Big Island Moonlight Manta Ray Snorkel Tour & Sunset Cruise from Kona reviews, Big Island tours & activities, fun things to do in Big Island | HawaiiActivities.com

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Big Island Moonlight Manta Ray Snorkel Tour & Sunset Cruise from Kona

Overall Rating

4.53 4.53 / 5

Reviews

49 reviews
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We saw a lots of Manta Ray!

Reviewed by: Chris Mak, 2023/06/04

People in bite me were very friendly and fun!
Highly recommend to join their tour!

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2023/05/13
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Amazing experience. Great crew!

Reviewed by: Steve712, 2023/03/25

If 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.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2023/03/22
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Outstanding trip out, small group and great crew!

Reviewed by: Jenny, 2023/03/18

We 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!

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
Activity Date:2023/02/24
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Epic

Reviewed by: CLK, 2022/10/27

We 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!!!

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
Activity Date:2022/10/25
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Mantas are amazing but not the boat or the crew.

Reviewed by: Mashka, 2022/10/17

The boat was old and had not enough power. On the way there we were passed by many boats of same size. Then the boat wouldn't start at all and we were towed back to port. 3 passengers were very sea sick.
The crew didn't provide any information about the manta reys while we watched. Other boat crews were very informative.
Would not recommend.

Rating:
Attended as:Families with Young Children
Activity Date:2022/10/10
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Not great!

Reviewed by: Unknown, 2022/10/11

It was OK. Nothing was explained well. Water was cold and did not expect to be hanging by the side of board for half hour to watch them coming at you! Very inconvenient, cold and ill-explained activity. Although staff was helpful. Wished they listened to the individual difficulties to understand. Could have enjoyed better with help.

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2022/09/15
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Manta Ray Snorkel!

Reviewed by: Rob, 2022/10/09

The 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.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2022/10/05
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Awesome

Reviewed by: Chelsea, 2022/09/13

This 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!

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2022/09/03
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One of the Best Experiences on Big Island

Reviewed by: Kara, 2022/09/05

These ginaromous creaters are as sweet as puppies! So fun

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2022/08/31
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Must do activity!

Reviewed by: Kendikane, 2022/07/02

This was a great experience! Highly recommend doing!

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2022/06/09
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Must do!!

Reviewed by: Joshua Baeza, 2022/07/01

The crew was great and the experience was a must do while on the big island!!

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2022/06/29
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Amazing tour

Reviewed by: Cindy Z, 2022/05/17

Amazing 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.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2022/04/25
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One of the coolest things we have ever done!

Reviewed by: Michele , 2022/04/03

Such 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.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2022/03/09
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Awesome!

Reviewed by: Alberto, 2022/03/12

Everything 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.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2022/02/19
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Great experience with awesome crew

Reviewed by: big island lover, 2021/12/29

We 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.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2021/12/23
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Phenomenal experience!

Reviewed by: Suzie, 2021/12/29

The 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.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2021/12/27
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Met Expectations and then some

Reviewed by: Greg, 2021/12/25

Was 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.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2021/12/23
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Manta Ray night snorkeling

Reviewed by: Awale Farah, 2021/12/16

The experience was amazing. A big ray came so close touched my elbow.

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2021/12/14
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MUST DO

Reviewed by: Kara, 2021/11/11

Learning 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!!

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2021/11/09
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Manta Ray Night Snorkel

Reviewed by: Rachel Hunter, 2021/09/04

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.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2021/08/14
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I didn't enjoy it but you might

Reviewed by: Denis, 2021/08/22

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.

Rating:
Attended as:Families with Young Children
Activity Date:2021/08/20
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Loved it!!!

Reviewed by: Karen, 2021/08/21

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!

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2021/07/30
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Love the crew

Reviewed by: Angimono26, 2021/08/14

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

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2021/07/24
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Only saw a few manta, waited too long in the water before sunset, family all got too cold to enjoy the experience.

Reviewed by: Ang, 2021/08/13

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.

Rating:
Attended as:Families with Young Children
Activity Date:2021/08/11
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Up close and personal with manta rays!

Reviewed by: Bridget D, 2021/08/13

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!

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2021/08/05
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Close to Nature - REALLY Close

Reviewed by: Ravenclaw, 2021/08/02

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.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2021/07/31
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Manta Ray tour experience

Reviewed by: Paul Miller, 2021/07/18

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.

Rating:
Attended as:Families with Young Children
Activity Date:2021/07/14
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Such a unique experience!

Reviewed by: Glenn, 2021/07/12

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.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2021/07/10
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Awesome experience!

Reviewed by: Wendy, 2021/07/03

We 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.

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
Activity Date:2021/07/01
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What a great experience!!!

Reviewed by: Brian My, 2021/06/29

Our crew was awesome and made the experience just totally rad.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2021/06/27
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