Recommendation for Kona Manta Snorkel operator

[davehicks]

My wife and a non-diving friend are going to Kona (big island) in a few weeks. My wife really wants to take her friend to snorkel with the mantas.

Can anyone suggest a preferred, quality operator of Manta Night Snorkel adventures?

Thanks!

 

[living4experiences]

I've always used Jack's Diving Locker in Kona. They are very eco-conscious about not touching the mantas and they give a very good briefing about the experience, where other operators don't care. They also have a manta guarantee, so you'll want to do this activity early in your trip in case you have to reschedule for another night. I've done it three times, and on one occasion we didn't see mantas but were able to reschedule and saw a bunch!

www.jacksdivinglocker.com/en/manta-night-dive-and-snorkel

 

[davehicks]

Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[NorCalDM]

We used Aquatic Life for the Manta snorkel as my sister-in-law does not dive. They do snorkel and dive on the same trip. Captain Frank is great and have been with him on Kona Honu boats as well. They have a small boat with less people on board we had 6 snorkelers and one diver. Sorry Jack's has too many people onboard for me.

 

[Still Kicking]

Does anyone know if the mantas still come to the lights of the Sheraton Hotel? I took my kids (8 and 12 maybe?) snorkeling there at night and attracted the mantas with my HID light. It was a very easy swim from the adjacent boat ramp and made for a very memorable experience.

Obviously, you have to judge whether everyone in your party is up for a self-guided night swim, but if the mantas are still at the Sheraton, it's definitely an option.

 

[FreqFlier]

We had enormous fun with mantas when we stayed at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. Pretty much every night for a week...

 

[xan]

Last time around we used Sea Paradise for the snorkel part, which also had a manta guarantee we actually took advantage of (saw a bunch on the second night rather than the first). There were a lot of people on the boat, though it didn't feel cramped, and it's not a long ride out.

I don't remember why we didn't use Jack's, probably scheduling? I liked them quite a bit for the night dive though.

Does anyone know if the mantas still come to the lights of the Sheraton Hotel?

They "do" in the sense that as wild animals they don't have to nor guarantee it, but frequently show up. Many of the operators still use the area.