In shortManta ray snorkel tour cost in Hawaii splits by format at Keauhou Bay. Tours on this site start from $125 for 1.5 hours, from $138 for 2.5 hours and from $145 for a 1-hour small-group trip. Catamaran operators publish $130 and $149 per snorkeler, the six-person outrigger canoe $180, a deck-only ride-along $65, and the dive-boat charter $230 plus taxes and fees.
from $1382.5-hour tour on this site
$180published canoe rate, any age
12 guestscap on a two-canoe tour
about 45 minuteswater time on the boats
What leaves Keauhou Bay after sunset
Every manta trip here starts from the same water. The finger pier and the small boat ramp sit at the back of Keauhou Bay, roughly 7 miles south of Kailua-Kona, and the floodlit feeding area is immediately offshore around Kaukalaelae Point. Boats are over the rays in about five minutes; a paddle canoe takes 7 to 10 minutes. What you are really choosing between is how many people share your patch of surface, how long the evening runs, and what the crew hands you before you get in.
Five formats go out from the bay, and the published rates behind them run from $65 for a place on deck up to $230 plus taxes and fees on the dive-boat charter.
- Large boat from the bay: on one Keauhou catamaran the first departure runs roughly 2 to 2.5 hours with about 45 minutes at the surface above the feeding mantas, all snorkel gear and a shorty wetsuit included, warm drinks and chocolate afterwards, and snorkelers accepted from age 6 if they already swim and snorkel.
- Middle fare of the three tours listed here, from $138: that buys 2.5 hours out of the bay with the snorkelling gear, a jacket-style wetsuit top, a flotation device, bottled water, light snacks, a professional guide and live commentary on board already covered; rating 4.8 ★ (6332 reviews).
- Lowest starting price of the three, from $125 for 1.5 hours, and the fare still carries in-water supervision: a floatation life belt, a USCG captain, a snorkel guide and lifeguard in the water, dive lights with a manta board to hang onto, plus mask and snorkel; rating 4.7 ★ (2585 reviews).
- Dearest of the three per ticket and the smallest group, from $145 for a 1-hour departure: a guide, equipment, an optional wetsuit and beverages are inside the price, and you meet near the boat dock at Keauhou Harbor half an hour before the start; rating 4.8 ★ (1184 reviews).
- Paddle-powered outrigger canoe: six guests per hull and twelve when two canoes run together, a 7 to 10 minute paddle out and 30 to 45 minutes at the site, masks, snorkels, wetsuit tops and ankle floats provided, published at $180 per person at all ages, Monday to Friday at 6:30 PM or 8:30 PM.
- Deck-only ride-along: a supervised place on a Keauhou boat from age 4, published at $65 plus tax and fees, with no entry into the water.
- Dive-boat charter: $230 plus taxes and fees whether you dive or snorkel, with two guided water sessions, meeting at 3:30 pm from 1 April to 30 September and 3:00 pm from 1 October to 31 March and returning 9:00 to 9:30 pm on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The 2.5-hour boat from the bay
Big Island Manta Ray Night Snorkel is the middle fare among the three tours listed here. From $138 you get 2.5 hours out of Keauhou Bay with the snorkelling gear, a jacket-style wetsuit top, a flotation device, bottled water, light snacks and commentary on board already paid for, on a trip rated 4.8 ★ (6332 reviews).
★ 4.8/5 · 6,332 reviews
Manta ray snorkel tour cost in Hawaii, format by format
Manta ray snorkel tour cost in Hawaii comes down to how many people are in the water with you and how long the vessel stays out. The three tours listed on this site are sold as from-prices for the date you pick: from $125 for the 1.5-hour trip, from $138 for the 2.5-hour evening and from $145 for the 1-hour small-group departure.
Published operator rates sit higher because they are full adult fares rather than from-prices. One Keauhou catamaran operator lists $130 for adults 13 and over, $115 for children 6 to 12 and $65 for a non-swimming ride-along, plus tax and fees. Another lists its Keauhou Bay night snorkel from $149 per snorkeler for experienced snorkelers aged 7 and over, and says on its own site that rates move with the season, so check the figure on the date you want.
The outrigger canoe is $180 per person at every age, the highest published rate to actually snorkel from this bay. The dive-boat charter is $230 plus taxes and fees and that price is the same whether you dive or snorkel, which is why snorkelers are better served by a Keauhou boat or canoe.
| Option | Length | Group, gear and water time | Price | Fits |
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| 1.5-hour tour on this site | 1.5 hours | Life belt, dive lights with a manta board, mask and snorkel, guide and lifeguard in the water | from $125 | First-timers short on time |
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| 2.5-hour tour on this site | 2.5 hours | Larger boat, gear, jacket-style wetsuit top, flotation device, bottled water, light snacks, commentary | from $138 | A fuller evening at mid-range cost |
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| 1-hour small-group tour on this site | 1 hour | Small group out of Keauhou Harbor, gear, optional wetsuit, guide, beverages | from $145 | Confident snorkelers wanting minimum time afloat |
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| Paddle outrigger canoe from the boat ramp | About 1 hour total, two slots at 6:30 PM and 8:30 PM, Monday to Friday | 6 per canoe and 12 per tour, masks, snorkels, wetsuit tops, ankle floats, 30 to 45 minutes at the site | $180 per person, all ages | Strong ocean swimmers after the quietest version |
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| Deck-only ride-along place on a Keauhou boat | Same trip as the snorkelers | From age 4 with an adult supervising, stays on deck for the whole trip | $65 plus tax and fees | Non-swimmers and small children |
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| Dive-boat charter carrying snorkelers | Meets 3:30 pm 1 Apr to 30 Sep, 3:00 pm 1 Oct to 31 Mar, back 9:00 to 9:30 pm, four nights a week | Two guided water sessions, snorkelers float above the divers | $230 plus taxes and fees | Certified divers who want the view from below |
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Why one evening costs more than the next
The price gap between two boats leaving the same bay within an hour of each other has little to do with the rays. Mantas are reported at Manta Village on more than 90% of nights, no operator promises one, and the surface time is remarkably similar across formats: about 45 minutes on the catamaran trips and 30 to 45 minutes by canoe.
What changes between tickets is everything around that time in the water.
- Group size: six guests in a canoe hull and twelve on a two-canoe tour, against a 50-foot sailing catamaran. The state's proposed 8-to-1 guide-to-customer ratio is still only a draft rule, so headcount is an operator choice for now.
- Trip length: 1 hour on the small-group departure listed here against 2.5 hours on the larger boat, and on one Keauhou catamaran roughly 2 to 2.5 hours for the first trip against about 1.5 to 2 hours for the after-dark one.
- Gear inside the ticket: snorkel gear plus a wetsuit top or shorty and a lit flotation device on the boats that list them, with masks, snorkels, wetsuit tops and ankle floats on the canoe.
- Food and drink: bottled water and light snacks on the 2.5-hour trip, beverages on the small-group trip, warm drinks and chocolate on one Keauhou catamaran.
- No motor: the canoe carries the smallest cap and the highest published rate per snorkeler from this bay, at $180 at every age.
- Season: one Keauhou operator states that its rates move with the season, so check the figure for the month you are travelling.
- Tax and fees: several published rates are quoted before tax and fees, and the dive charter is quoted plus taxes and fees.
Manta ray boat vs canoe tour from Keauhou Bay
If you swim well in open water, pay the premium for the canoe. Twelve guests is the hard ceiling, the paddle out takes 7 to 10 minutes with no engine, and you get 30 to 45 minutes at the site for $180 per person. The trade-offs are concrete: the operator offers no sighting promise at all and says plainly that mantas are wild animals, the tours run Monday to Friday only at 6:30 PM or 8:30 PM, and adults are not allowed to wear life jackets in the water.
Take a boat if your group includes children, a nervous swimmer or anyone who may decide not to get in. The catamaran operators include all snorkel gear and a wetsuit, keep in-water guides with the group, serve warm drinks afterwards, and sell a supervised deck place from age 4 for people who will not snorkel. The 2.5-hour trip on this site is the straightforward version of that evening: gear and a jacket-style wetsuit top handed out before dark, bottled water and light snacks, commentary on the way out.
Canoe practicalities worth knowing before you compare prices: guests are asked to arrive 30 minutes early at the Keauhou Bay Boat Ramp, slots are confirmed at booking, there is a 250 lb per-person weight limit, children are taken from age 2 if they can sit unaided, and those aged 12 and under wear a life jacket while paddling. Non-swimmers can stay seated in the canoe, and life jackets are available on request for the paddle.
Minimum ages for going in the water vary from boat to boat in the same bay: 6 or 7 years on the ones that publish a limit, and both operators want swimmers who can manage on their own and have snorkelled before. Full-face snorkel masks are banned on some boats, so leave yours at the hotel.
There is no shore-based way to reach the mantas
Swimming out to the site is not one of the formats. Nothing on this price list has a walk-in equivalent: the plankton lights burn in open water off Kaukalaelae Point, and the state tourism authority advises against swimming or snorkelling in Keauhou Bay itself because of fishing and tour-boat traffic. With 60 to 70 viewing vessels estimated across the two Kona night sites and the rules that would cap them still sitting as drafts, the bay after dark is working water for boats and canoes.
The one stay-dry option is the deck-only ride-along at $65 plus tax and fees, from age 4 with an adult supervising, and guests who take it stay out of the water. One Keauhou operator also states that anyone staying aboard instead of snorkelling still needs a ticket.
Once you have settled on a format, book that tour on this site and read the confirmed departure time in your booking details, because most evenings here move with sunset rather than a fixed clock, and check-in runs 15 to 30 minutes before departure depending on the trip. Pier spaces are limited, and street parking on Kaleiopapa Street leaves a 3 to 5 minute walk to the water.
Questions people ask
Do children pay less than adults?
It depends on the format. One Keauhou catamaran operator publishes $115 for children aged 6 to 12 against $130 for adults 13 and over, plus tax and fees. The outrigger canoe charges $180 per person at every age, so a family of four pays the same per head as a couple.
Is a wetsuit or snorkel gear an extra cost?
On the tours listed here the equipment is inside the ticket: the 1.5-hour trip lists a floatation life belt, dive lights with a manta board, mask and snorkel; the 2.5-hour trip lists gear, a jacket-style wetsuit top and a flotation device; the 1-hour small-group trip lists equipment with the wetsuit as optional. The canoe operator provides masks, snorkels, wetsuit tops and ankle floats.
Do rates change through the year?
One Keauhou operator states on its own site that its rates move with the season, so treat any figure you see as a snapshot and check it for your date. The rays themselves are resident animals and trips run all year, so there is no cheap season for sightings.
Does a non-swimmer in my group still need to pay?
Yes. The deck-only ride-along place is published at $65 plus tax and fees, is available from age 4 with an adult supervising, and does not allow entry into the water. One Keauhou operator says explicitly that guests who stay aboard rather than snorkel still need a ticket.
Is the dive charter worth paying for if I will only snorkel?
No. The charter costs $230 plus taxes and fees whether you dive or snorkel, it runs on four nights a week, and it takes most of the evening, meeting at 3:30 pm from 1 April to 30 September or 3:00 pm from 1 October to 31 March and returning between 9:00 and 9:30 pm. Unless you are a certified diver who wants the view from below, a Keauhou snorkel trip gives you the same time over the rays for less.
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