Documenting Lovely Moments
Big Island Night Snorkeling With Giant Manta Rays: An Epic and Unforgettable Adventure
If you’re looking for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure on Hawaii’s Big Island, night snorkeling with giant manta rays in Kona should be at the top of your list.
We came face-to-face with giant manta rays at night. A truly unforgettable adventure! Here’s everything you need to know from our personal adventure.
What You Need To Know
Duration: The tour lasted around 1.5 hours total. We were in the water with the manta rays fora bout 25 minutes.
Book in advance: Tours fill up quickly, especially in peak season.
Cost: Prices vary depending on the season. You can check the cost by entering your travel date before booking here.
What You’ll See: Giant manta rays swimming in close proximity.
Wear a wetsuit or a rash guard: We rented wetsuits from the tour. The water wasn’t too cold but, the suit kept us warm during the boat ride.
Prepare for Seasickness: Don’t eat a big meal before the tour, especially if you’re prone to being seasick.
Bring Your Camera: You would want to remember this, trust us! We used a Go Pro to record a video, and the images below are screenshoted from the video.
What To Expect
Once we arrived at the parking lot, we checked in and picked up the wetsuits we had reserved. We quickly put them on over our swimsuits while the guide stashed our belongings in his car. Then we walked down to the dock and onto the boat, bringing only our cameras and snorkel gear.
There were eight of us in the group, not including the guides. After a quick five-minute boat ride and brief orientation, we arrived at the snorkeling site, jumped in the water, and made our way toward the lighted board. The tour provided pool noodles to support our legs while we held onto the board with our hands. We spent about 25 minutes in the water before returning to the boat and back to the parking lot.
Our Night Snorkel Experience with Manta Rays
We felt a little uneasy at first. The water was dark, and honestly, we couldn’t help thinking about sharks. But that nervousness disappeared as soon as we saw the first manta. Shortly after we all got in the water, our guide yelled “Incoming!”. We ducked our heads and looked down, then there it was, a manta ray swimming right up towards us.
Gentle Giants
Before the tour, we had only expected to see one manta, but soon there were four or five, circling back again and again, drawn to the plankton glowing in the lights coming from the board that we were holding onto. Amazed doesn’t even begin to describe how we felt.
Up Close and Personal
We weren’t allowed to touch the manta rays, and of course we didn’t want to, but they swam incredibly close. So close that a couple of mantas actually bumped into us as they glided by.
Being that close to the manta rays was surreal. We could see the movement of their wings as they glided by, the spots on their undersides, and even the way their mouths opened as they fed on plankton.
An Unforgettable Experience
After climbing back onto the boat, we settled in for the ride back to the dock. A few of us felt a little seasick, not from the boat ride itself, but from floating in the water for so long. Luckily, the ride was short, and we were soon back on solid ground at the parking lot.
It was a truly unforgettable experience for our family. We highly recommend it if you’re looking for a unique adventure in Kona.
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