You’ll find many options when it comes to doing a manta ray snorkel on the Big Island of Hawaii. A very popular activity on the Kona Coast, snorkeling with manta rays can draw quite the crowd. For a more intimate, one-on-one manta ray snorkeling experience I love going out with Eka Canoe on a small outrigger. Located at Keauhou Bay, the smaller group tour with Eka Canoe provides a very different experience fo manta ray snorkeling. We’ve got the full scoop on this particular tour and what to expect when doing a nighttime snorkel with mantas.
Have you gone out with Eka Canoe before or another tour and you’re considering a new experience? I hope you’ll give them a try and let us know how you enjoyed it. I think it’s so very special. If you have any additional questions about this tour, snorkeling with manta rays or need help planning your visit to the Big Island of Hawaii, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more!
Why Choose Eka Canoe for your Manta Ray Snorkeling?
What really stood out to me upon finishing our first manta ray snorkeling with Eka Canoe was actually how much attention our family was given from start to finish. Being in a small group really makes a difference in how comfortable and safe you feel sailing out into the darkness. The small outrigger canoe setup is ideal for being able to ask questions and feel supported from the time you’re on the water until you’re in the water, and back to the start.
With our small group manta ray snorkel, there was a captain and a crew member. The maximum number of participants for this sort of trip is 12, but we only had 8 for our trip. The kids loved that we basically had our own boat (one side of the dual hull canoe) and us parents liked how connected we were able to be with our kids throughout the experience. We were able to bring towels with us onboard and store our drybag in the middle of the canoe, so warming up afterwards was easy.
Book our EXACT TOUR HERE! – Eka Canoe
What makes the Eka Canoe Manta Ray tour so different?
The thing about going out with Eka Canoe vs a larger catamaran for manta ray snorkeling is that you have immediate water access. When you do the larger tours from Kailua-Kona you have the sailing experience at sunset going out from town and then it’s a process to get 30+ people down into the water and hanging out with the manta rays. With Eka Canoe, you depart from the marina at Keauhou Bay so you don’t have to travel far to get to the snorkeling spot.
The other efficiency of this tour is that you literally can just go over the side of the canoe into the water when you’ve been given the go-ahead. There’s no waiting for other people who may be waffling, thus maximizing your time in the water.
Planning your Eka Canoe Manta Ray Snorkeling Trip
Doing the manta ray snorkeling with Eka Canoe was very different from doing the larger catamaran. I really enjoyed the novelty of heading out into the ocean on an outrigger canoe with a small group. The captain and guide were very attentive to us and made sure we were all safe an comfortable with the experience. I liked that once in the water (which was literally just going over the side of the canoe) we had such a small group and it felt very calm and personalized.
Wetsuit tops are provided for guests which helps with both floating and staying warm when you’re out in the water. It’s Hawaii, so it’s not super cold, but when you’re out there snorkeling with manta rays for a while and then you get out and the breezes off the ocean get you, it can be chilly.
Book our EXACT TOUR HERE! – Eka Canoe
Parking Tips for Tours at Keauhou Bay
Parking for this tour or any other nighttime tour into Keauhou Bay is tricky. The parking directly at the marina is very limited. As you drive down the hill towards your tour start and the Outrigger Resort (next door) you’ll start to see cars parked on the side of the road pretty early. You can either park right when you see a spot or try to get closer, but likely you’ll have quite the walk to the dock. If you’re staying at the Outrigger, the departure area is right next door, so it’s easy to simply walk 5 minutes to the launch point.
Manta Ray Snorkeling Process
When you arrive at your manta ray snorkeling spot, the tour guides will put light boards into the water. These are like large surfboards with handles for the snorkelers to hold onto. On the lightboards are high-powered lights on the underside that attract the plankton and small feeder fish to it. The snorkelers get into the water and arrange themselves along the sides of the lightboard, peering into the area below. From here, the manta rays arrive and swim up, doing barrel rolls and feeding in the light. They come very close to you but don’t usually touch people.
The snorkelers DO NOT TOUCH the manta rays. The rays will swim by and get very close, There no need to touch them and if you do you will hurt the manta ray. They have a coating on their skin that can be damaged by being touched by human fingers. For the safety and health of the manta rays, keep your hands to yourself.
Camera Gear for Nighttime Manta Ray Encounters
It’s so very important in all things to enjoy your experience first and foremost. Take in the atmosphere and the phenomenal sight of flying manta rays in the sea… and then you’ll want to snap some photos too. You do not need to invest in wildly expensive underwater photography gear to get great pictures of nighttime snorkeling with manta rays. Because the lightboard is so bright and manta rays have a white underside, underwater photography is easy.
You can get good photos with a GOOD smartphone camera and a solid underwater phone case with a strap. WITH A STRAP. If you’re not a professional or get into photo and video editing, you can just capture individual shots of the manta rays. For the best images though, set your video settings to the highest frame rate, highest quality and get footage of the manta rays. You can then lift individual frames from the footage. You can use a GoPro if you like, but I don’t have the best experience with them for this particular type of underwater photography.
More Kona Coast Things to Do
The Kona Coast is one of my favorite areas in all of Hawaii. I love the different activities, from snorkeling with manta rays to daytime snorkel trips, experiencing Kona coffee culture to learning about historic Native Hawaiian culture. It’s always beautiful and no two visits are the same. Here are our top picks for things to do on the Kona Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.
- tour some of the many Kona coffee farms and tasting rooms
- walk the seawall in Kailua-Kona and visit the Hulihe’e Palace
- snorkel at Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area
- visit Kaloko Honkohau National Historic Park to see honu (sea turtles)
- do a nighttime snorkel with manta rays
- go to Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historic Park to see tikis and learn about Native Hawaiian culture
- hike at the Haulalai Volcano or Hawaii Volcanoes NP‘s Kahuku Unit
There are many more things to do when you’re putting together your Big Island itinerary, but when it comes to visiting the Kona Coast, these are some of our favorite things to do.
Where to Stay on the Kona Coast
The Kona Coast is big, stretching from Waimea at the north to Naalehu on the South Shore. You’ll find every sort of accommodation here from national travel brand hotels like Marriott and Holiday Inn Express to independent bed and breakfasts (the Ka’awa Loa Plantation is my favorite!), as well are larger resorts. We’ve enjoyed many different places but I really do like being near the town of Kailua-Kona because of the central location. Staying to the north is lovely because it’s so quiet and it’s all about the outdoor adventures. The southern end of the Kona Coast is full of coffee culture, lava flows and remote beaches you can hike to.
Are you excited for a manta ray snorkeling adventure with Eka Canoe? I hope so! If you have any additional questions about this tour, snorkeling with manta rays or need help planning your visit to the Big Island of Hawaii, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more!
