Skip to primary navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
Back to Blog

The Manta Ray Night Snorkel Kona Hawaii | The Greatest Ocean Encounter

2 manta rays circle under a school of fish

The Manta Ray Night Snorkel Kona Hawaii

Imagine floating on the surface of the water dining snorkel gear a wetsuit and a yellow flotation belt. You lie flat on your stomach Superman-style. As you hold onto the snorkel board the high-powered lights beam through the black waters below. Soon you will notice little fish schooling around the lights. And maybe if you really look and observe hard you’ll notice the tiny little critters swimming in and out of the lights too difficult to see because they are moving so fast. Welcome to the manta ray night snorkel Kona Hawaii. One of the most popular attractions in the state of Hawaii.


 

In the depths you notice a large black mat moving with white shoulders. Soon it becomes clear that it’s not a mat and it’s moving closer to the surface toward you and the other snorkelers. As the Manta ray approaches its gaping white mouth comes in close scooping massive amounts of water into its large mouth. Those tiny little critters? They were just scooped up by the Manta ray! The Manta ray’s aren’t shy here in Kona. They can come within inches of the snorkeler as you hold on and lay flat on the surface of the ocean. This is the Manta ray night Snorkel Kona, one of the activities that thousands upon thousands of people do every year here in Kona Hawaii. The Manta ray’s are well known here. That’s because they are unique and massive animals that are friendly and harmless. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t powerful. These large rays can get up to 1200 pounds! With the beat of their wings, they can move through the water rapidly. As they open their mouth to scoop up the ocean water they dragged in phytoplankton which is little critters that feed at night under the powerful lights we provide.

Book Button

The Sunset Manta Ray Snorkel

There are two Manta ray night snorkel Kona options. The first one is a sunset Snorkel which begins just before sunset where you gear up and leave from Honokohau harbor. On the way to the Manta site, you’ll watch the sun’s set below the horizon. If you’re lucky you’ll see a green flash! This is one of the most unique experiences you’ll ever have because just after viewing the sunset as the sky begins to darken the boat will arrive at the Manta ray night Snorkel kona site. Typically during the sunset tour, there are quite a few boats at the Manta ray night Snorkel spot. Each boat has its snorkelers and some of them will have snorkelers trailing behind the boat itself. Kona Snorkel Trips does things a little bit differently though. We have Snorkel rafts that are custom-built for our snorkelers. With these rafts, we are able to maneuver you into the perfect position to view the Manta rays while they feed. This means that you will be more likely to see the Manta rays and especially right up close where they will graze right under your face! Sometimes they get a little too close! This is one of those experiences you won’t soon forget. Snorkelers will giggle, curse, and shout with joy as the Manta rays feed inches from your face. While this doesn’t happen to all snorkelers every night there is a very good chance of seeing the Manta rays nightly. We see them about 80 to 90% of the time. This is pretty good for a wild animal!

 

The Moonlight Manta Ray Snorkel

There is another Manta ray night snorkel Kona tour that we provide after the sunset manta ray snorkel. This is called the moonlight manta ray snorkel. The great thing about the moonlight manta ray snorkel is that you can have dinner and then go on the manta ray snorkel. As you head out to the site in the dark of the night you’ll be much more likely to be at the Manta ray site with fewer boats. With fewer boats and fewer snorkelers in the water if the Manta rays are there you are often going to be getting a better show. Sometimes when we are at the manta ray snorkel site we are the only boat there! This tour is typically better for adults and people who don’t mind going to bed a little bit later. Here’s to you party animals!

Book Button

Other Manta Ray Snorkel Tours

In addition to the manta ray snorkel other Kona snorkel tours include the Deluxe morning Kona Snorkeling Tour and the Afternoon Reef Snorkel tours. These trips are great for people who like to spend time in the water snorkeling on golden-colored reefs with multicolor fish. There’s a chance to see dolphins, whales, and other large animals. Maybe even a manta!

So as you can see the manta ray snorkel Kailua Kona is a pretty special activity. There really isn’t much else like it in the rest of the world! Kailua Kona is unique among the Hawaiian islands for having this aggregation of Manta rays. There are about 250 different kinds of mantas that cruise are reefs here in Kona. We have identified all of them and know their names by heart. Our guides are experts and have done this nightly. This means that you’re going to get an amazing experience from a lifeguard-certified and friendly guide. This exclusive experience is only available at Kona Snorkel Trips. So if you would like to book this Manta ray Snorkel Kona please visit our website. Also, you can give us a call at 8083 26 4774. We also have the option to book packages that will allow you to do a morning Snorkel and manta ray snorkel. You don’t have to do them on the same days if you would like to spread things apart a little bit and give yourself a bit more mai tai time or beach time. The packages are great because you can save a bit on your booking. So book now while seats are still available as our capacity is very limited. Kona Snorkel Trips is the highest-rated and most reviewed Snorkel company which means our Kona snorkeling tours fill up fast! See you soon.