How a manta night snorkel works
Boats leave around sunset or after dark from Honokōhau Harbor or Keauhou Bay. At the site the crew hands out masks, snorkels, and (on most trips) a wetsuit top, and the group holds onto a lighted float board. The lights draw plankton, the plankton draws mantas, and the mantas feed in slow loops just beneath you.
Snorkelers stay at the surface. Scuba divers settle on the bottom with their lights pointing up, so you’ll often see a glowing circle of divers below the mantas. The short raft trips put you in the water for roughly 25–30 minutes; the bigger boats run longer outings — check each listing for its exact format.
Choosing your boat
- Shortest and cheapest: small rafts from Keauhou are only minutes from the site. Fewer people, less time on the water, and you feel every wave.
- Most comfortable: the larger boats from Honokōhau Harbor add snacks, more room, and ride-along tickets so a non-swimming partner can still come.
- Staying on the Kohala Coast: Iruka Hawaii offers paid pickup from the Waikōloa, Mauna Lani, and Hāpuna resorts, so you don’t have to drive back in the dark.
- Want a guarantee: Hang Loose Boat Tours, My Kona Adventures, and Dolphin Discoveries each offer one on their own terms — read the fine print on the listing.
1 hour 20 minutesMy Kona Adventures
Kona Manta Ray Night Snorkel (Free Re-Ride)
Keauhou (78-7138 Kaleiopapa St), Kailua-Kona
Free cancellation
Booked securely on Viator
2 hoursDolphin Discoveries
Manta Ray Night Snorkel, Sightings Guaranteed
Dolphin Discoveries check-in, Aliʻi Drive, Kailua-Kona
Free cancellation
Booked securely on Viator
Rules that protect the mantas
The Manta Pacific Research Foundation, a Kona nonprofit, sets the guidelines that responsible operators follow: no touching (it rubs off the mucus that protects a manta’s skin), snorkelers stay at the surface with legs horizontal, and divers stay on the bottom. Hawaiʻi law also makes it illegal to capture, take, abuse, or kill any ray in state waters.
Watch without getting wet
The Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa above Keauhou Bay has lit the water off its shoreline since the early 1970s, and on many nights you can watch mantas feeding from the hotel. It’s the best stay on the island for manta lovers who would rather keep a mai tai dry.
What to bring
- Swimsuit worn under your clothes, a towel, and a warm layer for the ride back — wet skin and night wind add up.
- Motion-sickness medicine if you’re prone; take it before you board.
- Dinner beforehand. Most trips serve only snacks, and one adds hot cocoa on the ride home.
- No sunscreen needed — it’s dark.
