Ocean Encounters of Kona

Great customer service. Really nice staff. Megan and Taylor who rode out in the boat were super friendly and helpful when my wife was sea sick. No problem booking, scheduling or rescheduling. Also Amy at the store was very nice and helpful. Coming from California, we really appreciate the staff’s island hospitality and customer service.

Let me dive to the bottom line:
(I’m no expert, but it’s very clear from what you see around you)
TWO basic, BUT CRITICAL things must happen so that your «Manta Ray Snorkel» goes well and is AMAZING:
1) Your surfboard should have STRONG few light beams shooting straight down to attract the plankton, and in turn — the mantas come eat.
2) All people MUST hold on to the surfboard «designated surrounding railing» and float HORIZONTALLY (preferably motionless, kinda «superman position) over the water so that they do not scare away the Mantas as they are approaching.
THAT’S IT. nothing to it — float and watch.
ALL the boat operators show up to the SAME spot at the same time and throw these luminous surfboards into the water. (Garden Eel Cove — site)
Each surfboard (nicknamed Team1, team2 etc) hosts 6 – 10 people so it can get pretty crowded. you may also get a kick or two.
Each surfboard has sort of an operator’s «Dive master» adjacent to guide the people and also watch no one is diving down/​drifting for safety precautions. great.
UNFORTUNATELY for us, after couple of minutes, few of the surfboard lights went off, so there’s less interest by the mantas to come over.
Also, and again, this is simple, but CRITICAL — our team members had few kids and parents that were flapping around vertically in the water — frequently taking the masks off and leaning on the surfboard, chatting while their fins are hanging down underwater kicking in all directions.
TO MY DISAPPOINTMENT — Our dive-​master (Kyle) couldn’t care less, didn’t even notice our lights not working. and then not reminding/​instructing the people to lay flat. I tried politely to ask them to follow instructions but they were busy chatting and playing with other fish surrounding us.
I could see these beautiful creatures coming near only to turn away or dive down due to our team members kicking and flapping underwater — scaring them away.
Not only that, Our dive-​master kept pointing out that other surfboards near-​by have 2 – 3 mantas swimming with them. just great.
To summarize, no matter that the crew is really attentive, friendly and knowledgeable — your final experience and satisfaction is eventually determined by the 40 minutes you’re actually in the water — So be wise enough to know what is the procedure and what are the basics.

Seriously disappointed in the night manta ray snorkel. We booked Ocean Encounters based on good reviews on Unilocal and TripAdvisor. The staff were not very professional, obviously embroiled in some weird flirtatious drama between the captain and staff members. Whatever. But then we get into the water and 1 out of 3 of the lights on the surfboard (the light attracts the plankton which attracts the mantas) was busted! Luckily you’re in the water with so many other outfits that we were able to match onto our groups with much brighter lights. Our staff member said the broken light was fine because he had a super bright flashlight. Well. Not only was the flashlight not at all bright compared to the other groups’ lights, but he was ahead of us most of the time, so that his light didn’t help our 2 measly lights attract any mantas. The only mantas we saw were under other groups’ lights, which was cool, but nothing like having them swim right under you. Seriously disappointed, especially for the price.

Don’t book here period. If I could give this place ZERO stars I would. There’s so many other options on the island that I wish I took a chance on before I knew I was screwed over! I called to book my fiancé’s manta ray dive for his birthday for Saturday the 12^th and they asked me if I could reschedule on Sunday. I told them we had something planned already so she asked the captain and he said yes. So Saturday comes around and they ask me if I can reschedule to Sunday because of the weather when nothing was wrong. I took their word for it but then Sunday comes along and boom… Thunder. They called to reschedule me and try to work a better deal for next time we come to the island but she never called back. Today I went to a couple tours and came to realize that other manta ray tours were going on even in the rain the night before. Apparently this place cancels on their customers so much that other people already know about their issues. So basically this place didn’t wanna go because they are lazy and don’t care about customer satisfaction. Maybe if you guys didn’t cancel the first time we could have gone! I called today also and the girl checked and even clarified that Saturday there wasn’t bad weather. So thanks for ruining something special for us! I will never return and I will never recommend this place either!

Our family went on the Ocean Encounter Dolphin Swim and Snorkel this morning. The captain and crew member were really knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. We absolutely recommend them! It was an amazing morning!

The good: zomg, a giant sea creature came up from the depths of the ocean and basically rubbed bellies with me. Seriously incredible experience.
The bad: a bit of sexual harassment from one of the crew members. Definitely avoid if you’re not the type to just brush that kind of thing off.

Just came back from the nighttime manta ray snorkel! It was the best experience we’ve had in the two weeks being in three islands of Hawaii! Also being an experienced traveler and scuba diver, this was by far the best encounter with sea life I’ve ever had! Our guide Troy, was amazing, and professional! The manta rays were absolutely breathtaking, and only mere inches away! Best money I’ve ever spent! Also one of the best deals I’ve ever come across! I wish I would have done this 10 times over the other activities I’ve participated in during these two weeks!

Captain was great and saw some awesome whales. Brochure was misleading as there was no food, fish, or drinks as mentioned. Also, no device to «listen» to the whales as described in the marketing. Customer service was a joke and still waiting on a manager to follow up.

We just came back from the nighttime manta ray snorkel. WOW is all I have to say. As we were in the water with the mantas (probably just 5 total but that was plenty!) I kept thinking «best $ 80 I’ve ever spent.» I’ve snorkeled in Fiji, in the Caribbean, and off Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, and big island, and swam with sharks, dolphins, turtles, etc and this may be the most magical, awe inspiring snorkeling experience I’ve ever had. I’m so glad we have go pro video to relive the experience!!!
The crew was experienced and nice, the boat perfectly fine, and the shortie wetsuits were new. The snorkel itself was about 30 minutes but we saw plenty and I was cold by that point anyway. In my mind this is a superior setup for 3 reasons:
1) the airport location they visit supposedly has more consistent manta sightings than the older Sheraton location. On a holiday weekend we saw probably 15+ boats at the airport location. On the Wednesday before we saw only about 5 boats at the Sheraton. More boats=more lights=more plankton=more manta.
2) this company uses surfboards surrounded by PVC grab bars. There is a guide per about 6 – 8 guests and he’s always paying attention that everyone is ok. Also this company seemed to have stronger lights mounted under their boards than what I could see from other outfits around us. More light=more plankton=more manta time directly underneath you.
3) this company is only $ 80 with no fuel surcharge making it $ 15+ cheaper than other companies I checked out.
My one bit of advice is to take along earplugs since the engines are quite loud on the 1 hr round trip ride.

A Once in a Lifetime Adventure
Just WOW! The manta ray night snorkel was our families favorite part of our Hawaii trip. Ocean Encounters guarantees that you’ll see Manta Rays or you get to come back. They go to the airport site which has plentiful manta encounters. Not sure what I expected but this was so much better and beyond
Check out the website for FAQs — What wished we knew
**All the Manta Ray snorkel companies use floating light devices that you hold on to. It not only keeps their guests together and safe, It is easy to use, no swimming just floating and the light devices bring the mantas to you.
**Wet suits are provided but not required to wear. They do keep you comfortable though, don’t be afraid to try it on and ask for a larger size. But there is also no need to fully zip it up.
**Their snorkel equipment was good, but yes you can bring and use your own.
**We had 14 passengers and 12 got in the water. We broke into two groups of six — Each group had their own guide. It didn’t feel crowded. I’m not sure what their max limit is. You might ask how many are signed up.
**Water Cameras work fine at night and the videos work even better and are abosuletly spectacular
Overall we had a fantastic time and the crew was terrific, we saw lots of HUGE manta rays. I felt completely safe even when they swam really close. We departed right on time. We watched the sun starting to set as we pulled out of the harbor which provided some great photos. We had no trouble with our equipment all the lights worked without incident. We booked easily online the day before. Attraction phone 808−494−9150
A once in a lifetime adventure that I hope to repeat

Only one Unilocal review?! Come on, fellow Unilocalers!
My husband and I recently went on a Manta Ray trip with these guys and were blown away by our entire experience. From the moment we first stepped on the boat to the end of our trip, these guys made us feel at ease and comfortable. They were extremely knowledgeable and it was easy to see how much they love what they do.
We as well as a few other people on our trip were a little hesitent and unsure about what the whole experience would be like. They take you through the whole process, step by step, and explain exactly what it will be like. Once we got into the water, I felt a tiny bit nervous but one of the guys who was in charge of our board said «Okay, my name is _​_​_​_​ (of course I would forget his name right away). I’ll be making sure you guys are safe tonight». It was exactly what I needed to hear at that moment.
Someone on our trip got sea sick and the guys couldn’t have been more understanding and patient with him.
We easily saw 10 or more Manta Rays come right up close to us.
I highly suggest you go with Ocean Encounters for your dolphin and manta ray experiences. I’m so very happy that we did.
**Just a side note: these guys make your safety a priority, so follow the few «rules» they they have and you’ll have a great time. :)

The captain, James, was great. They pass out lights for the snorkels to keep track of everyone. I didn’t follow directions and swam off away from the group, but the captain came and found me and was kind. We were close enough to be brushed by manta rays. We saw 2 total on our trip, but the one main one we saw really showed off, somersaulting directly under us to eat plankton. The food on the boat was minimal, and not to my taste. I recommend bringing your own food.