The manta followed us as we made our way toward the others. We had these mantas to ourselves for about 10 minutes, when our guide started moving us toward the large group which was about 40 yards away. It was amazing that the mantas came to our light first, three very large ones. Once we entered the water, we did not swim toward the other groups, but toward a private boat that was also anchored away from the others. The captain anchored about 25 yards away from the other boats, which numbered about 10.
The ring they provided was about 4 ft in diameter, with the lights mounted in the center. Our particular tour (Coral Reef) limits the number of participants to 6, which also helped to make us feel at ease. She never took the time to practice with the vest and she just didn't like the idea of snorkeling at night in the ocean. My wife, who is a better swimmer than me, was very reluctant to go. These practice sessions showed me how very little air I had to use to keep afloat (3-6 breaths) with hardly any indication that the vest had any air in it. I did practice with a snorkeling vest in a swimming pool a couple of times prior to the trip. I knew that it was the thing to do from watching all the various videos and reviews. I am a beginner snorkeler and very much afraid of deep water. I went night snorkeling with the Manta Rays on the Big Island. Night Snorkeling with the Manta Rays - Big Island Hawaii
I've told people about this and they've "chickened out", but it really is an amazing and safe thing to do.Ĭomments for One Night With Mantas, Big Island Hawaii When you go into the water, it's first in - last out, so if you want to be in the water for the maximum time, sit at the front of the boat.
MANTA RAY BIG ISLAND FOR FREE
They will take you out again for free if you don't see any mantas.Ī couple of tips: They ask that no shoes are worn on the boat so be prepared to leave them on the dock. Book your trip for a day early in your stay so you can redo if no mantas are seen. With the weather and mantas cooperating we had a great time. I am used to surfing in California and I was too hot in the wetsuit, but others were shivering so it really depends on what you're used to. The water temperature was around 75☏ and the company provides spring suits (short sleeved and legged wetsuits). We went in December when the waters can be rougher, but lucked out with a really calm night. Rough seas might not affect the mantas, but it would definitely make for a less pleasant experience. So there was no swimming in open, dark waters and kids as small as 7 or 8 were out there too.Įven by the crew's opinion, we had an extraordinary outing with 5-8 mantas swimming within inches of us for at least 30 minutes - it would have been longer if they had kept the lights on.Ĭheck the weather. The snorkelers get into the water and just work their way away from the boat while holding on to the scaffolding. The Sea Paradise Tours catamaran extends a long floating scaffolding off the boat, which resembles a big, long ladder with pool noodles and lights. The Manta Rays here in Kailua Kona have become conditioned where to go each night to find an easy meal feeding on the plankton that is attracted by our underwater lights…which makes locating them easy for us! The Manta Rays wingspan can reach over 20 feet across and weigh upwards of 1,000 pounds.Our experience with the snorkeling with mantas on the Big Island was a little different from the stories already on this page and I think even more encouraging for the novice or never snorkeler. Hawaii is considered the #1 place in the world to view Mantas.
Your swim guides will keep your board positioned over the manta ray snorkeling area. This makes it easy to keep our groups safely together as the mantas feed on the plankton underneath us. When snorkeling with the Manta Rays you will hold on to a comfortable bar attached to a large surfboard that has 16 bright LED drop lights to attract plankton (Manta Ray Food). Our company DOES NOT charge for wet suits. This is a small group snorkel approx 2- hr 16 passengers max on 32ft Zodiac Manta Boat #1 or 30 passengers on 43ft Zodiac Manta Boat #2 Check-in takes place at the harbor where you will be provided with a wet suit and snorkel gear.
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