Snorkeling
Captain Cook Snorkeling
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The Kona manta ray snorkel tour is “one of the top 10 things to do in your lifetime,” according to Travel Channel. This breathtaking experience allows snorkelers to get within inches of massive manta rays, at night, in their natural habitat (the open ocean). Kailua Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island is one of the only places in the world that offers manta ray snorkel tours, as it contains a high concentration of manta rays that do not migrate away from the island.
While there are differences between each manta ray snorkel tour, there is consistency in terms of the way the tours are conducted. Every tour operator puts a light board in the water to attract plankton, and the manta rays feed off of the plankton that accumulates under the lights. Guests hold onto the light board and view the manta rays as they consume plankton below, often within inches of the guests.
Image: Manta Ray Snorkel Kona
With more than 30 Kona manta ray snorkel tour operators, there are plenty of options to choose from, and each tour is unique in its own way. The main differences between the tours are group size and manta ray site. Manta rays appear at least 92% of the time, and most companies will rebook you for free if you do not see manta rays. To make sure you can be rebooked later in your trip, if necessary, we always recommend booking your tour early in your stay on The Big Island. We’ll cover these differences between group size and manta ray site, and recommend our favorite tours so you can decide which tour is best for you.
Kona manta ray snorkel tours offer group sizes that range from six passengers on the low end to more than 40 passengers on the high end. A smaller group delivers a more intimate experience than the “cattle boats” with larger groups, as the tour guides are able to converse more directly with the guests and deliver a more personal experience. Another benefit of going with a smaller group is there’s less time spent on the group getting their snorkel gear on, getting off the boat, and getting back on the boat. With less time spent on those activities, guests can often spend more time in the water (or spend less time on the boat). We recommend going with a smaller group for the more intimate experience it delivers, and our favorite 6-passenger boat is Coral Reef Snorkel Adventures.
Coral Reef Snorkel Adventures has been operating manta ray snorkel tours since 2001. Their boat departs from Honokohau Harbor (near the Kona Airport), and typically visits Manta Heaven (also known as Makako Bay or Garden Eel Cove) on a two-hour tour. The boat ride from the harbor to the manta ray site is about 25 minutes (depending on conditions), and guests typically spend 30-45 minutes in the water with manta rays (also depending on conditions). This small group experience is incredibly popular and often sells out two weeks in advance, so we recommend booking early.
There are two main manta ray viewing sites in Kona, and they’re often referred to as Manta Heaven and Manta Village. Let’s take a look at the main differences between the two:
Manta Heaven: Manta Heaven is the larger of the two sites, and it often has more boats and people in the water than Manta Village. It’s also referred to as Makako Bay or Garden Eel Cove.
Manta Village: Manta Village is the smaller of the two sites, and it often has fewer boats and people in the water than Manta Heaven. It’s also referred to as Keauhou Bay. With a much shorter boat ride than Manta Heaven, this is a great option for people who are prone to motion sickness, and families with young children that have earlier bedtimes.
Our favorite manta ray snorkel tour that visits Manta Village is Hawaii Oceanic’s Manta Magic tour, and you can save 20% with promo code BIA20. Hawaii Oceanic carries a maximum of 11 guests per tour and departs from Keauhou Harbor, delivering a small-group experience with a short boat ride and tour length.
The Manta Magic tour from Hawaii Oceanic is just 50 minutes. Hawaii Oceanic targets 30 minutes in the water (depending on conditions), with less than 5 minutes spent getting to and from Manta Village. The short boat ride and tour length is a great option for guests that are concerned about getting seasick. Families with young children also prefer the Manta Magic tour because the shorter tour duration allows them to put their children to bed earlier.
Hawaii Oceanic and Coral Reef Snorkel Adventures both deliver premium small group experiences, and you can’t go wrong with either company. Outside of the differences in group size, manta ray viewing site, and length of boat ride, the other difference is in the manta ray experience. Most industry veterans will tell you that Manta Heaven has a better chance of seeing a ton of manta rays (20 or more), but there’s also a slightly higher chance of seeing no manta rays at all. The industry veterans will also tell you that Manta Heaven has a higher chance of seeing manta rays, but the chances of seeing 20 or more is lower.
There are two manta ray snorkel sites in Kona.
Manta Heaven, also known as Makako Bay and Garden Eel Cove, is near the Kona airport.
Manta Village, also known as Keauhou Bay, is near the Outrigger Hotel in Kona.
Industry experts estimate that manta rays appear about 92% of the time in Kona. Manta Rays are wild animals and tour operators can not guarantee they will appear, but the chances are very high.
On most nights, manta ray snorkel tours will observe 2-3 manta rays. On amazing nights, there will be upwards of 20 manta rays at a manta ray site, which is more rare but does happen. About 8% of the time, no manta rays appear.
On most nights, there will be 2-3 manta rays that conduct “fly by’s” where they swim underneath the light board at a distance of 10-20 feet. On the best nights, there will be more manta rays (up to 20), and the manta rays will conduct “barrel rolls” where they hang out under the light boards and roll in circles as they consume plankton and come within inches of guests.
The manta ray night snorkel tour is “one of the top 10 things to do in your lifetime” according to Travel Channel. Many people describe it as one of the best experiences of their lifetime, and would say it’s absolutely worth it. For the rare instances when manta rays don’t appear, most tour operators will rebook you to another tour for free.
The best time to see manta rays in Kona is at night. Some tours enter the water around sunset, when there is still a bit of daylight left. Other tours enter the water later in the evening when it’s pitch black.
Many industry experts say that manta ray feeding behavior becomes more interesting when it’s fully dark, as manta rays are more likely to “barrel roll” beneath the light boards and come closer to the guests. On the sunset tours, manta rays are more likely to do “fly by’s” and swim under the boards at a greater distance from the guests.
For anyone who is a strong swimmer and comfortable in the ocean at night, the pitch black tours are often recommended. For anyone who is not a strong swimmer, or who is apprehensive about entering the water at night, the sunset tours are a better option.
Yes! Manta rays feed on plankton, and do not have stingers or barbs that would threaten humans. The biggest risk is that a manta ray will accidentally touch a tour guest as they feed on plankton near the light board, which is typically harmless.
This page may contain affiliate links. Please read our affiliate disclosure. Captain Cook snorkeling tours visit the Captain Cook monument at Kealakekua Bay on The
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