Her depth of knowledge of the ocean life and manta rays was solid and she could answer any question thrown at her. She really made sure all were having a good time. Kelly was our conservation guide and she even noticed my 13 year old was struggling with his mask during the snorkel and swam over and helped him adjust it before I even noticed. My husband had injured his arm two days before and the crew was incredibly accommodating to make sure he could snorkel and was doing ok throughout our time. It was also nice that we didn't have to listen to all the instructions for the scuba divers if you are only snorkeling. (The snorkel/scuba combo boat is a larger, more traditional dive boat). It is a jet boat which was a very fun experience and felt a little more exciting in my opinion as you are closer to the water. Last time we had a combo boat (scuba and snorkelers). We did this same experience with the same company 18 years ago and again had an incredible experience, this time bringing our teenage kids along. We did the night snorkel to see the Manta Rays in mid June 2021. Thanks again to the crew Jeff, Mark, Brooks and Captain Dave. It was truly an amazing experience and would recommend to anyone. Jeff made this dive very comfortable for us in the water by setting rocks around us to keep us from moving too much and set lights up right around our group for a full blown Manta Theatrical Experience. First of all the crew got us down to the bottom before any other dive companies which proved to be massively worth it because the mantas were down there right after we set up the lights. Our dive master Jeff was brilliant, cant say I have had a better dive master. Captain Dave was excellent providing a safe and comfortable environment making everyone feel relaxed before our night dive. Brooks was funny and gave us a tip about a local beach that we ended up going to and had an amazing time. We had a chance to talk with each of the crew members. We were taken on a short ride to the manta dive sight and briefed thoroughly about what we might see and safety precautions. My experience with my wife and father was fantastic. As soon as everyone was aboard (they did a roll call to be sure), we headed back to the harbor.This is one you wont want to miss. When we got back on, the guides had fresh towels and hot chocolates for us. I was pretty cold at this point - my wetsuit is only a 2.5 thickness and too big for me, and we weren’t moving around at all. I could have stayed in the water forever, but it was time to get back on the boat. We were in the water for almost an hour, just watching their acrobatic dance. Mantas are incredibly smart - they recognize themselves in mirrors, which not even dogs can do! Some have even learned that humans can help them and will go up to diver to get fishing hooks removed. While those oceanic mantas are even bigger than the Hawaiian ones and it was one of the coolest things I have ever done, this snorkel was just as cool. In Indonesia, we saw oceanic mantas while diving. They corkscrew through the water, feeding on the plankton. As soon as we were in the water and situated, the mantas showed up. It’s a lot of just holding on and floating, you only kick when your guide directs you to move somewhere. There is also a ton of cute merchandise and gear and the shop, and if you show up before noon, there's a discount! I had thought that the snorkel was near the downtown of Kailua-Kona, but it was actually a 20 minute boat ride from the marina - and you end up right by the airport.įinally, it was our turn to jump in! How it works is that Big Island Divers have a surfboard with a light on the bottom and a PVC pipe rack around the outside, which the snorkelers held on to. We checked in at the dive shop ahead of the excursion - we were a little confused by this, but you just need to check in ahead of time to get sized for your wetsuit and get directions to the boat. We had brought our own snorkel gear that we used, but the cost of the excursion includes mask, snorkel, and fins and you can rent a wetsuit for $10. They were a reasonable price (only $105), just down the street from our vacation rental, and had great reviews. I did a little research, and I ended up booking the same company, Big Island Divers. We'd planned on doing a night SCUBA dive with mantas, and I stumbled on this post by Simply Taralynn about a night snorkel with manta rays, and I knew that we had to do it. We had hoped to do a SCUBA dive while in Hawaii, but I had a sinus infection that made diving impossible, so I got to work looking for something to do instead.
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