All Reviews for Teen Adventures (Ages 13-17)

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!

Didn’t have any expectation beyond seeing incredible scenery in our visit to Waipio Valley. We were not disappointed with the views and were totally surprised with the stories told by an Hawaiian youth resident of the valley of how the valley was occupied and its history through the centuries. We’re so glad we chose this tour while visiting the big island. We were three generations traveling and our youngest - a 3 year old - managed quite well. Anyone interested in this tour should be aware that the four wheel drive vehicle will travel down and up the 1300 feet steep drop into and out of the valley. Not for the faint hearted although a person can easily close their eyes to ensure they will not miss this historical and sacred valley.

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!

Beautiful setting facing ocean, Show was entertaining, staff was attentive, Food was plentiful and good but not outstanding. Mai tais were tasty but seemed watered down.

Lovely evening and views with informative narration and entertainment and great food.

Very well organized and professionally done.The staff was very concerned and knowledgeable for safety. They were informative and let us know what was happening at all times

My husband and I got to experience this activity five years ago for the first time and we knew we had to bring our kids this time. Our kids liked the food and the family enjoyed the entertainment. It was great seeing Derek again (the musician/singer). He sang pearly shell again per our request :)

This was a great tour! Our tour guide was really able to give it a personal touch since he lives in the Valley. Learned so much about the culture and was able to really soak in the beautiful scenery while he took care to get us up and down safely.

Gal and the rest of the staff was amazing the boat was clean food and drinks were wonderful. They went well above and beyond our expectations . We meet some wonderful couples on there as well. Felt like we were among old friends with staff and everyone else on there. If you are o the big island this is difently a must to do it is also kid friendly you will not regret it.

This was an event booking for my family. My 4 year old and 14 year old both equally enjoyed it. My for year old loved learning the hula. Food was plentiful and the story told was wonderful. All of the staff were efficient and super sweet.

Bryce was awesome, very knowledgable. We had a big scare about the fire on the way back to the hotel and he was super professional about letting us know what was going on and even offered to stop at a grocery store in case no food options were open in the evening. Highly recommend!

We had a great time viewing the sunset with our amazing guides Kekoa and Travis. There are a lot of companies that run these tours, but our guides made this one the best of them all. They were both very knowledgeable with a great sense of humor. Most of all, however, Kekoa and Travis have big smiles and even bigger hearts. They brought the spirit of Mauna Kea and o'hana into this experience. The sunset from the summit was miraculous, the lasagna and brownie absolutely delicious and the star gazing was out of this world!

Pros: It was worthwhile to do this tour to see the entire Big Island all in one day, without having to do any driving. Adam was very informative and shared many Hawaiian mythical stories along the way. Enjoyed the extra stops at the bakery for Malasadas, the driver got us all plain ones, and the fruit stand we stopped at, at the end.

Cons: many errors due to the fact that Veltra books the tour, through the Hawaii Activities, but they don’t run the tour. So the lunch options were not the options listed when we booked. They called to clarify the meals for our group and still got the lunches completely wrong. No chicken on the salads, not enough sandwiches and too many plain veggie salads. Also, we booked a private tour. We booked a private tour. The website said private tour up to 10, we had 9, so we were under the impression we would be the only group on the tour. This was not the case! There was a group of three in the van when it arrived to pick us up. And the other group had much better looking lunches than ours for some reason. Another disappointing thing was that it was rainy and cold for the volcano portion of the tour. Our tour guide informed us that rainy weather is very very common at the volcano park and near Hilo. We were all dressed for warm weather and we were all freezing for a large part of the tour. Our van had 6 rain jackets, but 12 passengers. It would have been very helpful if the person that called to confirm the tour would have told us there is a chance it might be rainy. One last thing, we accidentally left some candy purchases on the tour bus, we called the company, but have not heard back about retrieving these purchases.

We loved all the cultural dances and the food was amazing! Great experience on our honeymoon.

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.

An awe inspiring experience, even for my amateur astrophotographer husband. Beautiful photos worthy of placing on our walls.

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.

First tour we had on our trip and it was awesome! The crew was very informative and friendly. Can’t wait to go again! The fresh pineapple they served us was a wonderful end to the trip. Scott definitely knew his stuff!

I so wanna go again. Very fun and entertaining.
Love the food and music and dancing.

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!

My husband and I had a great time on this sunset cruise! The staff were fantastic and the views were spectacular! Highly recommend

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 experience at the ATV on the Hamakua Coast was well worth it. The ATV’s were well taken care of, safe, and fun to ride in. The views around the ranch were a mix of everything from ponds, to cattle, to the beautiful Hamakua coast. The best part about the experience was the tour guides. They kept the experience fun, treated us like family, and shared a wealth of Hawaiian knowledge. We highly recommend this ATV tour for anyone looking for a low stress, fun, and knowledge-filled tour on the Big Island.

Great crew, gorgeous day for a sail. Plenty of flying fish, dolphin sightings and even a few whales!

Brendan and Morgan were lovely, great story tellers and funny jokes. Overall 11/10 cannot recommend enough

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