Kona Manta Ray Night Snorkel FAQ

The manta ray snorkel is one of Kona's most popular activities. Hundreds of people come from around the world to participate in the Kona manta snorkel each night. The manta rays are massive gentle giants that come close to shore at night. They feed on the plankton hiding in the reef during the day. Bright lights bring the mantas in close. They open their mouths and scoop up water with their gill rakers (kind of like paddles). They will sumersault and swim upside down as they collect the plankton. Snorkelers will lay on top of the water floating near the surface as the mantas come in close. Snorkelers will wear wetsuits and floatation to keep as near the surface as possible.

There are 2 ways to save on a manta ray snorkeling tour: 1. Book ahead and get one of the first 12 spots on the boat. Similar to booking an airplane seat, we offer better pricing when you book ahead. 2. Book a combo package and save 15% off the Manta Ray Night Snorkel & Captain Cook Snorkeling Tour

While mantas are massive and they do come extremely close to snorkelers they are completely harmless. They don't have teeth or stingers on their tails like some rays. They eat tiny plankton suspended in the water so their mouth is designed to scoop water and filter it through their gills. Their mouth parts are very soft and snorkelers must do their best to avoid bumping them and causing harm.

The Kona manta ray night snorkel is the original and best snorkel available in the world. This is because there are so many manta rays and the experience is well established with many many operators offering manta ray snorkel tours. Kona's #1 Manta Ray Snorkel Tour Company Of all of the operators on the Big Island, Kona Snorkel Trips is by far the best with the most and highest reviews of any operator.

Mask (Prescription Available) Snorkel Wetsuit (Kids to Adult 3x) Float Belt for Extra Floatation

20 - 40 Minutes depending on where the mantas are showing up best that night. There are two sites to see the mantas. Both have mantas more than 80% of the time.

Both trips take about two hours and will visit the same site. The only difference is when you leave and arrive. Early Trip Leave around sunset and arrive at the manta site at the most popular time. The site will have more boats and people in the water at this time. If there are mantas we will share them with all of the other visitors. Later Trip Depart the boat harbor after sunset. When you arrive at the manta ray site there will be fewer boats and people in the water. We will get the rays more to ourselves since they come to the light to feed at that time. This is a more peaceful tour and allows visitors to finish your day on a high.

You will get your own snorkel, mask, and wetsuit. This will allow you to float comfortably on the surface of the ocean and see underwater while still being able to breath. You lay on your stomach and the mantas (if you're lucky) will come right up to you!

30-45 Minutes is a good amount of time to see the mantas and still stay warm.

If you don't happen to be the 80% of people that see the manta's don't worry! You may return again on a space-available standby basis. Keep in mind that during certain times of the year space is extremely limited. Keep in mind that manta rays are wild animals. We don't have any say on when and how many show up! Does it expire? No! Is it Transferrable? No The costs involved in running these tours make it infeasible to offer a refund.

You may make changes or cancellations up to 48 hours prior to the manta ray snorkel tour for a full refund. Within 48 hours of the tour there is a strict no refund/re-schedule policy. No exceptions. This also includes bookings made within the 48 hour window of the tour. What if we cancel? We may cancel if the ocean conditions are unfavorable or the passenger count does not meet our minimum required. We will try our best to re-schedule or issue a full refund based on availability.

While mantas are around during the day it's less likely you will see them. This is because they spend most of their time in deeper water and only come close to Kona's reefs at night to feed on the plankton that comes out of the reef and feeds near our lights. If you were to see mantas during they day they are likely swimming along the reef or stopping at a cleaning station for a brief time and then moving on.

They do not have stingers like other rays.

Seasickness is worse for some people. If you're not sure if you're prone to seasickness or you are it's best to be pro-active. We recommend Bonine as a non-drowsy way to keep your dinner on the inside. Check out this guide to learn more about seasickness.

Kindly view the medical questionnaire. Snorkelers are responsible for a failure to notify or disclose any health conditions. If any response is positive we require approval from a medical physician prior to joining our tour.

It may be nighttime but the water is lit up by all of the light coming from ours and other manta boards. Our board alone has over 60,000 lumens of light! This is equivalent to the light from 200 flashlights. This makes the manta ray night snorkel look like a broadway production where the rays are the stars.

5+ for the manta ray snorkel tour 3+ for the combo tours

Quality When you book the whole boat to yourself you will get the full and undivided attention of the crew. You will also have the space of an 18 passenger vessel. With a private charter, we can be more flexible with your departure time as well as the time spent in the water and at the site. We can also be more flexible with the site selection based on your preference. Price This private Kona boat tour is very reasonably priced. It is more cost economical to book the boat than book 18 individual spaces, so if you have a large group this option may be a better bang for your boat buck.

Includes: - Mask - Snorkel - Fins - Wetsuit - Additional Floatation

Just like our other charters the private Kona boat charter's age requirements are: 3 + years for daytime charters 5+ Years for manta ray snorkel charters