| Manta Ray Night Snorkel |
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| Manta Ray Night Snorkel |
(3 Reviews)
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Manta Ray Night Snorkel |
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Join in an up-close encounter with the famous Manta Rays of Kona. These amazing and gentle creatures swim up close as they feed on tiny plankton in your light beam. |
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Manta Ray Night Snorkel
Experience an incredible night snorkeling on the Big Island's Kona coast! Watch as the Manta Rays circle just below you. If you are still, these gentle giants may come close enough to brush against you as they are feeding on tiny plankton. You will enjoy an hour in the water observing these fascinating creatures.
The Boat:
This adventure is launched off The Manta, a 2006 custom-built luxury dive boat, which was specifically built for comfort and style. The vessel is 40 feet long and 15 feet wide and very stable during cruise as well as at anchor. Powered by a quiet Cummins turbo diesel motor, the boat also features great amenities, such as a sun deck, shaded areas, an oversized swim platform for easy entry/exit, freshwater showers and camera tables. There's even a 20-inch flat screen TV to preview the video footage from your underwater adventure. Although The Manta is Coast Guard certified to carry up to 30 passengers plus the crew, they rarely let more than 15 passengers aboard at a time. They maintain a ratio of 1 crew member to 6 passengers in order to ensure high quality service, safety and space.
The Manta Rays:
Pacific Manta Rays are truly amazing creatures. The Manta Ray's wing span averages 5 to 8 feet but can reach well over 14. But no need to be scared of them. They have no real teeth and no stinger. Their only defense is to flee.
These huge and gentle animals feed on microscopic organisms called plankton. At night, light attracts brine shrimp, a form of plankton that they feed on by using their cephalic fins like big scoops to funnel water into their wide-open mouths, filtering out these organisms. Dive lights, if used properly, can enhance this "dinner buffet" for the rays. |
Guidelines for your manta ray encounter:
Manta rays are very shy creatures. Keep in mind that touching, grabbing or just being in their flight path can cause them to be even more shy and avoid people or leave the area altogether. Touching rays could also remove the protective coating on their skin and leave them susceptible to infections.
If you remain calm and passive, the rays will gradually overcome their shyness of you. If you are patient, they will often grow so trusting they will brush lightly against you as they swoop in to feed.
Do not ride, chase, touch, grab, or harass the mantas!
Move lights slowly with the surge in an effort to gather a concentration of plankton in the light beam.
Photographers, videographers and other fellow snorkelers: Please be considerate! Stay in your group and the rays should provide plenty of photo opportunities. Occasionally the rays may be absent or not in a feeding mood. On these rare nights, there is plenty of other nocturnal marine life to be enjoyed.
Stay with your group. Since it is more difficult to tell "who is who" underwater, you should make a mental note of your group and a distinguishing feature of your guide (chem-lite, color of fins, etc.) Most people want to return to the same boat they arrived on! |
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This activity also has a diving option. Divers and Snorkelers both go out together, so if there are divers and snorkelers in your party, you can stay together. Please check out Manta Ray Night Dive (available for purchase separately). |
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| Map, Location and Schedule |
Map |
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Kailua-Kona, Big Island, Hawaii |
Here's what the reviews said:
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Departures are one hour before sunset and vary seasonally. |
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No timeshare presentations... and guaranteed lowest price! |
| Details |
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Activity Highlights:- A great guided night snorkel with manta rays
- The total time for this tour is ~3 hours. Time to the snorkel site is about 20 minutes (both ways). Time in the water is ~ 1 hour, the rest of the time is spent on the boat, including a 10 minute briefing.
- Launched from the state-of-the-art vessel The Manta
- Professional and certified instructors
- All equipment is included - mask, snorkel, fins, wetsuit and dive light. RX masks are also available at no extra charge.
- Drinks and snacks are provided.
- No minimum age restriction.
- Flotation devises available; kickboards, water-noodles, etc.
When? - Departure: 1 hour before sunset
- The earliest departure is 4:30PM in wintertime, however other departures times may vary by as much as 2 hours according to sunset time.
- Tour duration: 3 hours
Where? - Honokohau Harbor boat ramp, Kailua-Kona
FAQ:
What's the water temperature in Hawaii? - Year-round water temperatures average 80 F (26.6 C). You'll also be provided with 3 mm long sleeve shortys or full wetsuits for your comfort and protection from scrapes.
What's the best time of year to snorkel in Hawaii? - Year-round diving is enjoyed on the Big Island's leeward coast because it is mostly protected from high winter surfs and summer's south swell. Between December and March, we are occasionally prevented from scheduling due to high winds and choppy seas.
My companion does not snorkel. Can he/she come along? - If someone just wants to ride-a-long and be a part of the family outing and relax on the boat, that's totally fine.
Are the manta rays always there on the night snorkel? - We cannot guarantee that the mantas will show up. We estimate the odds at roughly 90 percent favorable based on our logs from the past five years. Normally, our dive lights attract plankton which the rays come in to feed on. If, after 15 minutes or so, they do not show up, we make a regular night snorkel out of it and explore the area for other interesting nocturnal marine life.
- The presence of manta rays on this excursion is not guaranteed. Sighting odds are roughly 90% favorable. In the event the mantas do not show, participants are invited to follow the guide on a regular night dive to view other nocturnal marine life.
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| Driving
Directions |
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The boat departs from Honokohau Harbor. Honokohau Harbor is 4 miles south of the Kona International Airport at Keahole.
From the Airport, take Highway 19 (Queen Kaahumanu Hwy) to Honokohau. Look for signs for the Honokohau Bay Marina. At 4 miles from the airport, turn right (toward the ocean) onto Kealakehe Parkway. Go straight for 1500 feet and then take the first right. A small shopping center will be on your left. After the shopping center, take the first left. Go to the boat launch ramp and look for a 40 foot boat on a trailer. The boat will say Manta Ray Dives on the back. Please check in at the boat.
There are restrooms right next to the boat ramp. |
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| Reviews |
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like everybody says, this is a MUST DO
Reviewer: sasima
(California, USA)
June 25, 2008
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Even if you've seen plenty of manta rays before, this experience is fascinating.
The night we went, it took awhile for the normally punctual mantas to show up. There was no time to be bored, because the light show put on by all the hand-held dive lights were spectacular in & of itself.
We think Manta Dives of Hawaii has the best boat. And the crew are really great. They are endlessly patiently & made sure novices were properly fitted & in good shape. All the snorkelers hang on to this giant circular tube, so regardless of how good a swimmer you are, you won't accidentally go adrift due to current. This is the invention of MDH, and other operators are starting to copy them.
We had a few children (one was 7yrs old) on the boat. They had a great time. |
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great experience, crew, boat
Reviewer: Mocha
(California, USA)
June 9, 2008
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I've seen many mantas before. But this is where you can see the bigger ones. The biggest is Big Bertha w/ 16ft wingspan.
There are many different companies you can go with, but we really liked this operator. The land guy (Mike) is very funny, and the crew Peter is a laugh a minute but very responsible dive master, & works magic with kids. Peter is able to get kids that chicken out at the last minute to go into the water & happy they did. He looks after less experienced snorkelers with great care & patience. The rest of the crew are also great. And they have one of the best boats out there I could see.
I will book with them again next time. |
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fascinating!
Reviewer: Anna
(Colt, Canada)
July 10, 2007
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We highly recommend the snorkeling experience! It was awesome! |
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