We meet our guests near the boat ramp at the Keauhou Harbor, located at 78-7130 Kaleiopapa St, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740.
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For manta ray snorkel tours: please arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled time of departure. We will check you in, and bring you to the boat at the time of departure.
For all other tours: please arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled time of departure. We will check you in, and bring you to the boat at the time of departure.
Daytime tours: we recommend you bring a towel, reef safe sunscreen (applied before entering the boat), and sunglasses.
Evening tours: we recommend you bring a towel and light coverup or jacket for the boat ride back to the harbor.
We have a minimum age of 5. Children 5 and older are welcome on the tour if they can comfortably swim 25 yards in the ocean.
Every person on the boat needs a ticket, regardless of age or size. Our boat is certified by the US Coast Guard for 12 passengers, and we can not exceed this limit.
Yes, you may purchase a ticket and ride along.
Every person on the boat needs a ticket, regardless of whether they are getting in the water. Our boat is certified by the US Coast Guard for 12 passengers, and we can not exceed this limit.
If you can comfortably swim 25 yards in the ocean, you will be able to safely enjoy our snorkel tours.
For safety purposes, if you can not comfortably swim 25 yards in the ocean, we ask that you purchase a ticket to ride along on the boat, but not enter the water.
You may cancel your trip up until 24 hours before your departure time, for a full refund.
Manta Rays appear for our tours roughly 92% of the time. While we expect to see manta rays every night, they are wild animals, and we do not see them roughly 8% of the time.
If you do not see at least 1 manta ray, we will offer you a free trip on any tour with availability. Our tours typically sell out several days in advance, so we recommend booking your manta ray tour at the beginning of your stay on Hawaii Island.
The main difference between the tours is light. The earliest tour goes out before sunset, and you enter the water when it’s light out. The later tours go out in the dark, and you enter the water when it’s dark out.
If you love our Kona sunsets, you may find the earliest tour to be the best option.
If you love a thrill, you might find excitement in boarding a boat and entering the water when it’s pitch black.
The likelihood of seeing manta rays is similar for the earlier and later tours, which is about 92%. We’ve seen the manta rays show up after the earliest tour has ended, and we’ve seen manta rays leave before the later tours have started.
If you’re not a strong swimmer, we recommend the earliest tour. We’ve seen non-swimmers struggle to adapt to snorkeling in the dark, as it introduces a new element to overcome.
No, manta rays are not dangerous. They do not have barbs or stingers, so they can’t sting you.
Manta rays eat plankton.
Members of the Kona community have formed a symbiotic relationship with Kona’s wild manta rays, where the community brings lights that attract plankton for the manta rays to eat, and the manta rays perform an incredible nighttime performance that resembles choreographed ballet.