Late night manta ray snorkel with a small group in Kona
Twelve passengers at most, five minutes out of Keauhou Harbor, and one hour on the water while the reef mantas feed under the lights.
Updated 21 October 2026
In shortManta Magic is a 1-hour snorkel out of Keauhou Harbor with a maximum of 12 passengers and a five-minute ride to the viewing site at Manta Village. The captain and the snorkel guide brief the group in English, then you hold a lightboard at the surface with flotation devices under your feet while the rays feed below. It suits confident swimmers who have snorkelled before and want a short evening with the smallest group on the site.
1 htour length
from $145per adult
★ 4.81184 reviews
What the late night manta ray snorkel involves
One hour in total, twelve passengers at most, and about five minutes of boat ride each way. The trip leaves from Keauhou Harbor in South Kona and stops off Manta Village, the viewing site around Kaukalaelae Point. Before anyone gets in, the captain and the snorkel guide run through how the rays are approached: you hold the lightboard, keep your feet propped on the flotation devices and stay horizontal at the surface.
The lights are the reason the mantas are there at all. Plankton gathers at the surface just before sunset and then collects under the boat's lights after dark, and the resident reef mantas come up to filter feed on it. The resort above the bay has floodlit the water since the early 1970s, which is how the site began. Most of the rays here measure around 12 feet across, operators at Manta Village report mantas on more than 90% of nights, and no sighting is guaranteed.
Take this one if you swim well, have snorkelled before and want the compact version of the evening. A single hour dock to dock means almost all of it is spent over the rays instead of crossing open water, which is what the short run from Keauhou buys you. A later slot also puts fewer boats on the site and leaves the water darker, so the feeding is easier to follow. Snorkelling gear, an optional wetsuit, local taxes and beverages come with the ticket; towels do not.
Small-group manta snorkel from Keauhou Harbor
Twelve passengers at most, five minutes out to Manta Village, one hour in total. Snorkelling gear, an optional wetsuit and beverages are included; towels are not, so pack one.
Meeting point: Keauhou Harbor, 30 minutes before the departure time. The crew parks near the boat dock; look for a white van with lights on top, which can be hard to spot in the dark.
Getting there: Keauhou Bay has parking, restrooms and a small boat ramp. Pier parking is limited, and street parking on Kaleiopapa Street leaves a 3 to 5 minute walk to the dock.
Transport to and from the harbour is not part of the ticket, and the bay is roughly 7 miles south of Kailua-Kona.
Photos: ours and the tour operator's
What is included
Included
Professional guide
Use of snorkelling equipment
Wetsuit (optional)
Local taxes
Beverages
Not included
Gratuities
Transport to and from the harbour
Towel
Three other late night manta ray snorkel trips compared
Only this trip states a 12-passenger maximum, which is what you are paying the higher starting price for. Of the three alternatives, the 2.5-hour trip at $110 gives the longest stretch afloat, the 1 h 25 min trip at $89 is closest to this one in length and has the lowest starting price of the four, and the 2-hour trip from $99 sits just above it.
Tour
Length
From
Rating
Manta Magic: Small-Group Manta Ray Night Snorkel in Kailua Kona (this page)
Departures shift with sunset through the year, and the 12 places go on the quieter dates first. The booking page shows the open evenings and the current price from $145 per adult.
