Jeremy Maldives
Swim With Manta Rays Hawaii Big Island – This is one of those amazing experiences that can only be found on the Big Island. We started at the boat ramp in Pua (about 10-15 minutes from most hotels in the Waikoloa area). Manta View is a 10 minute boat ride north. We’ll tell you how to behave in the water, what to expect and interesting facts about manta rays as we drop anchor in the beautiful bay.
We went into the water and saw these incredible manta rays that feed on plankton. These harmless and docile creatures are kept under bright lights, and with guides in the water, you will see this amazing phenomenon in a beautiful and safe way. Watching these amazing creatures wander in front of you again and again, close enough to kiss them, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Swim With Manta Rays Hawaii Big Island
We cannot guarantee the presence of manta rays as they are wild animals. Manta rays can be seen more than 90% of the time. If for some reason you don’t see any of these animals on your trip, we’ve got a ‘free’ offer. “Encore Free” tickets are given out daily at 3pm on call. It is on a first-come, first-served basis. We cannot offer refunds as it costs money to make this trip.
Manta Ray Dives Of Hawaii
Wetsuits are provided. Please provide your height and weight so we can determine your correct wetsuit size in advance. Clothing is optional, but highly recommended. Upon return, water and snacks will be waiting for you on board. All of our dive participants need to know how to swim. Unfortunately we don’t offer viewing rates, but you can still buy full price tickets and probably still be able to see manta rays from the boat. We have a 48 hour cancellation policy. Any cancellations or rebookings must be made 48 hours prior to scheduled trip departure.
Our minimum requirement is 8 guests and a maximum of 18 guests per tour. Early departures are highly recommended, but the chances of sightings are the same on each tour. Once our normally scheduled itinerary fills up, we open up a second late night manta ray snorkel. If you have any questions, please feel free to call our office.
We all need to know how to swim if we plan to get in the water for the snorkeling portion of this activity. If you have any questions about this requirement when booking, please contact our office immediately. On our last trip to the Big Island we were so excited because we had just learned about Big Island divers and their late night dives or manta ray dives. In their right mind, snorkeling in a boat in the middle of the night with 3x the creatures on board? Of course I am! What we experienced was simply amazing. After all, it’s one of the top ten water adventures in the world. You can read more about these amazing creatures here. Also visit the Big Island Divers website to learn more about the different adventures they offer.
Level: We found this to be easy for divers. However, for safety reasons, you must be able to swim, have experience snorkelling and understand and speak English.
Hawaii Manta Ray Night Snorkel
Ideal time: Late at night, 21:00, we think is the best time to start diving with manta rays. We’ll explain why later.
We usually do extensive research on companies before we book any travel. We want to make sure they are not only well received, but also ethical and environmentally conscious. This is one of the many reasons we choose Big Island Divers for our late night manta ray snorkeling. Here are some more:
1. They are the only company that offers late night tours that start at 9pm Hawaii time. In our opinion, this period is the best time to dive with manta rays. Your boat will be in the water. Therefore, all beams will not be disturbed by other lights from other boats. You will have a great encounter with them. It’s also less crowded, which means less stress and more room to move around.
2. Big Island Divers has high ratings everywhere. They have 5 stars on TripAdvisor and 4.5 stars on Yelp out of 10 from us.
Manta Ray Snorkel And Dive Tours Along The Kona Coast (2023)
3. They are certified in Conservation Work, Radiation Nursing and Safety Practice. Big Island divers are listed in green on Hawaiioceanwatch.org. This is very important. Hunting of manta rays is prohibited, but there are no protections against injury (collision, harassment, entanglement). Being greenlisted means Big Island divers are taking active steps to protect manta rays and other wildlife. The Green List criteria to be considered can be found here.
We arrived at the pier at 8:30pm, half an hour before the call time. Difficult to find the boat ramp in the dark. You can use the coordinates above to take you directly to the boat station or search for “BID Honu Iki”. There should be a big sign in front of “Big Island Divers”. We got there a little early, but we were too excited to snorkel with the manta rays, so we went down the ramp and waited.
Several people were already waiting for a table on the ramp. Moments after we sat down, we heard the sound of applause and excitement from the waterway to our left. Our boat, the Kaha Nuola, was coming around the corner, full of people who had just returned from manta ray diving. It crept back to the pier as the crew scrambled to tie it up like a gang of energetic pirates.
At this point, Alexis, our guide for the night, jumped from the big boat onto the pier and greeted us with a huge smile on his face. His warm personality immediately puts everyone at ease. After arguing over the top points of the safety guidelines, our captain, Mickey B, Alexis, was honored for the night. I love watching their interactions. You will feel invited into the circle of old friends.
Where To Dive With Manta Rays In Southeast Asia And The…
Alexis smiled as she began an informative presentation filled with trivia, puns, amusing clichés and pictures. In the midst of it all, Mickey B decided to whet the crowd by throwing a bag of fruit treats from the top of the boat he was driving.
We learned a lot about manta rays from the short introduction. The good news is that while manta rays have large mouths, their necks are only the size of a dime. Therefore, they can only ingest plankton and other microorganisms. It’s definitely a relief knowing we won’t be the Rays’ midnight snack.
We’re also starting to realize that these aren’t random rays. The Big Island Divers team named all the rays. They are good friends. The team can tell the rays apart by size, distinctive belly markings, and other distinguishing features. They also had to rescue a ray called a koi, which had its line wrapped around its head fin. Unfortunately, the wire cut into the beam. The wound became so infected they had no choice but to grab the ray and cut it open. Alexis said their friendship was strained for a while, but they eventually reconciled.
After Alexis finishes her speech, we see Mickey B walking towards the dock with a big smile on his face. He was carrying a cute little tray with pineapple lights and two hollow pineapple bowls filled with sweet pineapple chunks. We do feel very special. After eating some absolutely delicious Hawaiian pineapple, we boarded the boat ready to snorkel with manta rays. A few more silly boat puns from Alexis and we’re on our way.
Manta Ray Night Dive Off The Kona Coast
You can tell that among Big Island divers they love manta rays as much as they love their job. Both Mikey B. and Alexis were more than happy to answer our questions about giant sea creatures. Alexis has been leading the tour for 3 years. Mikey B. has been at the helm for over 10 years.
As we left the harbor the lights on the barge changed from white to red so we couldn’t attract the mantas fast enough. The snorkeling spot is about a 20-minute boat ride from the hotel. They turned off almost all the lights
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