Sea Quest Hawaii — Attraction in Hawaii

Very happy we chose this company over others we had looked at. We did the 8:30pm manta night snorkel on October 8. The water was calm and warm.

High level: Staff communicated well from start to finish. It was an extremely short boat ride to the mantas. GoPro available to rent and you keep the memory card. Staff was very kind and experienced with helping anyone nervous.

Detail: The location was easy to find. You park along Kaleiopapa Street, very close to the Outrigger Kona Resort, and their building is at the end of the road near the water. Public bathrooms are next door.

Check-in is inside the building, which is also a gift shop (which will be closed by the time you get back from the 8:30pm excursion), then they bring you a wetsuit (my first time wearing one). I tried on a couple onesie wetsuits (the sleeves go to the elbow and pants go to the knee) but found it too constricting on the waist and claustrophobia inducing for me. So I switched to just a wetsuit jacket (sleeves to the elbow also). I get cold easily but was absolutely fine in this - the water was warm and I was buoyant enough.

Anything you bring other than necessary items like shoes/glasses/medicine they'll require you to leave in a secure room in their building (the boat layout isn't conducive to bringing a bag and it's such a short ride).

They separate people into smaller groups, give you an overview and rules and opportunity to ask questions, then a short walk to the boat, take your shoes, give an overview of how to get on and sit on the boat and more opportunities to ask questions, then an extremely short ride to the manta viewing.

I normally get motion sickness but the ride was short and smooth enough that I had no problem (I didn't take any drugs for it). I got only the slightest twinge when I was waiting on the boat to get in the water but looking at land fixed that.

They give you a pool noodle and a regular or prescription mask and snorkel if you don't have one (by the way, don't buy a full face snorkel mask - people are known to suffocate - the 2-piece ones Sea Quest provides work perfectly and they're easy to take on and off to catch a breath).

You then drop from the side of the boat into the water and it's a short swim to the lighted rafts. They'll give you an escort to the raft if you like so you don't have to swim yourself. I was really scared so they let me hang back on the boat for as long as I wanted while I calmed my breathing and they gave no-pressure encouragement. I was worried about cold shock so they gave me the option to take the ladder into the water instead so I could slowly get a feel for it. It was a comfortable temperature even once it hit my waist. I got an escort to the raft where they place the pool noodle under your ankles so you're lying prone holding onto the bar around the raft.

We saw several mantas who did repeat fly-bys under the raft. You can't touch them but they may graze you. There were many small and tiny fish (who might run into you), we saw a tiny harmless jellyfish (about the size of a nickel), and the bright plankton looked so cool.

I got to the raft later than anyone else but stayed to the end. Any time I wanted to take off the snorkel to get some deep breaths or pull a little closer to the raft to give my arms a break, it was very easy. If you want to stop early, they'll escort you back to the boat.

My partner filmed with the GoPro in one hand. We won't know until we're back home if it actually captured the experience well.

At the end, they pull the raft to the boat with you hanging on and you climb up the short ladder. It's a short ride back, you get your shoes, then back at the building they offered us hot ginger tea, hot chocolate, ginger ale, and a bag of mini cookies.

I don't know why their waiver makes it sound so dangerous - it was probably a lot riskier driving HI-19 to get there.

Highly recommend this company...

We had 2 great experiences with Sea Quest. We really liked our premium day trip since it included both Place of Refuge (Honaunau) and Captain Cook (Kealakekua) bays. And the Manta Ray night snorkel was one of the highlights of our week in Hawaii!

When we booked the Premium day snorkel trip online we were offered a discount on the night Manta Ray snorkel, so we booked it for 2 days later. I think if you wanted both but didn’t book them together you can ask for a discount code for subsequent trips.

We parked in the recommended lot and had a short walk to their office. Their parking lot has a pin on Google maps (Sea Quest Hawaii parking) making it easy to navigate there.

The staff was great: Email questions were answered quickly by Kyla. And our day trip captain Robbie was friendly, informative and skilled, with helper Camie always ready to assist us. At night we had captain Nick who was informative, funny and skilled along with Camie, Noah and Susie. They all made us feel welcome and comfortable. Even my husband who’s not a snorkeler was assisted as needed and made to feel good about his experience.

During the day premium trip, besides snorkeling at the 2 planned spots Captain Robbie piloted us as close as possible to 2 sets of whales after we saw them spouting, and also to see spinner dolphins. He also took us to sea caves on the way back. So we got whale watching, dolphin watching and snorkeling all in one great experience! Our zodiac style boat had a shade cover, and plenty of room and storage. We were fed delicious fruit prepared by Camie, pre-made sandwiches which you choose when you book, cookies and chips and a choice of drinks. For the day trip the only thing I would do differently was to rent a shorty wetsuit. The water in February was cooler than I like.

For the manta ray night snorkel, upon arrival at Sea Quest’s office we were given shorty wetsuits which we put on before going to the boat. I’m not sure if they do this in warmer months, but it was February, so the water was cooler. Not only did it keep us warm but it helped us float also.

We also checked in our personal belongings before heading to the boat. The boat ride is only 5 minutes to the ray area, right near the bay, so no need to worry about sea sickness. Fins aren’t used, instead we were each given a pool noodle to put under our armpits to swim a very short distance to the light bar, which has a bar you grab and hold onto the entire time. You then place the noodle under your ankles to keep your legs & feet level so as to not disturb the rays. Helpers are there to assist you in the water the entire time. Within a minute the gentle giants appeared! It was estimated there were 7 rays that continuously looped upside down to scoop up the plankton attracted by the lights. Sometimes they came very close and even touched us, but no worries, they won’t do you any harm.

Both trips with Sea Quest were fantastic experiences and we can highly...

Aloha! First off, this company is amazing, they actually respond to emails (unlike others we tried to contact), and they’re super helpful and personable. Their communication and support before the tour were excellent, and we really appreciated how close and attentive they were.

About the night manta ray experience: seeing manta rays up close was absolutely unforgettable, a magical, once-in-a-lifetime moment that we’ll always treasure. Watching them glide through the water was breathtaking. We had swum with manta rays before, but this was the closest we had ever been.

That said, the setting felt a bit overwhelming. We were grouped with families and young children, and the energy and noise levels made it harder to relax and fully enjoy the experience.

A guide from another group within the same SeaQuest company (not our assigned guide) started sharing a lot of interesting facts, which we appreciated at first, but she was very young and didn’t seem to know how to pace herself or allow space for pauses. She spoke nonstop for about 20-30 minutes. We didn’t want to be rude, so we kept listening and nodding, but it became too much. With our heads tilted up trying to follow along and be polite, we ended up missing several manta rays swimming past.

Also, while we understand the laid-back island vibe, we couldn’t help but notice that several of the young guides were wearing very minimal swimwear, such as thongs or Brazilian-style swimsuits — even at night, when there’s clearly no need for tanning 😅. With so many families and children around, it felt a bit unprofessional and somewhat out of place in that context.

On top of that, the woman next to me had no sense of personal space. She couldn’t seem to control half of her body — her legs and feet kept ending up on me, and she knocked my noodle out of place at least 7 times. Our tour guide tried to redirect her once, but it didn’t help. Eventually, I had to push her away myself and even then, it didn’t matter. She just couldn’t seem to stay in her zone or control herself, and it really affected the experience.

It was too much to take in and overwhelming because of external factors, it was a bit disappointing. Not the experience we were expecting. We’re still grateful we got to see so many manta rays, but we can’t give it a 10.

On the other hand, the daytime snorkeling tour was absolutely amazing! We were lucky to have Sam and Taylor leading our group — fun, easygoing, super knowledgeable, and wearing proper clothing 😅. They were attentive at all times, full of great energy, and made us feel completely taken care of. We really connected with them, and they made that part of the trip truly unforgettable.

Overall: A bit above average thanks to the manta ray sighting itself and the excellent daytime tour with Sam and Taylor — but not a great memory overall due to the setting and lack of comfort during the...