Glide above giant Pacific manta rays — some with 14-ft wingspans — as they barrel-roll through bioluminescent plankton clouds beneath your mask. This after-dark snorkel off Keauhou Bay is Kona's single most extraordinary marine experience.
What to expect
After a thorough briefing on manta etiquette, you enter the water at dusk holding a surfboard with LED lights facing down. Mantas arrive within minutes, drawn by the plankton bloom, looping mere inches beneath snorkelers. Guides identify individual rays by name and belly-spot pattern. The experience typically lasts 45–60 minutes in the water, and hot towels and light snacks await on deck afterward.
Good to know
Departs Honokohau Harbor ~6 pm; back by 9 pm — well within any all-aboard time for evening departures. Pre-book weeks in advance; this sells out nightly. Wetsuit rental available on-site for USD 10.
Sail there
Luxury cruises that call at Kailua-Kona — book through us, the fare is identical and your concierge stays on your side.