Big Island Moonlight Manta Ray Snorkel Tour & Sunset Cruise from Kona
Overall Rating
4.53
We saw a lots of Manta Ray!
Reviewed by: Chris Mak, 2023/06/04People in bite me were very friendly and fun!
Highly recommend to join their tour!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2023/05/13 |
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Amazing experience. Great crew!
Reviewed by: Steve712, 2023/03/25If you do one thing on the west side of the big island this is it. Words and pictures don't do the experience justice. The crew of the boat was safety conscious and the captain ran a tight ship. As a passenger we felt in good hands. Do your homework about what this tour involves. If you cannot swim and/or are afraid of the water this is NOT FOR YOU!!!. This tour had 1/2 a dozen non-swimmers on the tour. They were miserable and the crew had to spend an inordinate time catering to them.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2023/03/22 |
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Outstanding trip out, small group and great crew!
Reviewed by: Jenny, 2023/03/18We arrived slightly late and the crew kindly waited a bit for us. There was only 4 of us which made the experience felt a lot more enjoyable - it was not crowded or noisy! No jostling of people.
Once out there, we got in the water smoothly and saw 2 rays, 3 times. Unfortunately, the ray sightings have reduced in recent years so we considered ourselves lucky! Highly recommend it all round!
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2023/02/24 |
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Epic
Reviewed by: CLK, 2022/10/27We had the greatest time on this tour! Ocean Encounters has the best crew and they made it so much fun! They were super nice and very knowledgeable! Not only that but the mantas put on a great show for us!! Highly recommend!! Mahalo Ocean Encounters!!!
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2022/10/25 |
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Manta Ray Snorkel!
Reviewed by: Rob, 2022/10/09The crew was fun, safe and respectful as well as extremely fun! We saw a minimum of 3 and a max of well… it was 7 or 8 at once. We were all so pleased with this even and I highly recommend going at sunset.
The rays were magnificent and gentle for such large creatures. They truly are a sight to see.
Will do this again on our next visit.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/10/05 |
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Awesome
Reviewed by: Chelsea, 2022/09/13This was an amazing once in a lifetime experience. Highly recommend going on this tour. The moonlight tour would be my recommendation because there are less boats in the cove. The crew on this trip were great and very helpful the entire trip. They had drinks and snacks available when on the boat. The mantas were constant the entire time we were in the water and I was able to get great footage on my GoPro!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2022/09/03 |
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One of the Best Experiences on Big Island
Reviewed by: Kara, 2022/09/05These ginaromous creaters are as sweet as puppies! So fun
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/08/31 |
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Must do activity!
Reviewed by: Kendikane, 2022/07/02This was a great experience! Highly recommend doing!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/06/09 |
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Must do!!
Reviewed by: Joshua Baeza, 2022/07/01The crew was great and the experience was a must do while on the big island!!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/06/29 |
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Amazing tour
Reviewed by: Cindy Z, 2022/05/17Amazing tour with superb crew. Once in a life should do it to see manta ray. I saw two mantas because of seasick, I had to return the boat at earlier time, but my daughter really enjoyed it and saw a lot of mantas. The girl of three crew was really nice, she stayed with us when she knew we were first time snorkeling, and carried me back to the ship when I felt nausea and showed her that I would like to go back. Definitely recommend this tour to my friends. Just remind to have seasick pills ready if you worry about it.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2022/04/25 |
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One of the coolest things we have ever done!
Reviewed by: Michele , 2022/04/03Such an awesome experience! We were surrounded by Manta Rays! So very cool, and the crew were helpful, very good at their jobs! Would love to do it again if we are ever back in Kona.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/03/09 |
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Awesome!
Reviewed by: Alberto, 2022/03/12Everything was on point. Staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. The day was gorgeous and the sunset was incredible too. Manta-rays we’re a real show!!! They looked so beautiful and out of this word, like dancing in the water and playing with us. Definitely a must at the Big Island.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/02/19 |
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Great experience with awesome crew
Reviewed by: big island lover, 2021/12/29We took the cruise last Thursday. The cruise time from the harbor to the site was a little long but worthful. The sunset view was beautiful. And we were so lucky to see a group of dolphins. The two girls were super nice and very helpful. Also, they offer a different price for people with ride-only. It was a great experience. I regret for not giving tips because my wallet was left in the car. I hope they could accept Zelle/Apple pay of tips later.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2021/12/23 |
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Phenomenal experience!
Reviewed by: Suzie, 2021/12/29The manta ray night snorkel was AMAZING! Our guides were so friendly and knowledgeable. They took the time to meet each one of us individually. Being in the dark ocean with these amazing creatures is a breathtaking experience that can’t be put into words or explained with videos. You just have to do it. We have 5-6 rays that barrel rolled under us continuously for about 20 minutes.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2021/12/27 |
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Met Expectations and then some
Reviewed by: Greg, 2021/12/25Was thrilling and informative. The crew were friendly and helpful and made every effort to make sure the experience was enjoyable. The mantas were so close and very impressive. Also saw dolphins as a bonus.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2021/12/23 |
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Manta Ray night snorkeling
Reviewed by: Awale Farah, 2021/12/16The experience was amazing. A big ray came so close touched my elbow.
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2021/12/14 |
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MUST DO
Reviewed by: Kara, 2021/11/11Learning about the manta ray and watching them feed was amazing! The crew is hawaii is always so helpful assisting me and caring for us! I would recommend this to anyone and love all my excursions here- MAHALO!!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2021/11/09 |
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Loved it!!!
Reviewed by: Karen, 2021/08/21Not quite what I expected as you don’t get to snorkel around but breathtaking and amazing to watch those beautiful creatures at night in the light, it’s like they are dancing for you!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2021/07/30 |
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Up close and personal with manta rays!
Reviewed by: Bridget D, 2021/08/13Staff was very helpful especially with one in our party who just rode along and needed assistance getting on and off boat. Boat was a little crowded but staff very efficient at getting everyone into water. Manta rays swam just beneath us and seemed close enough to touch!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2021/08/05 |
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Close to Nature - REALLY Close
Reviewed by: Ravenclaw, 2021/08/02This experience is one of a kind - having manta rays come right up to you as they feed on plankton in the bay! We were provided with a wet suit (top only for adults, body suit for children), snorkel, and mask.
Once anchored, you will slip into the water at the back of the boat, swim over to the lighted surfboards with handles, grip the handles and let your body float flat on the surface. They will give you a pool noodle to help with this. The manta rays will come right up to the surfboard and gently roll over as they feed on plankton that the light illuminates. I will add that it may seem like a short amount of time (about 30 minutes), but by the time they brought us in, I had started to get cold and my arms started aching from holding the handles the whole time. It was worth it for the experience.
If you are not a strong swimmer, they will offer to help you.
All the members of the crew on my boat were great! Very friendly and helpful. Thank you so much!
My one concern is regarding the number of other boats and people also participating in the same activity. There were quite a few and my concern was for the safety and protection of the manta rays. However, it does seem that the manta rays are not in danger and gain something out of the experience themselves because it provides a better opportunity for feeding that they would not have otherwise. The crew also show a great respect and love for them as well.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2021/07/31 |
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Such a unique experience!
Reviewed by: Glenn, 2021/07/12Crew was great, energetic and attentive. Such an amazing experience, I found myself holding my breath as I felt these magnificent manta rays swim under me.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2021/07/10 |
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Awesome experience!
Reviewed by: Wendy, 2021/07/03We went on the sunset cruise and had a great experience. The crew/guides were knowledgeable, fun and helpful. When we got in the water, they knew where to take us for the best viewing.
The Manta Ray's were so cool to see. This should be on your must do activity list. I would recommend it over a regular day time snorkel trip. However, next time I would do the later night time trip. The Manta Rays seem to be more active the later it gets.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2021/07/01 |
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What a great experience!!!
Reviewed by: Brian My, 2021/06/29Our crew was awesome and made the experience just totally rad.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2021/06/27 |
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2021/06/25 |
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2021/06/20 |
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Memories for lifetime
Reviewed by: Phani V, 2021/06/24We traveled with our 7 and 10 year old boys. The 7 year old snorkeled for the first time that morning and didn't really like it. The staff on this tour were very friendly and knowledgeable. They helped us get the way suits and pick snorkeling gear. By the end of the day, our kids were raving about the trip and wanted to go back and spend more time. Keep in mind, this adventure happens after sundown! You don't actually snorkel freely in the dark. You are holding on to a floating structure alongside other passengers while the crew circle around checking on everyone and helping them float. Watching the manta rays was very very cool... More cool than my words can describe. The waters were choppier than I thought they would be.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2021/06/22 |
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Awesome company and great experience!
Reviewed by: Quinn, 2021/06/23Very pleased with our mantra dive experience. The crew was friendly, knowledgeable, and took charge to make sure everyone had the best experience possible. At one point a few children refused to stop kicking their legs in the water after being asked numerous times to keep still (or else they scare the plankton away and therefore mantas don’t come), after the children repeatedly showed they could not follow directions they were asked to leave the water, as to ensure a good experience for the other people on the excursion. Very much appreciated that. Also great snacks, and fun music!
Seemed to be a very special experience and we were surprised it is marketed as family friendly. In our opinion, only well-behaved kids over ~9 should come on this... otherwise there runs a risk of ruining it for everyone, or even hurting the mantas.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2021/06/21 |
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Fantastic time seeing the Mantas!
Reviewed by: Ray, 2021/06/12I really loved the snorkel session and so did my mom. At first he was a little nervous about getting in at night but the staff were very nice and accommodating to help her in.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2021/06/09 |
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Easiest snorkeling we've ever done
Reviewed by: Dave W, 2021/04/22This is an amazing experience and it's so easy, you barely need to know how to swim. You just lay w/ your face in the water and the mantas come to you. Actually they come to feed on plankton which are attracted by the lights that the crew shine in the water. It's a super-cool experience and the crew on our boat were awesome. Highly recommended.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2021/03/19 |
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Amazing experience and great crew!
Reviewed by: Stacia, 2018/10/22My husband and I went on the snorkel experience and it was the best! We saw about 15 manta rays, including one with a 12 foot wingspan, and probably close to 10 barrel rolls where they came within a few inches of us. Our crew worked hard to make sure we were comfortable and that we had a good time (even made us hot cocoa after we got out of the water). I can't say enough great things about Ocean Encounters- you might find a cheaper manta ray swim, but you won't find a better one.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2018/10/18 |
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