So my friend Robin Phillips hit me up as she was coming to visit the big island. We ended up doing a snorkel with the mantas at night. The tour was out of Keauhou Bay, located about 6 miles south from Kona town. You can take the bus but may choose to walk down to the bay about 1/3 a mile from the Keauhou Plaza. Or the Captain Cook bus runs every two hours, and this is close to the Outrigger resort, so walking is intuitive to waiting. The last shuttle back to Kona town, Ali’i, is from the Outrigger at 9: 15, but you can Uber too.
So we booked up with a local tour company for this trip. As it ended up, almost all the tour companies took you out on a tour with a rope attached paddle board, and we band together for maximum viewing. So, no matter the tour, everyone at some point is going to be roped in with the other paddleboard tours. This is due to the lights underwater attracting the plankton. There may be other outfitters, but this is my experience.
So we hopped off the boat into a lighted ocean in the dark. I hate the dark and deep water, yet somehow I manage to dive. The guides were all knowledgeable, and they will work with you if you have trepidation.
After the initial jump into the water(Be brave), my time was spent mesmerized by manta rays brushing against me. So that was fabulous, but this tiny micro plankton world stole the cake. I saw little baby jellies and was enamored. The plankton were amazing.
I highly suggest you do this tour in your lifetime because I fear it will not exist for your children. What I can leave you with, our guides knew every manta personally, they remove hooks and entanglement from these creatures daily. My guide had literally been doing for this years and he shared a lot. I never took my snorkel from the water, so missed a lot of his knowledge.
Come on out, and see the friendly rays while you can. Special thanks to Robin Phillips for a lovely girls night out.
alongthewaywithjacque 