Kona Ocean Adventures — Local services in Hawaii

What can I say but a great overall experience! It's a small outfit and I know the cost is a wee bit more than others but it is so worth it! The dive Master is incredibly knowledgeable as is the boat captain. On our drive there were only four people total so we had super personalized service for the two night dives we did. One around the coral reef and the other one which is their spectacular manta ray night dive.

You only really have to show up on the boat with your towel, sunscreen, sunglasses, hat and of course swimsuit and your warm clothes to change into after your last night dive. They really do provide everything else you need from snorkel, mask and fins, to wet suit, and of course tanks, BCs and regulators. They even have extra towels and a warm water shower. They provide non-alcoholic beverages and water, a nice sandwich tray, hot chocolate and a warm wet towel to wash the salt off of your face and neck.

We were incredibly fortunate to have a pod of spinner dolphins swim past us as we were motoring out. The dolphins decided to play in our wake so we made a couple of passes with them jumping and spinning. It was amazing.

To me Hawaii is not known for their reef systems and I have been spoiled diving and places like Belize, Honduras, BVI, Bimini, and other warm water places. Our first dive was okay and we reached the depth of about 90 ft Saw a few fish and even a manta ray in the distance. The big show happened that night when they would light their "campfire" and we would all sit around it underwater at about 35-40 ft. The Mants were huge! They would come out from nowhere with their mouth open, feeding on the plankton and more specifically zooplankton. They would swim right towards you and at the last moment do a belly roll right over you. When our drivemaster said you could literally stick your tongue out to touch them he was not fibbing. It was magnificent! Spectacular! I would have stayed down forever if I wasn't getting cold. Just a side note, according to our dive Master this feat of belly rolling is something only the Hawaiian mantas do. They seem to appreciate the lights under the water that will attract the plankton and it is like a free buffet for them. It's just that there are "objects" in their way and so for them to avoid the objects they have learned to belly roll at the last minute. I also witness them doing it with each other as well.

KOA also offers snorkeling opportunities at night with the mantas. You can see and experience the exact same thing that the divers are except you might not get hit by a flipper.

If you have a free night on the big island I would highly recommend signing up for a dive or snorkel manta ray outing. It will be so awe inspiring and just one of the coolest most interesting thing you'll ever do next to swimming with dolphins or...

We really lucked out finding this tour company! We chartered a tour for a dolphin swim on Monday, August 7 at 8am. We were blown away. This was the most magical experience of our lives! We got to swim in the open ocean with the dolphins. The Captain and our dive guide John were the coolest, kindest and most knowledgeable tour guides. They were super friendly, helpful and enthusiastic! But the best part was that it was just us on the boat. So we booked the manta ray tour with them for the next night and another dive tour for Captain Cook's Cove for the next morning. Nick the owner of the boat was the captain this time and recommended we go early at 7am. So glad we did. We were out there all by ourselves practically. The ocean was pristine! We saw so many wonderful and beautiful fish. It was unbelievable, and we found a huge pod of dolphins on the way there that we got to take tons of pictures of and then he took us to another on the way back and let us swim with them again. It truly was the perfect tour. These guys made our vacations the best ever. Later we did the manta ray swim and got to see these incredible creatures up close. I can't talk highly enough about this company. I also recommended it to two families at the hotel before we left. Seriously, I'm telling anyone that goes to Kona because this was the best tour we have ever taken and we have taken many! It was absolutely spectacular! The boat takes off out of Keauhou right next to the Sheraton, very convenient if you are staying there, because you can walk there in 2 minutes. If you're not, it's still convenient (10 minutes from Magic Sands Beach). The boat is small which is great because your tour will be small. When we did the night manta dive there was another family of 3 with us(a young family with an adorable 5 year old son), and for the other 2 tours it was just the 3 of us(My husband, myself and my 16 year old daughter). They brought us delicious fruit, donuts, and chips for our morning tours along with juice and bottled water. They were awesome and caring hosts, and even played some great tunes on their radio for us. These guys are professional, prepared, friendly and fun. They know what they are doing and have just the...

There is absolutely nothing on this planet like swimming with mantarays. If you are visiting the big island or have lived here for years, you must experience this feat of nature. Theses mantas are gentle, majestic, and gorgeous. There is nothing like it on the face of this earth. We were insanely lucky to see like 30 at once under the lights from the board. So many barrel rolls and a few kisses from the mantas too!! What was arguably even cooler was hopping in the water as soon as we tied off on the mooring to see 5-7 mantas cruising around the coral with tons of other fish as the sunlight filtered into the water.

Beyond the otherworldly wonder of seeing these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat, Haily and Justin worked tirelessly to give us an incredible experience. They were quick to offer beverages before and after the swim, rinsed us off with fresh water, and gave us pineapple to get the taste of salt water out of our mouths. Each moment of this tour was well-thought out and anticipated our every needs and comfort. They even offered us face towels after the swim too! Give both of them ALLLLL the money and tip GENEROUSLY! $$$$$ They were both knowledgeable and helpful. Justin was cracking jokes the whole time and gave us clear instructions. Haily was in the water with us and matched the excitement of seeing the mantas while expertly handling a good bit of current and a big board with a bunch of us hanging from it. She even saved us a swim back to the boat by dragging us behind her on the board so we could take a longer look too!

All in all, I cannot recommend this experience highly enough. If this is a bucket list item for you (like it was for me), do not hesitate to make this your priority - it will not disappoint. If you have never even heard of manta rays, take a chance! And if you are like a few members of my family and might be feeling a little nervous or unsure, be assured that this is an experience you will only regret if you don’t get into the water with these...