Snorkeling with Manta Rays in Kona, Hawaii: Complete Guide!
If you’re planning a trip to Hawaii’s Big Island, you probably already know that snorkeling with manta rays in Kona is the number one activity to do! This attraction draws visitors from all over the country and world to Hawaii.
I’ve had the pleasure of both snorkeling and scuba diving with manta rays in Kona, and I can confirm it lives up to the hype!!
For those who have never been to the Big Island, you probably have a lot of questions about swimming with the mantas. How do I even do that? How much does it cost? What company do I book through? It’s at NIGHT?!
In this post, I cover all the details you need to know about snorkeling (or scuba diving!) with manta rays on the Big Island to convince you this activity absolutely needs to be on your bucket list!
A Quick Look at the Big Island
Don’t have a lot of time? Here’s a quick mini guide for the Big Island to help plan your epic adventure!
Where to Stay:
Royal Kona Resort: The PERFECT place to stay in Kona! Great location, awesome pool bar, & spacious rooms!
SCP Hilo: An environmentally conscious hotel that perfectly represents Hilo!
When to Visit:
– My favorite time is April/May (great weather and shoulder season)
– High season is December – March (also whale season!)
– Summer (July-August) is very warm and also sees a good amount of crowds
Things to Do:
– Snorkel with Manta Rays
– Mauna Kea Stargazing Adventure
– Whale Watching Cruise
Things to Know Before Snorkeling with the Manta Rays
📅 Time of Year: Unlike whale watching in Hawaii, there’s no specific time of year that’s best to see the Mantas – they are in the area year-round. However, the summer months offer the best ocean conditions.
🦺 Safety: It is totally safe to swim with manta rays! However, please refrain from touching them.
💰 Cost: Expect to spend between $100-$150 to snorkel and between $150-$200 to dive with mantas.
⏰ Duration of Tour: Most tours last around 2.5 hours, giving you about 45 min – 1 hour in the water.
💵 Tipping: Not mandatory by any means, but most tour operators work for tips, so it’s appreciated! I recommend 10-20% of the tour cost.
Manta Ray Night Snorkel with Manta Guarantee
- Price: Starting at $120 per person
- Duration: 2.5 hours
- TripAdvisor Rating: 5/5 stars ⭐
- Includes: Mask, Snorkel, Beverages, Snacks
Manta Ray Overview
Before we get into details about the tours and experience, I wanted to talk specifically about the manta rays in Kona. After all, this whole post is about swimming with these gentle giants, so I want to make sure they are given their time to shine!
First off: why are there so many manta rays in this area? This population of manta rays calls the coast of the Big Island home. At night, they are attracted to their food source, plankton, which are attracted to the bright lights in the water at the dive sites.
This is why there are so many manta rays in these locations at night!
Manta rays are the largest type of ray in the world, but don’t let their size frighten you! Manta rays are completely harmless to humans. Their teeth are tiny, and their tail spines are not venomous like their stingray cousins. This means it is totally safe to swim with manta rays!
There are two types of manta rays: the giant oceanic (pelagic) manta ray and the reef manta ray. The giant manta ray’s wing spans can be up to 26 feet, while the reef manta’s average wing span is about 11 feet.
While snorkeling on the Big Island, you are most likely to see reef manta rays!
One very interesting fact you will learn during your time with manta rays is that their spots are completely unique to each manta ray, like fingerprints to human. There is a database of every manta ray ever seen off the Big Island. If you happen to see one NOT in the database, you get the honor of naming it!
Important Note: Manta rays have an outer layer of mucus on top of their skin that provides protection from disease and parasites. Humans touching manta rays breaks down this mucus layer!
For this reason, do not reach out or touch the manta rays while swimming with them.
Where to Swim with Manta Rays on the Big Island
While other Hawaiian Islands like Oahu are great for outdoor activities, the Big Island is the only Hawaiian island where you can swim with the mantas at night!
All manta ray snorkel tours on the Big Island leave from the Kona (west) side of the island. There are no manta tours on the Hilo side!
There are three main manta ray locations off the Kona coast of the Big Island, as shown on the map below!
- Manta Village (Kaukalaelae Point) in South Kona
- Manta Heaven (Garden Eel Cove) near the airport
- Manta Point off Kohala coast at Mauna Kea Resort
Psst: For a more detailed breakdown of the different areas of the Big Island, check out my full guide here!
Most snorkel tours go to Manta Village, and most dive tours go to Manta Heaven. However, it is typically up to your boat captain to decide which location is best, so don’t stress too much about it!
Just make sure to pay attention to which marina your snorkel tour leaves from!
Timeline of Kona Manta Ray Tours
Most manta ray tours in Kona leave about an hour to 30 minutes before sunset, depending on the boat ride length. They aim to arrive to the site about 30 minutes before sunset and give their safety briefing as the sun is setting.
Once the sun dips into the sea, you’ll gear up and get into the water! If you’re snorkeling, you’ll typically have between 45 minutes to an hour in the water. If you’re scuba diving, you’ll either be down until you run low on air or around the 45 minute mark!
Should You Snorkel or Scuba Dive with the Mantas?
You will have the option of snorkeling with the manta rays in Kona or scuba diving with them. Overall, the experience is very similar before and after getting in the water. In fact, most boats will have both snorkelers and scuba divers on them.
The main difference comes with how you experience the manta rays. When snorkeling with the manta rays, you will be floating on the surface, holding onto a giant raft with lights on the bottom. From this angle, you will see the manta rays swimming underneath you, and some will even come right up to the raft (thanks to the lights)!
If you’re scuba diving, you will descend down to the bottom of the ocean floor (typically around 40 feet) and stay there the entire dive. This is obviously different from normal dives where you are actively swimming.
Instead of swimming, divers line up on their knees or bellies around a giant “campfire”, which is just a set of giant lights on the ocean floor surrounding by rocks!
🙋🏼♀️ My personal recommendation: If you are a certified scuba diver, I highly recommend diving instead of snorkeling. I have personally done both, and the experience you get from the ocean floor is truly breathtaking. Plus, this is where the majority of the mantas congregate, so you’ll have the best chance at seeing them from below!
No Manta Guarantee Policy
So what happens if you don’t see any manta rays? Unfortunately, it happens! On our first manta ray dive in Kona, we sat at the bottom for 45 minutes and did not see one single manta ray..
We were totally devastated, and our tour guide told us it only happens about 12 times a year… Luckily, we were staying on the Big Island for a full week, and our boat offered a “No Manta Guarantee”. Basically, their policy stated that if you don’t see any manta rays, you can re-book another night for free!
Some companies only allow you to book “stand by”, meaning you can get on as long as there are open spots on the boat. Other companies will guarantee your spot for free.
We were able to re-arrange our trip a bit to end back in Kona and dive again on our last night! Luckily, we were spoiled with over 15 manta rays on round 2!
⚠️ I highly recommend looking into the No Manta Guarantee policy before booking a tour! ⚠️
Tour Options for Swimming with the Manta Rays in Kona
Because swimming with manta rays is one of the top things to do on the Big Island, there are tons of tour options to choose from. Below I will provide a summary of the top-rated companies for both snorkeling and scuba diving and my personal recommendations!
Manta Ray Snorkel Tour Options
Hang Loose Boat Tours has the number one ranked manta ray snorkel tour on TripAdvisor, with over 1600, 5-star reviews.
Their snorkel tour costs around $120 per adult and includes all snorkel equipment, plus snacks and water. They also have the option to rent a GoPro for the tour if you’re interested in that!
The total tour time is 2-2.5 hours, which means you’ll probably get around 1 hour in the water, which is plenty!
They also have a No Manta Guarantee policy, so you can try again if you don’t see any manta rays on your tour!
Overall, I think this is the best balance of value and cost and the perfect manta ray snorkel tour!
🤿 Check pricing and availability of this manta snorkel tour! 🤿
If you are looking to save some money and don’t want to be on the boat for too long, another good option is this snorkel tour with Hawaii Island & Ocean Tours.
One of the perks of this tour is the very short boat ride. This tour leaves from Keauhou Bay and takes you to Manta Village (reference map above) in less than 5 minutes!
In addition, the boats have a maximum of 14 people, which is a huge plus. Other boats may have 20 or 30. The tour costs $99 per adult and includes a snorkel, mask, and wet suit.
However, some people online say that their time in the water was too short (only 30 minutes), so it depends on what your preference is!
Manta Ray Dive Tour Options
I can personally vouch for the manta night dive with Big Island Divers. This is the tour company we personally used, and we had an absolutely incredible time! If you don’t believe me, their 6000+ five star reviews speak for themselves.
Starting at $149 per person for a one tank dive, the tour was fairly priced and included mask, fins, a dive light, tanks, and weights. We also rented full dive gear through them! This dive takes place at Manta Heaven, so the boat ride to the site is about 30 minutes away.
Although we didn’t use them for the manta dive, Kona Diving Company is another great company that offers a 2-tank manta ray dive. Starting at $220 per person, you’ll get to experience two different dives, one during daylight and one after the sun goes down!
Both dives take place at Manta Heaven. They also keep their groups small, with no more than 5 divers per divemaster. All charters include air tanks, dive weights, dive lights, defog, masks, snorkels and full-foot fins. They also provide snacks in between dives!
What to Bring vs What’s Included on Your Tour
Included in the Rental
If you are snorkeling, most tour prices will include mask, snorkel, and maybe a wet suit in the cost.
For scuba divers, air tanks and mask/snorkel/fins will be included, but you’ll likely need to pay extra for your own BC, regulator, computer, and wetsuit.
If you do not have your own wetsuit and it’s not included in the price, RENT ONE (even if you think you won’t need it).
The water in Hawaii is cold (not just in December but year-round), and you will be in the ocean for up to an hour with no sunlight.
Trust me when I say that being cold can ruin this experience! On our first dive, I was shivering the entire time. Not fun!
Things to Bring With You
Aside from the typical snorkel or scuba gear, there are a few other items I highly recommend bringing on your manta ray snorkel experience to make your trip more enjoyable.
- Towel and Bathing Suit: Obviously! I recommend wearing your bathing suit onboard, and don’t forget your towel for when you get out of the water! I love these long sleeve one pieces for extra layers!
- Sweatshirt/Sweatpants: Trust me when I say you will be chilly when you get out of the water, and nothing’s better than being able to put on warm, dry clothes for the boat ride back.
- Sea sickness medicine: If you are prone to sea sickness whatsover, I highly recommend taking medicine before your tour. Even if you aren’t, it’s still worth taking it. The ocean is rougher at night, and there is absolutely nothing worse than ruining your experience by getting sick.
- Underwater camera: If you have a GoPro or underwater phone case, now is the time to pack that puppy! The photos and videos you capture will be truly magical.
Final Thoughts
That’s a wrap on everything you need to know about snorkeling (or diving) with manta rays on the Big Island. Out of all the adventures we did in Hawaii, this one stuck with me the most — nothing else compares to watching these massive, graceful creatures twirl through the water just inches away from you.
If you’re even thinking about booking it… do it. You won’t regret it!
And if you’re looking to balance out the cost of your trip with a few budget-friendly experiences, don’t miss my list of 10 FREE things to do in and near Kona.
There’s so much beauty on this island that doesn’t cost a dime!
Read More Big Island Blog Posts Below! ⬇️🌺
The Perfect ONE WEEK Big Island Itinerary For First Timers
Where To Stay On The Big Island (+ Big Island Hawaii Map)
30 INCREDIBLE Things To Do On The Big Island Of Hawaii
Whale Watching On The Big Island: Tours, Best Time, & More
Best Snorkeling On The Big Island Of Hawaii: A Detailed Guide
How To Kayak To Captain Cook Monument On The Big Island
A Guide To Night Snorkeling With Manta Rays In Kona, Hawaii
10 FREE Things To Do In And Near Kona, Hawaii
Best Luaus On The Big Island: A Complete Guide
Kona To Hilo: A Complete Guide To Driving Across The Big Island
20 INCREDIBLE Things To Do In Hilo, Hawaii (& Nearby)
A Guide To Exploring The Best Waterfalls On The Big Island
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