Snorkel Big Island — Local services in Hawaii

Thank You Capt John Cooper and Eli for the best Manta Ray Night Snorkel!!! Your expertise and your personality show that you truly love what you do and you want to share it with others! If anyone is on the fence about snorkeling with mantas, we are telling you GOOOOO with “Snorkel Big Island”. We love to snorkel and scuba but even if you have never snorkeled you are in good hands with Capt John and Eli! They both are kind, patient, knowledgeable and their passion for sea life is amazing! They made it fun and safe for those with us who were tentative about the experience. Snorkel Big Island Night snorkeling with these magnificent creatures is a life changing experience made all the better by our crew. Capt John and Eli know the beautiful area of ocean that the mantas frequent, they have studied the mantas extensively and knew all of them by name except for one newcomer. Each manta is identified by a series of spots on their underside which is much like our unique fingerprints. We initially encountered about 5 mantas but as we were in the water, more and more came to our area. According to many studies mantas can sense those that have good mana or spiritual energy and are further attracted by our heartbeats. The encounters were magnificent. The mantas have wingspans of approximately 15 feet, they were very intelligent, and treated us to beautiful barrel rolls and an angelic sea ballet. Capt John and Eli conveyed the highest respect and care with the mantas. On our way back they spotted something in the open water and doubled back to verify what it was to protect the wildlife and other boats. Thankfully they were able to retrieve a large stray buoy and prevent another boat from hitting it in the dark. We were so thrilled with our trip, we told some other visitors and they went the very next night and had the same experience with Snorkel Big Island. The manta rays were certainly the highlight, however, we can’t compliment Capt John and Eli enough! Their passion and enthusiasm were contagious but their servants heart for the people under their care is rare in today’s world. Their care for the ocean and the beautiful creatures that reside there...

We booked just a day in advance and had a special timing needs (we couldn't depart until 10am, most tours go out at dawn), and these guys were one of the few available tour operators flexible enough to work with us...and it paid off. Being smaller, they were flexible with our group of 4, and the pricing was more than reasonable considering the inflated costs of everything else on the islands. Our boat was small with a 6 person capacity, which was ideal for us, but that intimacy did have it's drawback in that it was a slower and bumpier ride to our snorkel site than is ideal. But, our captain (Dillon) was down to earth, flexible, and genuinely interested in giving us the best experience...he clearly wasn't just "on the clock" but rather wanted us to get the most of our experience. The snorkel site was good, clear waters and plenty of small reef life...above average for the occasional annual snorkeler, not anything overwhelmingly impressive to a seasoned diver. But the ride to and from was beautiful. And Dillon was conversational and informational about the topography and history of the coastline, and furthermore he surveiled the waters the entire time in attempts to spot dolphins, fins, turtles, or anythi g else to enhance our experience. And sure enough he spotted a poe of Spinner Dolphins, which he enjoyed as much as we did. I highly recommend if you're on the more adventurous side and want a more intimate experience than a big...

My wife and I had a blast doing the combo tour with Captain John on Labor Day. We hopped over to Kona after some days in Kauai just for this. The tours were everything and exactly what we were looking for. We booked with this local family owned and operated business directly over the phone. The combo tour is a great value. Captain John was born and raised on the big island and shared his deep knowledge of the Kona Coast. Thanks to an early start, we rode the zodiac boat to Kealakekua beating any crowds. We had this pristine reef with incredible sea life to ourselves for almost an hour. Tour group size was very small, 4 of us on the morning tour and 6 (max) for the night manta tour. Day suits and snorkel gear were provided. We saw probably 15 manta rays. I couldn’t believe how close they get. Eli was in the water with us sharing his knowledge of the sea life and keeping us in the best position. He respectfully identified and knew the names of each individual manta ray we saw. We were the only tour boat at the site north of the harbor until another arrived right as we left. I always felt 100% safe during both tours. Great communication and professionalism from the entire staff throughout my experience. We can’t wait to tour again with...