(Children (under 18) must be at least five years of age and demonstrate strong swimming ability and be accompanied by an adult at all times.) Your helpful guide will provide all of the necessary equipment (including Rx masks) and keep you safe and happy on your adventure. Adults and children (ages 5+) are welcome, and no experience is necessary, but basic swimming skills are required. The Manta Ray Swim is open to anyone with a spirit of adventure. You might be amazed at how close they get! You will hold onto it, superman style, and watch the large and graceful mantas glide and spin just beneath you. An experienced tour guide will take you into the water where you surround a custom-built snorkel board with high-powered lights. The Manta Ray Swim is approximately a two-hour long tour that takes off from Honokohau Harbor to go to Garden Eel Cove or near the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa, depending on where the best manta action was the night before. Instead, they suck in plankton with their wide, vacuum-like mouths. Unlike stingrays, manta rays do not have stingers or barbs on their tails and have no teeth. Don’t worry, they’re completely harmless. They are some of the largest fish in the ocean. These gentle giants lurk just beneath the warm, clear waters and can boast a wingspan up to 16 feet wide.
The manta rays come year-round, but their numbers on any given day depend on how much plankton is in the water. Kona is home to over 200 named mantas, distinguishable by their beautiful black and white marks.