Neptune Charlie’s Ocean Safaris

A really great crew to tour with. Dan, Kenny, Jim and Chad were all incredibly professional and also fun guys to spend the morning with. They take their jobs seriously and genuinely want to make sure customers have a great time and will do all they can to make that happen. Our dolphin tour with them was the highlight of my trip.

We joined Neptune Charlies with Jim and Dave for the most spectacular experience! Jim and Dave were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable! What was most important to me was their utmost respect for the Ocean and all creatures of the ocean. The entire experience was something I will never forget. First we got to swim with Manta Rays that were some of the most graceful creatures I have ever seen. Then we swam above a cut in the reef to find some sharks. Lastly we found pods of dolphins and swam with them which was beyond amazing. Most importantly, after a few drops with the dolphins they noted that they seemed to be getting a little stressed so it was best to let them be on their way. I loved that just as much as I loved swimming with them because it showed respect and love for the dolphins. From there we headed out a bit further to see if we could find the elusive Whale Shark and along the way picked up trash out of the ocean. Again, I loved their compassion to save our ocean and all the beings that call it home. While we did not find the Whale Shark, I could not have asked for a better crew and memory of my trip to Hawaii! These guys are the best and I highly recommend them!

My wife and I recently visited Kona and we did three excursions with Neptune Charlie’s: two tank dive, night Manta ray snorkel and open water dolphin swim. They were enthusiastic, helpful and knowledgable. GREAT WORK!

Really, one of the coolest things I’ve ever done! Was within 5 feet of several dolphins several times & idk what’s cooler than that! Great trip! Loved it & I will recommend to anyone coming to Kona! Thanks gentlemen.

We came out for the manta ray dive and the dolphin swim. The dolphin swim was easily one of the best experiences I’ve had at Big Island. We were lucky enough to swim right by at least 20 or so dolphins and even a pod of humpback whales. What an experience! The manta ray dive was ok; we were only able to see two of them the night we went (of course not the crews fault since they can’t control nature). The water gets pretty chilly in the evenings so be prepared to float around in that for 40 or so minutes! The crew was friendly and explained everything well, they definitely wanted everyone to have a good time. If you’re looking for some water related activities during your visit I would definitely recommend checking out the dolphin swim

I love swimming with the Manta Rays but don’t go with this company. They use very poor judgment. First time we went years ago it went fairly well however the lights they gave us ran out of battery life very quickly. Fortunately other boats nearby had good lights for their swimmers. This last trip was a disaster. We were the last boat to arrive at the site and had nowhere to tie up. Captain says we are going to make like Navy Seals and jump off and swim in to the site. Here we had over 60yr olds and kids that couldn’t swim! So they dump the two light equipped rafts into the very choppy sea and the boat backs over them and capsizes one loosing the lights. As we drift further and further away from the site they tell us to jump in. So we finally all are in and we begin swimming as hard as we can to try to get back toward the site all the other boats swimmers just jumped in at. The current was bad. Visibility wAs bad. I am a certified diver and began tiring as we tried to move this raft back toward the site. It was a struggle we were all swimming very hard. I began worrying about the novices with us. It was a bad situation and we had to swim a long way. I was getting mad. This was ridiculous and we never fully made it to the site. We saw a Couple small manta and then one older lady said she needed to go back to the boat which she did with one of the dive masters. Shortly thereafter we were called back to the boat as the lady had gone into coronary arrest. The crew was asking if anyone had a phone to cal 911. I don’t know why they didn’t put out a mayday call as there were probably at least 75 people at the site on boats. Maybe a Dr or paramedic was there. They chose to drive back to the harbor and didn’t use their radio as if it was useless. The poor lady was dead by the time we got back to the dock.

I went one night and didn’t see any manta rays. So I called the next day got in that night. We saw a humpback whale and then 3 – 4 manta. Captain Eric was great and the diver guy Chris was supper friendly!

We had great time guys! Thanks! The crew knew where to look for the dolphins, they made it fun and enjoyable for everyone. They are down to earth and personable. The water was crystal blue!!! After swimming we sat next to the reef to snorkel, and had lunch and snacks. Thanks for the great honeymoon trip!!! We can’t wait to bring the kids.

Shout out to Jim, Dwayne, and Seth! Thanks for the fun trip. I’ve done a lot of diving, not as much as some, but more than other; and this was by far the best dive so far! The Mantas are so peaceful and elegant. They swim so close to you (inches or less) and never touch you. I saw a few run into each other once or twice which was funny. They over weight you as a diver so you can sit on the ocean floor (no coral) and just chill. Seth knew what he was doing. The crew are very knowledgeable about mantas and marine life and are not boring at all. They were very entertaining and kind. After the dive there was hot chocolate and snacks. I’d recommend anyone who is on the big island to do the Manta dive/​snorkel.
A hui kaua

Great crew. Friendly knowledgeable, helpful can’t say enough about them. You have to experience it. The dive was absolutely one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced. The ray named lefty was huge and graceful. She floated through the water with such ease and fluid motion. At one point she came right at me upside down mouth agape. She barrel rolled and brushed me with her left wing. That was so incredible. This is the tour you want! I’ll be back to experience that again with them.

Took my family, we had a great time ! The Manta Rays were feet from us! Such an amazing experience. Mahalo to the crew!

Im giving 5 stars because the manta rays were one of the top life experiences i’ve ever had! they were amazing to watch.
that being said, you are allowed a strict 45 minutes in the water snorkeling. it took 40 minutes of waiting and waiting and then the last 5 minutes the rays showed up finally, which was AMAZING, but then we had to get out of the water because our time was up.
so, here comes the comments and suggestions for future trips. i wish we could have just left the dock later. we had to check in by 5pm for the boat leaving by 5:15. we first had to rush from another part of town when another company, seaquest, delayed our prior activity. i called to let the woman on the phone know it wasn’t our fault, but she had no sympathy at all. «no refunds and all the other tours are booked full. the boat leaves at 5:15.» she was really rude and i was stressed out all day thinking about how we might not make the boat.
so (YAY!) we actually arrived in time and got on the boat. the boat got to the snorkel site anchored. then we waited and waited for what seemed like an hour or more «watching the sunset.» personally, i got quite seasick on the boat as it was swaying back in forth anchored there. i totally understand that we needed time to gear up with fins, snorkel, and wetsuit, but then we still had so much time to spare. i wish we showed up closer to sunset so that we could have had a lot more time to watch the actual rays. there was way too much downtown waiting around, both on the boat and in the water.
crew was awesome.
i hated the annoying Europeans (Dimitry something and his GF) next to me in the water who kept kicking me and grabbing my legs, and touching the manta rays (big no-​no.) would be great to have another staff member in the water to police unruly guests.

I went diving with Neptune/​Manta Ray divers for he famous manta night dive.
The staff in the boat were great. Very professional, helped everyone enjoy the trip in a great and safe way.
The booking process can be easily made on-​line… only had one issue as the price I was being quoted was higher than their internet list price… good I double checked ;). This is he reason I’m not giving them a 5 stars.
The boat is nice, spacious and they offer snacks and juice.
They usually post a video f the dive after in their facebook page which you can share for free :)!!!

Went on manta ray tour and it was super super cool. Very friendly and awesome crew on board last night. A definite must do on the big island.

We went on the dolphin excursion early morning trip and it was awesome. There were only 6 of us and Erik and Alexa took us to many spots to snorkel with the Dolphins. It was a very personalized tour and we got in and out of the water at least half a dozen times, finding the perfect spot every time. We swam with more than 75 dolphins in the largest pod I’ve ever seen. Afterwards we went to skull cave and snorkeled with a turtle, puffer fish and other interesting fish. That area was absolutely beautiful. We also did the manta ray night time dive and we didn’t luck out seeing a whole lot this time, the crew Erik, Seth, Chris and Dwayne were awesome! And it was a guaranteed sighting so we get to do it again for free. I can hardly wait!

Flipper, Chris and Captain Heidi were Awesome! Great leaders in the water and guarantee a great experience. Don’t Forget to Tip this awesome crew!!! Labor of love for those guys!

If you want an AWESOME Manta Ray snorkeling adventure, go with with Neptune Charlies. I went on a tour with these guys this past saturday and I had a blast. Manta Ray’s come within about a foot of you without any unnatural feeding/“chumming” of the water.
Following my tour, I thought I lost my wallet and my phone. They went out of their way to help me find it, and I later found it.
BIG THANKS to the crew last saturday for an awesome time and their help with finding my wallet/​phone. When I come back to Big Island, I will be coming back to Neptun Charlie’s.

We went out on Wednesday night’s cruise and had an amazing time. The crew were kind, helpful, patient, and knowable. The manta rays were unbelievable. If I didn’t know better I would say that they were trained as show animals; they came as predicted and gave us the show of our lives. WOW what a phenomenal experience so worth the money. I only have one more thing to say DO IT.

Fun, fun, fun… those mantas were AWSOME! The crew… all guys… were knowledgeable but told some corny jokes. they were also very thoughtful.
The sea wasn’t calm when we’ve arrived and on that night of snorkeling it wasn’t calm either. Eventhough we all took dramamine beforehand… 2hrs ahead of time… we weren’t sick on the way there, but when all of us…5 in the fam… were floating to oooo and awwwed at the mantas, we all got motion sickness. We enjoyed watching the mantas but in our head we were all thinking…“oh god! is it nearly over!” LOL
The crew showed us what to do to lessen the affect when everyone was back on the boat. I would say, if the sea was calm, we probably would have a fun time snorkeling. So if you are thinking of booking the night snorkeling with Neptune Charlie… just do it!
Remember to bring your waterproof camera too!

We had an awesome adventure night snorkeling with Manta Rays.
Neptune Charles has a funny great knowledgeable crew. They made the whole experience a pleasure, even for my scared to death wife who got in the water and stayed and watched the Mantas the whole time.
The night diving experience was a blast. A nice sun set ride out. Light snacks and drinks were provided. All the equipment was in great shape.
Now these giant Mantas swim by and at times come within inches of you. It’s was so surreal for me that any elements of danger seemed to go away.
I’d highly suggest this tour and this boat with anyone wanting to experience nature at its finest.
There are so many other boats, swimmers and lights that the fear of a night dive will go away.
If you have a tendency to get sea sick, take something an hour before you get on. You will be on or in the open ocean for a solid 3 hours.
I wish I had a waterproof camera. Next time