Kona Ocean Adventures

Joi and Trevor were who took us out for night snorkeling with manta rays last night. It was a great experience! Joi was really down to earth and gave us some educational tidbits and ocean safety pointers. They have a board you hold onto that has lights to help attract the plankton. Joi would tell us where to look and she would take the board to the areas where there was activity. We even got to see a very rare Monk seal!
They had hot chocolate and towels waiting for us and got us in and out of the area without having to wait for all of the other boats to dock, which I appreciated.
I’d highly recommend this company!

We went out with Chad and Lora for a nighttime manta ray snorkel in Kona Bay. 3.5 stars, rounded up.
For the service portion — 5 stars! The team was very nice, very professional and very prompt. They had a nice ship, snacks for us before hand and a nice chat about the area, the rays and what we were doing. Coming out of the water, we had a handheld hot water shower that was truly a blessing and cocoa waiting for us. I’d say we were down longer than most and they really let the team in the water dictate how long we stayed.
For the experience itself — 2 stars. I mean, we saw manta rays but it only seemed like a couple and some people had challenges with the equipment. My own equipment was ill fitting and resulted in water exchanges inside the wetsuit and yup — chills. Also, the area is really crowded and despite the efforts of Lor we kept bumping into people. There were schools of numerous pretty fish that picked up on the routine though and were ever-​present.
Highlight — one of the mantas we saw was about 20 feet below us and then as he (she/​it?) was passing under our light it banked upwards and swan straight at us for a new seconds, then gracefully leveled out. Watching them swim is true poetry and is an experience.
Lowlight — if you’re not an experienced sea-​worthy person, beware. The chop in the bay is rough and bobbing up and down while holding onto a scaffold will turn even scurvy sea dogs into landlubbers. We had one person in our group chum the water (exciting the sea fish) a couple times and others took every ounce of their being not to do the same.
To do — bring warm clothes. Can the modesty and change on the boat so you have warm clothes when you get out of the water. Also, bring a jacket for the ride back since it can get windy. Lastly, bring a towel for the ride out to keep water off you on the ride out. You’ll need those close to be dry when you get out :)

Chad and Sarah were amazing. I’d definitely recommend these two to everyone I know. We swam with dolphins, watched whales and snorkeled in several places. She was very informative and helped me to have a good time cause I don’t know how to swim. Would absolutely do it again.

Very nice boat. Very nice crew. To be clear, this review is about the Night Snorkeling with Manta Rays experience. The provider was great, but people need to be warned about the experience.
6 of 9 people on our trip had a great experience, but the other 3 had an awful experience. If you get claustrophobic or seasick or vertigo then avoid at all costs. It is torture. You spend an hour in the cold ocean bobbing in the heavy surf while focusing on a narrow beam of light under water. They did not have a wetsuit for my wife so she got very very cold and had to go back early. One other dude on our 9 person trip puked.

Such a great time. This was my first scuba dive, my husband license. The instruction was well done and pro diver was fantastic! Both guys are awesome took care of all epic needs and our needs. Snacks were given after the 2 dives. We can not express how much we would use this company again. Everyone to crew who drove us on the boat to the people who answer the phone were fantastic!

We did the evening manta snorkel and it was Amazing!
So I don’t know how to swim, and I have a near phobia like fear of water now from years of nearly drowning. So why would I go on this snorkel? Because my family makes me. BUT I’m SO glad I did! I had no idea what I was walking (swimming) into since all the shows/​stories I’ve ever seen have advised not to swim at night in the island oceans. But chad and our guide. Travis? Were very knowledgable and comforting through the entire trip.
They provide all the gear you’ll need and our boat ride was about 20 minutes out. They offer juices, chips and candy but my fiancé and I are prone to seasickness, so we skipped out on these. Once we got to the spot, there were about a dozen other boats there as well for manta dives/​snorkels but I noticed each of the other boats had 2 – 4 times the amount of people on their guides. Our guides explained they limit the amount of people they allow on each tour to provide a more personal experience, which I greatly appreciated since I never want my fear to interrupt other people’s experiences. They were great with comforting me through getting into the water and providing a water noodle to assist in my floatation. We were in the water for about 45 min to an hour which flew by due to the show we witnessed. The 6 of us held onto the floatation device (which is basically a body board that has about 6 – 8 flash lights pointing down into the ocean and bars around the board for the party to hold onto) and our guide pulled us around the viewing area and informed us of everything we were witnessing. I think we saw about 10 Rays, and they weren’t shy at all. They dance a beautiful show of barrel rolls over and over again while feeding on the plankton that are attracted to the lights. They rolled so close to us that we were all pushing ourselves as close to the water surface as possible as to not touch them. It was utterly beautiful. The water was surprisingly warm and with all the lights of the scuba divers and other snorkel tours, it was very easy to see all the water life below.
Worth every penny.

WORTH EVERY PENNY. This is a small outfit that provides BIG once in a lifetime experiences. From the very beginning SAFTEY is their main concern and you are instructed on everything you need to know to have a wonderful outing including all of the gear you will need.
The crew is VERY enthusiastic (how refreshing) and eager to make your trip pleasurable. They are actually humorous and excited for you to be there.
We took their Manta Ray tour and were not disappointed. It was a magical encounter with these beautiful creatures of the sea and our once in a lifetime experience will be something we always remember. VERY surreal to see the lights, plankton, fish and then here comes the main attraction. When you see the first Manta Ray it takes your breath away. I want to thank them for providing us with an opportunity that we will never forget. I understand they do dolphin and fishing tours too so I can imagine they are as equally fulfilling as our tour was.

Great trip! My family and I went on the Wild Dolphin and reef snorkeling trip. Captain Chad and Penny were our guides and I can’t say enough about them. They were so much fun and made sure everyone had a great time. Very professional and knowledgeable about the ocean! They made us a great lunch out on the water and made sure we got to see and swim with the wild dolphins of Kona. An unbelievable experience! Thank you Chad and Penny for the memories of a lifetime!

I cannot say enough to about this adventure!!! Swimming with wild dolphins in the wild, it doesn’t get any better than this! Although the Dolphins were not interested in us the day we went we still swam with hundreds of them! And it was absolutely incredible. There was tons of babies, and probably my most favorite part is you can hear them under the water talking way before you see them, and when you see them it leaves you speechless! Unbelievable! I wish it wasn’t as pricey as it was or else I literally would have done it every single morning of my vacation! When I come back I will be booking again

This was an awesome tour. Only two other people showed up on the snorkeling trip, so our tour guides, Chad and Sara, were really accommodating and attentive. Both guides were chill and fun. As we headed out to KBay, they saw some dolphins and asked if we wanted to jump in the water and swim with them. It was an unforgettable experience to watch so closely as dolphins zip by. We got to go in twice, and Chad was very nice about letting us take our time in the water with them. We headed to KBay and snorkeled for quite some time. There were a ton of different fish there. Food and drinks were served after we snorkeled. Throughout the trip, Sara made sure that we had snacks and beverages. We got to jump off the side of the boat a few times, which was fun.
Overall it was a fun trip.

Best place for all your ocean adventures! Happy, friendly, honest, and fun! Filled with the Aloha spirit. Company is a tight knit Ohana.

Had fantastic time!!! Joy is da bomb!!!
Spent three days with her… Manta’s da bomb … private charter to Cook’s da bomb… Dolphin adventure da bomb.
She is great the whole crew Capt. Danny great too

Travis and Gina were extremely kind and knowledgable guides. I would recommend a tour with them if someone is looking to snorkel with dolphins. Definitely ask to cliff dive.

We went with KOA for both the dolphin swim and the manta ray dive. Two of my favorite things I have done while here in Kona. And I’m really glad we went with them… the staff is incredible! They are knowledgable, safe and more importantly; fun! I highly recommend them for any and all of your ocean trips here in Kona. Other companies seem to pack as many people as they can in a big boat and the size of the boats from Kona Ocean Adventures made the trip feel like it was our own private tour! Stop wasting time and book with these guys… you will not be disappointed!

Swimming with dozens of wild dolphins that come within arms reach was an experience of a lifetime. We’ve been on larger tour groups like Fair Winds and we actually were initially trying to book Fair Winds but they were completely full. I am so glad they were fully booked because never would have known about Kona Ocean Adventures. This tour group takes a maximum of 12 passengers, so it’s much more intimate experience than the larger tour groups. Our captain and guide were totally awesome and took us right into the middle of the action with the dolphins without putting us too close to the other tour groups, so we didn’t feel too crowded at the snorkel sites. Overall it was a fantastic experience and I would opt to go with their group over other larger more well-​known ones for future excursions. The boat is pretty basic and no-​frills so if you’re looking for something fancy it’s not your tour group. However if you want a cool crew, intimate group and first class snorkel experience, this is it.

Great company. Although the mantas didn’t come out during our night trip, these guys offer a great experience.
Not a detail is missed, great customer service, knowledgeable, caring, nice guides. And they are passionate about what they do.
You can tell they have a leg up on the other companies. They have really small groups. The other companies seemed to have 15 people floating on a raft, we only have 7. They have a hot shower when you come back on board… WHAT? But they best part is that they are just nice people. Captain Rick was super.
They even offer a free trip because the manta rays didn’t come out. Now that is customer service.

Scheduled scuba trip with these guys. Got lucky to end up basically having a private charter. Joy was our dive instructor. She is great. My wife got motion sickness on the way out for a bit and Joy worked closely with her to attempt to feel better. To no avail my wife went on board.
Next time I’m on the Big Island without a doubt Joy is my number 1 request for dive partner, however going to finish full cert before next trip
Aloha… Hang Loose till we meet again

I have to give KOA five stars. Here’s why:
As promised, we got to swim with wild dolphins. I got so close, I petted one. Later on, I found out that you’re not supposed to touch them. We were a bit late in the morning so we missed that part in the orientation.
We got to snorkel at Capt. Cook’s Bay which was amazing – the thrill of the lifetime, especially if you’re like me who has never snorkeled before. That was a once-​in-​a-​lifetime experience.
At the end of the trip, when we were getting out of the boat, my car keys, dropped out of my pocket, and off the dock, into the ocean. GREAT! I watch, as my keys sink out of sight to the bottom of the ocean floor. Luckily though, we were in shallow water. Captain Danny threw on his goggles and flippers before we could bat an eye and retrieved the keys. What a class act!
There was a woman in our group of 6 that couldn’t swim and Lindsey made sure she got to do and see everything that the rest of us swimmers got to do.
They were very friendly and hospitable.
My wife doesn’t swim, so she stayed back at the hotel, but I’m tempted to go back again since I know now that it’s possible for non-​swimmers to do it!
I wish they gave a bit more orientation on the snorkel gear. For first timers, we didn’t know anything, and I think they assume that everybody has snorkeled before. I think they should be a bit more methodical as far as that goes. First timers have a tendency to be quiet, not ask questions because they don’t want to appear stupid. But I think the operators should always assume everybody is a first timer. Always better to over-​orientate than under.
Still, I would go again in a heartbeat. And I HIGHLY recommend this adventure to anyone who dreams of swimming with dolphins and seeing tropical fish in their own habitat!

My husband and two daughters (ages 10 and 12) did the two tank manta dive. I must say that this was the absolute best experience! The crew, Laure and Shane, went above and beyond to make this a wonderful tour. The boat doesn’t charter a lot of people at one time and I loved the private/​intimate setting! We researched several dive companies before we picked Kona Ocean Adventures. I would highly recommend them and plan to dive with them on our next trip to Kona!

Thanks Laur, Lindsey, Sara and Danny for an amazing time today. You took us to two different places until we were finally able to swim with the dolphins and then to Captain Cook’s cove. The whole time educating us on the history of the Big Island and pointing out all the great points of interest.
The lunch was refreshing and the drinks throughout the tour were very nice to have. We loved Danny’s home made salsa and the real guacamole made right on board. Thanks for the personal touch!
The kids all had a blast and even our seniors had a great time. This was fun for everyone and it had largely to do with your attention. You all love your job and it shows! Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm and love for Hawai’i with us. We hope to be back!