How to Pick the Best Manta Ray Tour in Kona

There’s no single best manta ray tour in Kona. Every company puts you in the water the same way: holding a lighted raft, shoulder to shoulder, no swimming allowed, while the rays barrel-roll within inches of your mask. The right tour is the one whose logistics fit your trip: which harbor it leaves from, how long the sail is, whether you snorkel or dive, and what kind of boat you ride.

Will has done this trip more than once, and the difference he notices most is the sail. Five minutes out of Keauhou Bay to Manta Village. Forty-five from Kailua Pier to the same site. If you already know you’re going, pick between the near-identical companies by snorkel or dive, harbor and site, and boat.

Decision #1: The Experience Is Floating, Not Swimming

When Will first heard he’d be snorkeling with manta rays, he pictured swimming freely through the dark, following the rays as they cruised the Kona shoreline. You don’t swim at all, with any company.

On the snorkel you jump in and grab a floating raft, usually a surfboard, hanging on shoulder to shoulder with the other snorkelers, face down and breathing through your snorkel. A light built into the raft shines down and attracts plankton. The mantas swoop in for a meal, barrel-rolling underneath you to filter feed. Swimming off on your own is not allowed.

Will was frustrated by that rule at first, since exploring at night sounds like half the fun. In the water it makes sense. Staying still lets the rays feed comfortably right underneath you, and they pass within inches of your mask. Our manta ray page covers why the rays gather here.

The other reason for staying put is safety. Swim off in the dark and you can lose the raft, or worse, end up in the path of a boat captain who can’t see you. Everyone on one raft stays visible to the boats.

On the scuba dive you sit on the sea floor and watch the rays (and the snorkelers) from below as they feed. You don’t get quite as close to the mantas, but there’s no shoulder-to-shoulder raft, and you’ll see whatever else is out on the bottom at night.

Decision #2: Snorkel or Dive?

Snorkelers watch from the surface. Certified divers watch from the sea floor. Our manta ray page compares the two in depth.

Make this call before you shop for companies. Plenty of operators run the snorkel; far fewer run the dive, and you need to be scuba certified to join one.

Decision #3: Pick Your Harbor and Manta Ray Site

Your drive to the harbor and your time on the water before you get in both depend on where the boat leaves from and which site it visits.

There are three manta ray sites along the Kona coast: Manta Village near Keauhou, Manta Heaven near the airport, and the Kohala site up north near Kawaihae, which has the fewest people and the fewest rays. We break down all three sites on our manta ray page; the short version:

Companies also leave from different harbors. Some depart from Keauhou Bay, others from the pier in downtown Kona, others from Honokōhau Harbor, and the same site can be a short ride or a long sail depending on the launch: a boat out of Kailua Pier takes about 45 minutes to reach the Keauhou site, while a boat out of Keauhou Bay is there in 5.

Weigh the drive to the harbor against the sail to the site. A 45-minute evening sail is a bonus if you like being on the water at dusk. If you’re prone to seasickness, it’s the 5-minute ride you want, not the harbor closest to your hotel.

Decision #4: Pick a Boat Size and Type

Once you have a harbor, compare the companies that sail from it by boat size and boat type.

Kona operators run single-hulled boats, catamarans and zodiacs. Larger boats mean a bathroom on board and a dry place to sit; a catamaran adds bow netting to stretch out on. Small boats like zodiacs are faster, less comfortable and wetter.

After that you’re usually down to one or two companies. Compare their details and price, and book. Tours start at $118 and run one to three hours depending on the operator. Start with our manta ray tour picks, and book early: boats fill days ahead.

Nervous About the Ocean at Night, or Not a Strong Swimmer?

You never swim off on your own out there. You hold a lighted float, usually a surfboard, and hang on shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the group, all under one set of lights, with a guide in the water the whole time. The wetsuit adds buoyancy and holds you up even when you stop kicking. The board is your handhold from the moment you get in until you climb out.

You still need to be comfortable in the water, and the float doesn’t change that. You enter open water in the dark, and you climb the boat ladder on your own at the end. Operators expect you to swim confidently and manage that ladder unassisted. If you’re anxious but able, a lot of that worry settles once you’re on the float in the group. If you can’t swim, don’t book this trip.

If you’re able in the water but the dark still makes you nervous, a smaller trip helps most: a private or small-group charter, or a shorter and calmer one, means fewer people and more attention from the crew. Tell them you’re nervous when you board.

Getting Seasick: What to Expect and How to Prepare

A night trip is harder on a queasy stomach than the same ride in daylight. You’re on dark water with no horizon to fix your eyes on. Without that steady reference, the boat’s motion is more likely to get to you.

A shorter boat ride means less time for it to build. A boat leaving Keauhou Bay reaches the Manta Village site in about five minutes. From Kailua Pier the ride runs closer to 45. If you know you’re sensitive, book the Keauhou departure.

If you take something for motion sickness, take it early, before the first turn in your stomach, not after it’s already set in. The usual options are over-the-counter tablets, a prescription patch, or ginger. Ask a pharmacist or your doctor which one fits you, and follow the timing on the label. Go on a light stomach too, a small bite beforehand, and save the big meal for after you’re back on the dock.

On the water you’re holding a float, not swimming, so feeling off doesn’t put you at risk of drifting from the group. If it gets to be too much, signal the crew and they’ll run you back to the boat. If you’re very prone to seasickness, pick a trip that skips the long boat ride, like a shore-entry or outrigger-canoe operator that puts in close to the site.

Quick Answers: Seasickness, Crowds, and the Best Time to Go