Night Manta Ray Snorkel Trip

[suzanne]

Looking to do the night snorkel with the Manta's while on the Big Island in August/Sept. Need advice on what company would be best to use to do this. Would like to do a sunset lava boat tour also but cheapest rate I found was $195.00, puts it out of my budget. One outfit said no one over 60 years old? Found that to be a bit insulting.

Suzanne

 

[The Haileys]

We did the Manta snorkel trip with Hula Kai and we were very pleased with it. We booked it via the Expedia Local concierge at the Marriott and there was a small discount that way.

We also could not do the lava boat tour, but that is because of my DH size, being over 260 pounds. It is a safety issue of being able to climb a 6 to 8 foot ladder onto the boat. Instead, we booked the deluxe volcano tour with Kailani Tours, and we loved it, and recommend it highly.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

 

[Luanne]

Big Island Divers is the #1 rated according to tripadvisor.

 

[geist1223]

In January we booked with Sea Quest both for the 2 location snorkle trip and the night time Manta Ray trip. Greatly enjoyed both. The crews were very polite and helpful. We booked through the Resort and got a discount.

 

[suzanne]

Thank you all for your help. I will check into the ones recommended. Friends don't snorkel but hoping they will do boat ride nd watch while I do.

Suzanne

 

[Luanne]

Thank you all for your help. I will check into the ones recommended. Friends don't snorkel but hoping they will do boat ride nd watch while I do.

Suzanne

If your friends aren't planning to do the snorkel you may want to check with the companies to see if they offer a lower price for those who just ride. Also you may want to ask how much they'll be able to see at night if they're not in the water.

 

[chellej]

We're planning on a sept trip and DD has the Moana bug and wants to go with these folks

http://ekacanoeadventures.com/

They have a good trip advisor rating so we will see

 

[happymum]

We used Big Island Divers for both the night manta ray snorkel and a day snorkel trip to Captain Cook. Both were excellent.

 

[LisaRex]

We used Aloha Excursions fka Sea Hawaii Rafting out of Honokohau Harbor. We ate at Harbor House restaurant at the harbor beforehand and quite enjoyed it. Lots of friendly locals here. (Hint: Don't leave your car in the gated parking lot, as they close and lock it after hours.)

If you get motion sick, don't forget the Dramamine!

 

[AlohaKauai]

We have done the Eka Canoe Adventures tour and loved that one. We booked the tour after we saw the boat sailing along the coast and liked its unique look. The boat itself was very cool and the group size is limited due to the small size of the boat. On the night we went out, our tour and one other small boat were in the area. We saw a decent number of manta rays. We would definitely do this tour again.

We have gone out with Neptune Charlie's. We also recommend this one. It is a bigger boat, so there are more people out in the water with you. But, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. More people means more lights, which in turn attracts more manta rays. We saw a couple of dozen manta rays on the night that we went out.

 

[Aaron Kristen]

we did the night manta snorkle through Sea Quest (have also done their 3 site snorkle tours a couple times).
Overall was very happy, its a cool experience. It can get cold being out there, and remember, its NOT a guarentee the mantas will even show up.
it can get crazy crowded around in the water too.
Its fun to do, wouldn't do it a second time though