And then, we were instructed to get in the water by descending a staircase from the boat after grabbing a pool noodle. This was so that we (the snorkelers) did not venture too far out from the boat. There were two floating rigs on the boat, and they put them in the water lengthwise and anchored them to the boat. Once we reached our snorkel spot, the captain stopped the boat and the crew jumped in the water to set up the equipment. While we carried our own snorkel gear, they provided other guests with rental gear as well. Midway, the crew provided us with a wetsuit (top only) to change into before. The ride from Kona to the manta ray viewing spot was about 40 minutes. The boat also had two bathrooms on board. Alcoholic drinks were available for purchase, but I’d advise you to hold off until after the snorkel. The boat also had some snacks and drinks on board. I utilized some time on the boat for a photo op. The boat had seating for over 50 people and was a spacious catamaran. We also removed our footwear that was placed in a box before boarding the boat. Needless to say, that was a no-brainer for us and we ended up booking both tours.īefore we got on the boat, the Lifeguard certified captain and crew introduced themselves and informed us of the ground rules. They also offered us a 20% discount if we booked a second tour (for return customers) with them. I was initially nervous since I am a beginner swimmer/snorkeler, but they put me at ease. We were greeted cheerfully by a Kona Style member who walked us through the manta ray snorkel experience. We were also interested in snorkeling at Kealakekua Bay (near Captain Cook’s monument). Therefore, we decided to drop into their office and inquire about the tours they offer. They had some open spots, had great reviews, and we saw that they were located quite close to our hotel, Marriott King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel. They sell out several days in advance.Īfter sifting through several websites and Tripadvisor tours, we found Kona Style. So, take it from our experience: do not delay booking your tickets. Suffice it to say that we made a mad scramble on various websites checking for dates, but most were sold out. However, we did not plan on the exact date until we reached Hawai’i. While planning for our Big Island of Hawai’i itinerary, we absolutely knew that we wanted to go for a manta ray snorkel. To learn about everything you should know before embarking on this type of snorkel, check out my in-depth post with tips here ! That in turn attracts the manta rays, thereby providing a spectacular show for the snorkelers! Embedded to these floating rigs are bright lights that shine downwards into the water which attract planktons in large numbers. There, they set up floating rigs or rafts, with handles on all four sides that guests can use to hang on to. Nowadays, this phenomena is leveraged by tour operators to offer guests a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! The tour operator takes the guests by boat to a location in open waters where manta rays frequent. But interestingly, this started to attract manta rays that were chasing plankton! In fact, this whole experience started because some hotels on the shore had light shining into the waters to entertain guests to see marine life. However, at night, there is limited light in the waters. So, the plankton is spread out all over the ocean. Now, during the daytime, light is abundant in the ocean waters. Hence, wherever there is plankton, the manta rays follow. The manta rays’ primary diet consists of plankton. The snorkeling experience with the manta ray snorkel experience occurs at night because of how light-dependent the entire expedition is.
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