All Reviews for Marine Wildlife Encounters

Not only could we ask her about anything going on 'under the sea', she could tell us in English OR Hawaiian. Wish I could retain a smidge of all that excellent info!

The crew were fabulous! We all would do it again!

The entire experience from start to finish was amazing! The sunset cruise was a fun addition to swimming with the Mantas. The staff is super fun, helpful and knowledgeable. The Mantas are breathtaking- we were in awe of them! I’m so glad we did this tour, definitely a major highlight of our week in Kona!

This experience was amazing!

We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon and we can't stop talking about how cool this experience was.

We got to see BIG and BEAUTIFUL mantarays and they were really close too.

The guys from the crew were also super nice, funny and told us lots of interesting facts about the marine life.

Really enjoyed this experience, the manta rays even touched me!

You can bring your own GoPro but it might be hard to film and hold on at the same time. You're not swimming, you're horizontally floating with a pool noodle at your ankles and your hands gripping a light bar that attracts plankton upon which the mantas feast.

It can get cold when you're in the water, so don't be afraid to bring dive boots, gloves, and your own wetsuit. You'll get a shorty top only and I was pretty chilly, even for a New Englander!

Kai and Mika were great. So educational and informative. We had a great time. We are glad that we went on the glass bottom boat while visiting Hawaii. We live in L.A., and don’t really have this kind of thing near us. Thanks to the boys on the boat. They were great.

It was a lifetime experience to see so many manta rays. The captain and crews tried to give everyone the best experience. Unfortunately the waves for that evening was so high that made the boat ride an unpleasant trip.

My husband and I went on this manta ray night snorkel and had a great time. The crew and captain were very helpful and knowledgeable. A once in a lifetime experience we recommend.

Nice ride in the ocean at night, beautiful skyline and warm ocean.
Rays pass by few inches from you, possibly enjoying themself as well.

Tour guides were great, nice, and informative. Sadly did not see any manta rays on our cruise. They said this was highly unusual but still disappointing to not see any. They offered for us to go back on a future tour, but we were leaving the island and they do not offer any refunds.

We left late and were, as far as I could tell, the last boat to arrive. The place was pretty packed with people from the other boats. The ocean is pretty big so I'm not sure if we were so clustered because there's one particular spot that is best or because of some other reason. For the safety of the manta rays and possibly for your own safety, you don't actually get to swim in the water but rather your entire group are always holding on to a shared flotation device. It's not a good thing or a bad thing but something you should be aware of before signing up.
We saw one manta ray, which was a nice experience. Right after we saw it, the crew packed us up and headed back to the harbor. These are wild creatures so it's not like you're guaranteed to see them but I was expecting the crew to keep us there a bit longer. Anyway, my kids liked it, but I still wouldn't recommend this experience.

Not 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!

Super fun boat ride with great boat crew. Mata rays were fun adventure

Nice people running the boat, but there were SO many boats out there, and other boats had bigger/brighter lights - so they were all "oo-ing" over manta at their sites, and we were on the outskirts, only saw a handful flying by. No barrel rolls under us.

The worst part is you have to take such a long boatride to get out there, and we had to then get into the water and line up on a raft thing waiting at least 10 minutes in the cold water just waiting for sunset to get dark. We could've at least waited until closer to when out it was dark and the rays would come.

Plus my son and I also got seasick, since the waves were so bad - and it wasn't even the ocean that caused it, it was the motion of all the boats coming in. At least 10 other boats out there, figthing to see the manta.

Would definitely not do it again, for the torture in the process.

Staff 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!

This 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.

The whole experience was well done. Captain Danielle and her crew mate were knowledgeable, kind and helpful. We saw tons of mantas doing endless barrel rolls inches from our masks!!! The boat ride is brief and we spent plenty of time in the water on the light-board. FYI- You need to be able to climb up a 3-rung boat ladder to get out of the water, it went fine with our tour but I could imagine that might be tough for some. Well worth the time and money!!

We had the best time, the crew was fantastic, nice boat, brand new wetsuits, we enjoyed this trip so much. And the hot chocolate after the swim was a perfect touch! We saw I think 5-7 mantas and they were with us the entire dive.

The manta rays were incredible to swim with and the crew did an excellent job. You are taken care of the moment you get on to the boat until the moment you get back. This adventure takes you out with light boards to see the manta rays come swim around you. It was well done.

Amazing crew who shared humor, but were extremely focused on safety and total enjoyment for each guest. Thank you Captain Scott, Bryce, and the entire Ikuka Team for this amazing experience. We will definitely be returning. Mahalo!

This was such an awesome experience! My family and I had such a great time. It was a little scary at first but you get over it really quick once you see the mantas! The crew was also awesome. They made everyone comfortable and constantly checked on us to make sure we were on in the water! 10/10!

The crew was friendly, knowledgeable, and professional, and seeing the mantas up close was an amazing experience. We would so this again, no question!

This was an extraordinary experience. I loved every minute watching the majestic mantas doing their thing. The staff was incredibly nice, safe, knowledgeable and accommodating. I would ten out of ten recommend this!

This has been the most thrilling adventure ever snorkeling with this big creatures!!! Loved it and loved the reggae music on the boat ride out to the snorkel area.

First Ill start and say the Rays were awesome. So many showed up and the crew was teaching us facts while we were out there.
The beginning was a little different though. When we arrived at the shop it was very unorganized, the area to get a wet suite top was very dark and scattered, there was very little instruction getting on boat and captain didn't seem to really wanna be there.
I would pick a different company if we did it again.

Over all great experience. The boat and crew were great, we seen several mantas even though it was kinda rainy. Went with family and older children. 16 and 19 y/o daughters they loved it.

This excursion was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done! I’ve been to the Big Island 4 times prior and never did this, but I now highly recommend it! It will truest blow your mind to see these beautiful creatures! Trever, Diego, Captain Wayne and all the other crew that I can’t remember their name, sorry, were very helpful and knowledgeable about the Manta Rays. The rays came within inches of us! Very cool! Highly recommend!

Highly recommend this! The guides were knowledgeable and we saw lots of rays! Booked the 6:30pm trip but went out about 7pm which was perfect timing for sunset.

Crew 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.

For a list minute booking, this experience was amazing. The entire crew was very knowledgeable and helpful. We saw so many manta rays up close and personal. They are such majestic creatures. One of the best moments of our entire trip!