A Guide to Night Snorkeling with Manta Rays in Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii

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 to the Big Island, and I can confirm it absolutely 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 go over all the details you need to know about snorkeling (or scuba diving!) with manta rays on the Big Island. Keep reading to learn more about the incredible bucket list activity!

Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link or book through an affiliate program, I receive a small commission at no cost to you! 

Everything You Need To Know about Night Snorkeling with Manta Rays in Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii

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!

Safety

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!

Size

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!

Identification

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!

Rules of Engagement

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.

What To Know Before Night Snorkeling with The Manta Rays in Kona

📅 Time of Year: 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 2.5-3 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.

Dive Site Locations

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

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!

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!

Snorkeling vs Scuba Diving with the Manta Rays in Kona

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 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, 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.

I highly recommend looking into this policy for whichever tour you choose before booking!

Tour Options for Snorkeling with the Manta Rays in Kona

Because swimming with manta rays in Hawaii is so popular, 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!

Snorkel Tour Options

Hawaii Island & Ocean Tours has the number one ranked manta ray snorkel tour on TripAdvisor, with over 600, 5-star reviews. 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.

Another highly rated snorkel tour is the Manta Magic tour through Hawaii Oceanic. This tour is a little pricier than the one above, with tickets starting at $129. The maximum group size is 11, and the price includes mask, snorkel, wet suit, and beverages! This tour is also just a 5-minute boat ride away from Manta Heaven.

This late night manta ray snorkel through Kona Style is a great option for those looking to escape the crowds and pay a little less money. The tour is offered seasonally and typically leaves at 8:30pm after it’s already dark, which means less boats are at the snorkel spots.

Prices start at $50, so it’s much cheaper than other manta snorkel tours! This tour, as well as their normal tour, also includes hot cocoa, hot tea, and chocolate chip cookies when you get back on the boat!

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!

Final Thoughts

That’s a wrap on my guide to scuba diving and snorkeling with manta rays in Kona! I hope you feel extremely prepared now! This experience is truly unlike any other. There’s a reason it’s the number one thing to do on the Big Island. I promise you won’t regret it!

If you’re planning a trip to the Big Island, make sure to check out my other posts about this incredible island!
Ultimate One Week Big Island Itinerary
How to Kayak to Captain Cook on the Big Island
Best Snorkeling Spots on the Big Island
30 TOP Things to Do on the Big Island
Best Waterfalls on the Big Island

Don’t forget to pin this post for future planning!