle. The water was kinda cold at first, I was shivering but eventually got used to it. You have to swim about 10 ft to the floating platform which you hang from and grip and AJ put the noodle at our feet so you can float horizontally. Floating was kinda hard also, holding onto the go pro and gripping the platform. I kept bumping into my neighbors because of the waves and lost my noodle. But AJ was there anytime you needed help or wanted to get back to the boat. He helped me get situated. The actual experience was soooooo cool. We probably saw 10? Manta rays. There was one point a show of 4 of them at once going toward each other!! Got some good videos on the GoPro. Then going back on the boat, trip off the wetsuit asap to dry off faster and warm up. ABSOLUTELY BRING A JACKET AND A TOWEL OR TWO! Bring some dry or warm clothes to change into. It was absolutely freezing going back. The water would also be splashing cold again. I wore a rain jacket with hood and had two towels with me to dry off and use as a jacket so I was good, but others looked miserable. After we got back to shore I was still dizzy and nauseous from the ride. They helped me download the photos and videos from GoPro to the app. You can pre download the GoPro quik app beforehand too. For some people download didn’t work and they just gave them the micro SD card. Overall the manta ray viewing was worth all of the torture before and after! Tour guides were great, felt safe and taken care of the whole time. BRING JACKET AND TOWELS!!!

Time well spent!! - My partner and I signed up for this tour and it was an absolute highlight of our time on the big island! Simon, our captain, was really informative and funny and the other crew members (Kayden and Ryan) were helpful getting us on/off the boat, always checked in to make sure we were feeling comfortable and safe, and shared tons of fun facts about the rays while we were in the water with them. It was incredible to get so close to these beautiful creatures. We rented a GoPro for $40 before we got on the boat and it was money well spent. There were also warm showers for when we got out of the water, as well as water and chips. Only notes, be sure to bring plenty of towels and warm clothes, and it was quite chilly on the way back. Also, the time of your tour is when you meet to get on the boat, not when the tour leaves, so no need to get there early!

Just do it! - We had an absolutely amazing time snorkeling with the manta rays! This is a MUST DO! The team at Hang Loose was fun, kind, and educational. Aiden, Caden, and Kai were an absolute delight!

Best experience on Big Island - Great tour for your must-do Big Island experience. Boat is spacious, fast and steady. Gear is new/well maintained Crew and Capt are friendly & patient. We saw Ray after Ray, coming in close with their beautiful wings and “smiling” faces. Highly recommend!