Manta Ray Tours in Hawaii!

Swim, snorkel and dive with Giant Manta Rays

 

This is a family-fun adventure tour! You will have a close and personal experience swimming, snorkeling or scuba diving with these gentle, giant creatures.

All aboard the "Sea Wolf"!

The “Sea Wolf” leaves from the Honokohou Harbor each evening to snorkel or scuba dive with the giant Manta Rays in our tropical waters. Hawaii is considered the #1 place in the world to view Mantas. The Manta Rays here have become conditioned where to go each night to find an easy meal; feeding on the plankton that is attracted by our underwater lights...which makes locating them easy for us! 

As the sun is setting we will anchor out at the Manta feeding area and listen to the story of how the world-famous Manta Tour was started, learn about the mantas here in Hawaii and receive a briefing on Manta viewing guidelines and proper "manta etiquette”.

After the sun sets you will step into your wetsuit, put on your snorkel gear and enter the water with your swim guides. Don’t worry if swimming is not your strong point because on this tour you are required to simply hang on to the well-lit flotation device that your swim guide will pull over the manta feeding area, and use your mask and snorkel to peer below at the spectacular underwater performance that the “flying mantas” will put on for us. As the snorkelers float on top of the water with lights shining down, our scuba divers sit on the ocean bottom and shine their lights up.

The average number of feeding rays per night averages between one and four but can easily exceed 12 or even more with an all time. It is very rare (less that 5% of the time) when we encounter no mantas at all.

  

Also enjoy spotting eels and other nocturnal sea creatures that frequent the coral reefs of our coastal waters at night.      

All divers and snorkelers are accompanied by PADI Divemasters or Instructors. No experience necessary all instructions included!

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Manta rays are large beautiful sea creatures that live in warm temperate waters. Their side or pectoral fins are wide triangular wings which they use to propel themselves through the water. With wing spans that can reach over 20 feet across, manta rays are one of the largest animals in the ocean. Their wide blanket-like bodies earned them the name “manta” which means cloak in Spanish.

Manta Rays do not have the ability to bite or sting, which makes viewing them not only a safe activity but is also an unforgettable one! When feeding, the Mantas use their oversized pectoral fins or “wings” to move through the water. Their cephalic fins direct the flow into its wide mouth and water passes through the gills with fine hairs that filter out tiny plankton.    

Mantas each have a pattern of black spots on their underbelly that is as unique as a fingerprint; no two are alike. Because of these markings, we have been able to name and study numerous individual Mantas.  

The organized Mantas encounters that have been taking place on the Kona Coast of the Big Island for over 30 years! Because the mantas show up so consistently night after night, year after year, we have been able to accurately identify individuals and gather local population data. 170 mantas have been identified in our waters as of May 2010, thanks to the efforts of local divers and contributing charter tour companies.

   

We Film Your Adventure!

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