Here’s another excerpt from Katie Diederichs and Ken Zweber, bloggers from Two Wandering Soles who recommended Sea Paradise! Katie Diedrichs compares diving versus snorkeling as well as tips to prepare and where to eat and stay in Kona.
Snorkeling vs. diving with manta rays
Katie scuba diving with mantas in Komodo, Indonesia
f you’re a certified scuba diver, you may be wondering which to choose.
Both diving and snorkeling with manta rays is sure to be an amazing experience.
Here are some things to consider to help make your decision.
Diving:
- You will be positioned on the ocean floor, seeing manta rays from below.
- You must be a certified scuba diver.
- It is slightly more expensive than the snorkeling tour.
- You cannot fly (including scenic helicopter tours) or go above 2,000 feet elevation for at least 18 hours after your tour, which can lead to decompression illness. This means you cannot drive to Mauna Kea, Volcano National Park or take Saddle Road to Hilo the following day. Keep this in mind as you plan your itinerary.
If you choose to do a diving tour, we’d recommend booking with one of the following operators because they are the only diving companies that are on Hawaii’s Ocean Watch GreenList:
- Torpedo Tours
- Kona Diving Company
Snorkeling:
- You will be on the water’s surface, seeing manta rays from above.
- You must be a confident swimmer, but no certifications are required.
- It is slightly less expensive.
- There are no restrictions on what you do after this experience.
Good to know: This is not a typical dive or snorkeling experience where you move around. In both cases, you will stay in one spot, more or less, so you can observe the manta rays.
Personal experience: We love diving, but chose to do the snorkeling instead. We think they are both incredible experiences and equally good choices. Next time we’re in Kona, we’ll dive so we can compare the experiences.
What to wear and pack
Your tour company will provide you with a shortie wetsuit and all the snorkeling gear you need. However, there are a few things you should bring with you.
Swimsuit: Arrive dressed in your swimsuit as you’ll need to put your wetsuit on shortly after checking in. In our case, the entire group put wetsuits on just in front of the dock, so it’s smart to wear something that is easy to change out of.
There is a public toilet a short walk away from the dock that you could use if needed, but you should be wearing your suit at check-in time.
Sandals or flip flops: Wear shoes you can easily take off to stow during the tour as shoes are not allowed to be worn on board.
Large tote bag: Carry all your belongings and keep them together on the boat.
Towel: You’ll want something to dry off with when you get out of the water. Most hotels and Airbnbs provide beach towels, which works perfectly.
Water bottle: It’s nice to have something to drink when you get out of the water. Our company provided sodas and water free of charge, but we prefer not taking single use plastic bottles when we don’t need to.
Change of clothes: If you plan on going anywhere after your snorkeling experience, you’ll want to pack a change of clothes.
Warm layer: I was surprised by how cold I was after snorkeling. I’d suggest bringing a long sleeve or sweatshirt.
GoPro (optional): While this is an optional item, we’d highly recommend bringing something to document this incredible experience. This is the (budget-friendly) handle we have and love.
Mask & snorkel (optional): I wouldn’t purchase gear specifically for this experience because what they provide is perfectly fine. Most people use the rentals. However, if you will be doing lots of snorkeling on your trip to Hawaii, it will likely be a good idea to buy your own. We personally brought our own on our trip because we know they fit us well and we like them better than rental gear.
Motion sickness medication (optional): If you’re very prone to motion sickness, you may want to bring some with. The boat ride itself is very short, but we’ve heard some people can get sick either from the ride or from bobbing on the water’s surface. Our tour company handed out ginger chews to people who wanted them, but if you know you get ill, something stronger is a good idea.
Be sure to download our complete packing list for Hawaii! It’s packed with good suggestions and insider tips to help plan your Italy trip. And it’s completely FREE, so why not!?
Where to eat after snorkeling
We found it very difficult to find any restaurants that are open in the area past 8 p.m.
You may want to have a later lunch or get snacks for after the tour. We picked up snacks (and wine, duh!) at this nearby Longs Drug to bring back to our Airbnb for a night of relaxing, which was perfect for us.
But if you have some energy and you want to make a toast to all the mantas you saw, keep reading because these are some of your only options…
Restaurants that are open past 8 p.m.:
- Quinn’s Almost by the Sea (our recommendation): Killer fish ‘n chips and calamari, both of which come highly recommended. Wash them down with a celebratory beer as you reminisce about the crazy experience you just had!
- Open until 10 p.m., closed Wednesdays
- Foster’s Kitchen Kona: If you think you have time to get a little more, how shall I put this… presentable, and not like you just emerged from the ocean… Foster’s could make a good choice for a late dinner. They are open until 10 p.m. every night and have an elevated and mouth-watering menu.
- Open until 10 p.m. every night
- Chubby’s Diner: Located in a shopping center, this is well off the typical tourist route. While the pub food is just mediocre, they have a bowling alley and are open until 10 p.m. or midnight depending on the day of the week, so it could be a good place to celebrate after this bucket list experience!
- Open until 10 p.m. on weeknights, midnight on weekends
Manta ray snorkeling FAQs
Still have questions about this experience? We’ve got the answers you’re looking for…
Is snorkeling with mantas worth it?
100% YES!
Okay, my very enthusiastic response here may be influenced by just how many mantas we saw. We did get very lucky and according to the guides, the mantas aren’t as active every night.
However, if you have the chance to experience even a fraction of how many we saw, I still think it would be completely worth it.
There aren’t many places in the world where you can experience this, and being able to see mantas at night is one of the most unique things to do on the Big Island.
Is snorkeling with manta rays ethical?
We are very cautious with our recommendations of animal encounters of any kind.
The truth of it is, any time humans are interacting with wild animals, it’s not exactly perfect. The best thing for the manta rays, or any animal for that matter, is to be totally left alone.
However, when tourists pay money to see animals in their natural habitat, it can protect them directly and indirectly.
- Directly: a portion of your fees may go to protecting them
- Indirectly: showing governments and businesses that the animals are worth more alive than they are dead
Things to keep in mind:
Never ever touch manta rays. They are covered in a mucus-like layer that actually serves as their immune system. If you touch them, it destroys this coating and they can get sick. There were times we actually had to move out of the way to avoid the mantas touching us!
Book with a company that has a focus on the welfare of the manta rays. This is one of the reasons we personally recommend Sea Paradise.
Are manta rays dangerous?
Not at all!
Manta rays have no aggressive behavior tendencies and have never attacked a human. And unlike sting rays, they do not have a piercer or any mechanisms to turn violent. They’re actually quite similar to whales, mainly feeding on tiny plankton-like animals.
Are you guaranteed to see manta rays?
Because they are completely wild animals, no company can guarantee that you will see manta rays on your tour.
That said, your chances are very, very good. We’ve compared several companies, and most say your chance of seeing them is 85% to 90%, which is pretty dang good.
What happens if you don’t see manta rays on your tour?
Some tour operators offer a “manta guarantee” and will give guests that do not see any manta rays the opportunity to book another tour free of charge within 7 days (depending on tour availability).
One of the reasons we recommend Sea Paradise is because they have a “manta guarantee”.
Insider tip: If it works with your itinerary, book your manta experience earlier on in your stay so you’d have the opportunity to go again if you don’t see them on your first time.
Why is the snorkeling at night?
Manta rays feed on plankton in shallow waters, and plankton are attracted to light.
At night, the high density of light coming off snorkeling boats and onshore hotels attracts millions of plankton. In turn, this draws manta rays to feed on the tiny creatures.
What is the best time of year to see mantas in Kona?
Oftentimes there is a specific season for spotting animals in the wild. For instance, since whales are a migratory animal, they are only seen in Hawaii from mid-December through mid-May.
However, the manta rays off the Kona Coast live there year-round. This means that no matter what time of year you’re visiting Hawaii, you should be able to see them!
Psst! Here is our guide to the best time to visit Hawaii.
How long is the experience?
This depends on the tour provider and the conditions that day, but tours are around 1.5 – 2 hours total. The total snorkeling time is roughly 45 minutes.
We got back to the dock about 1.5 hours after we began.
How cold is the water?
The water off the Kona coast averages around 74ºF in the winter months and 81ºF in the summer.
It can feel cold after being in the water for a while, but it’s usually manageable with the wetsuit that is provided. It was colder than I was expecting, but not too uncomfortable.
Can kids join this tour?
Juniper is obviously too young for it now, but we think we’ll have another diver on our hands when she gets older!
Most tour companies allow children 6 or 7 and older to participate. Read the specifics of the company you book with to make sure (some companies have a higher age limit).
There were two children in our tour group and they seemed to have a great time.
Aside from the age requirement, it is strongly recommended that they have some prior snorkeling experience, which goes a long way in helping them feel comfortable in the water at night.
That said, you know your child best, and it might not be suitable for all kids. It is a long time in one position in the water, and the manta rays getting so close may be scary for some little ones.
Good to know: Some companies (like Sea Paradise) allow children 4+ to ride along in the boat without getting in the water for $65.
Personal experience: Since our daughter wasn’t old enough to join this tour (16 months), we hired a babysitter. Our Airbnb host’s daughter offers babysitting services to guests, but this company also looks like a great option to find qualified and vetted babysitters during your time in Hawaii.
Do I have to have snorkeling experience?
While the tour is certainly doable for travelers who have never snorkeled before, having at least some previous experience is strongly recommended. The process of breathing in through the mask is MUCH less easy to learn for the first time in dark water!
