Snorkel with Manta Rays in Kona
Seven days on the Kona coast in humpback season: manta rays at night, whales from the boat and turtles in Kealakekua Bay, in a small group of six.
Your booking in 10 seconds
From USD 5,270 per person, shared room · private room USD 6,600 · 30% deposit to book
- 14–20 Feb 2027
- 7 days, 6 nights
- Six guests at most
- Manta night snorkel + whale watch
- What you do: a manta ray night snorkel, a humpback whale watch from a small boat with a hydrophone (watching only: in Hawaiʻi nobody swims with whales), a morning snorkel in Kealakekua Bay, and a culture day at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau with a local guide.
- Where: Kailua-Kona, on the west coast of Hawaiʻi Island (the Big Island), USA. Fly to Kona (KOA); airport transfers are included.
- Dates: Sunday 14 – Saturday 20 February 2027, 7 days and 6 nights.
- Room: a twin room shared with one other guest, in our hotel on the beach in Kailua-Kona. A private room costs more: see the price.
- Included: 6 nights, breakfast every day, the manta night snorkel, the whale watch, the Kealakekua Bay snorkel, the culture day with a local guide, a conservation talk, transport for every activity, Rocío as your host.
- Not included: flights, travel insurance, lunches and dinners (your own choice, so you can manage allergies and diets), drinks.
- Price: USD 5,270 per person in a twin room, for two guests booking together (deposit USD 1,580), or USD 6,600 in a private room (deposit USD 1,980).
Photo gallery
The places, the stay and the animals you may meet. Animal photos show the species, not always this exact place.
Like what you see? Only six places on this trip.
USD 5,270 per person in a twin room, for two guests booking together (deposit USD 1,580), or USD 6,600 in a private room (deposit USD 1,980). 14–20 February 2027, 7 days and 6 nights, six guests at most. Breakfast every day. International flights are not included.
Local guides, paid local wages. Six guests at most. Why it matters
Real guest reviews: Google · BookRetreats
Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.
- 5.00 from 33 public reviews on BookRetreats · Read guest stories
- Small group, six guests at most
- Local boat operators who follow Hawaiʻi’s wildlife rules
- Travel insurance required (water-activity cover from your own policy or the dive centre’s insurance)
- Pause or skip any activity, any time
Real guests on past trips“Amazing girl and super organised. Would book trips with her over and over if I could. 100% recommend!”
“Rocío is amazing at organizing trips and ocean experiences. Everything was very well planned, and she helped find great diving spots. I highly recommend Ocean Calling Retreats.”
Quotes are copied as written from public reviews on BookRetreats. See all guest photos · Read all reviews
Choose your dates
- Sunday 14 – Saturday 20 February 2027Manta rays, whales from the boat, Kealakekua Bay · 7 days, 6 nightsUSD 5,270per person, shared room · deposit USD 1,580 · private room USD 6,600 (deposit USD 1,980)Book
Book opens the secure WeTravel checkout, where you choose your room and pay the deposit. Payment plan: a 30% deposit, then monthly payments, balance 60 days before the trip. Cancellation policy.
At a glance
USD 5,270 per person in a twin room, for two guests booking together (deposit USD 1,580), or USD 6,600 in a private room (deposit USD 1,980). 14–20 February 2027, 7 days and 6 nights, six guests at most. Breakfast every day. International flights are not included.
Local guides, paid local wages. Six guests at most. Why it matters
Real guest reviews: Google · BookRetreats
Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.
Why Moderate? The manta snorkel is at night, in open water from a boat, and the whale watch is a morning on a small boat, where the sea can move.
Who it is for. Beginners, solo travellers, couples and friends who love the ocean, no diving needed. You should be happy snorkelling in open water from a boat, also at night, and excited to meet wild animals on their terms.
What you do
Manta rays at night, whales from the boat and the turtles of the Kona coast. Sightings are never promised. Each caption says where the photo was taken.
Your first day, step by step
- Day 1 · Welcome to Kona: Rocío meets you at Kona airport (KOA) and takes you to our hotel on the beach in Kailua-Kona. You settle in, then we meet for a short talk about the week and the animals.
- Your guide explains the plan and the signals before anything starts in the water.
- You choose your pace. You can pause, rest or skip any activity, at any moment, with no pressure to continue.
- Nobody chases, touches or baits an animal. The animals decide whether they come close.
Questions beginners ask
What if I feel nervous in the water?
What if I cannot clear my ears?
Will I hold the group back?
Do I need to be fit or experienced?
Highlights
- Float above manta rays at night off the Kona coast, where the manta night snorkel runs all year.
- A humpback whale watch in the middle of the whale season (about mid-December to the end of March), from a small boat with a hydrophone to listen to them.
- A morning snorkel in Kealakekua Bay, with its reef and green sea turtles.
- A culture day at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park with a local guide.
- One hotel on the beach in Kailua-Kona for the whole week, so you unpack once.
- Breakfast every day, and a conservation talk about the animals we meet.
- A small group of six at most, hosted by Rocío from your first question to the last day.
- Wildlife first: no chasing, no touching, no feeding, and the ocean decides what happens.
The rhythm of your days
- Day 1 · Welcome to Kona: Rocío meets you at Kona airport (KOA) and takes you to our hotel on the beach in Kailua-Kona. You settle in, then we meet for a short talk about the week and the animals.
- Day 2 · Kealakekua Bay: a morning snorkel in the bay by boat, over the reef where green sea turtles live. We stay at least 3 metres from every turtle. The afternoon is yours.
- Day 3 · Whales and Mantas: a morning whale watch on a small boat with a hydrophone, watching the humpbacks from at least 100 yards. In the evening, the manta night snorkel: we float at the surface by the lights and let the mantas decide.
- Day 4 · Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau: a culture day at the National Historical Park with a local guide, to learn the Hawaiian story of this coast.
- Day 5 · The Sea and the Science: a slow morning and our conservation talk about mantas and turtles. The afternoon is yours.
- Day 6 · A Slow Day: rest, swim or explore Kailua-Kona at your own pace. A last evening together.
- Day 7 · Until Next Time: breakfast together and the transfer to Kona airport.
Food: exactly what is included
- Breakfast: every day, included.
- Lunch and dinner: your own choice, so you can eat what suits you and manage allergies and diets.
- Drinks: not included.
Where you stay
Our hotel on the beach in Kailua-Kona, on its own small sandy bay. Twin rooms, breakfast every day.
Why our retreats cost what they cost
- Six guests at most. One boat and one guide are shared by fewer people, so each guest pays a bigger share and gets real attention.
- Local guides, paid local wages. We book external local guides and never ask them for discounts.
- What your price covers. Your room, breakfast, the activities listed on the trip page and card fees. Other meals only where the trip page says so. Flights are not included.
- Planned by me. I plan every trip myself, and I am with you before, during and after.
Rocío
Trip details
Included
- Six nights in a hotel on the beach in Kailua-Kona (twin room for two guests booking together; private room available)
- Breakfast every day
- Kona airport (KOA) pick-up and drop-off, and transport for every activity
- A manta ray night snorkel from a boat
- A humpback whale watch on a small boat with a hydrophone (watching only)
- A morning snorkel in Kealakekua Bay by boat
- A culture day at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau with a local guide
- A conservation talk about mantas and turtles
- Tips for boat crews and guides
- Rocío, your host, with you all week
- Pre and post-retreat support
Not included
- International flights to and from Kona (KOA)
- Travel insurance (required)
- Lunches and dinners (your own choice, so you can manage allergies and diets) and drinks
- Personal expenses and souvenirs
Animals you may meet
Never guaranteed, never chased. Tap an animal to see how it lives, where it travels and a fun fact.
Ethics and safety
- Humpback whales: by United States federal law nobody may approach them within 100 yards (about 90 metres), by boat, kayak or swimming. In Hawaiʻi this is a whale watch from the boat, never a swim.
- Spinner dolphins: swimming with them or coming within 50 yards (about 45 metres) is illegal, so we never offer a dolphin swim.
- Manta rays: we float at the surface by the lights and never touch them.
- Sea turtles: we stay at least 10 feet (3 metres) away and never touch or follow them.
- Wildlife encounters are unpredictable. Manta snorkelling and whale watching should always follow local regulations and experienced professional guidance.
Practical details
- Getting there: fly into Kona International Airport (KOA) on Hawaiʻi Island. Rocío meets you, and airport pick-up and drop-off are included.
- Travel insurance is required. No diving is needed on this retreat.
- Payment plan: you pay a 30% deposit when Rocío confirms your place, then monthly payments charged automatically, with the balance due 60 days before the trip.
- Every activity is optional. You can rest any day.
- The order of the days can change with the weather and the sea. Rocío will always tell you why.
Why we choose slower boats
Speed is one of the simplest things a boat captain controls, and it matters a lot to the animals we visit. Research from many oceans shows the same pattern: a slower boat is less likely to hit a whale, turtle or manatee, gives animals time to move away, and makes less noise under the water.
Slower ships kill fewer whales
A study of 47 recorded ship strikes on large whales found the chance of a deadly injury was 21 per cent at 8.6 knots but 79 per cent at 15 knots. Below 11.8 knots, a strike is more likely to be survived than not.
A 10 knot limit works for right whales
Since 2008, the United States has required vessels 65 feet (about 20 metres) or longer to travel at 10 knots or less in set areas and seasons along the East Coast, to protect North Atlantic right whales. A later study estimated these limits cut the risk of deadly ship strikes by 80 to 90 per cent.
Turtles cannot escape fast boats
In Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia, researchers watched 1,890 green turtle encounters. 60 per cent of turtles moved away from a boat going 4 km/h, but only 22 per cent at 11 km/h and 4 per cent at 19 km/h.
Slow zones save manatees
In Sykes Creek and the Barge Canal on Merritt Island, Florida, eight manatees were killed by boats in the 42 months before year-round slow speed was enforced. In the 42 months after, only one was killed.
Faster boats are louder
Recordings of 1,582 ships in Haro Strait, between Washington State and British Columbia, showed that most ships get about 1 decibel louder for every extra knot of speed. This noise reaches the high sounds that killer whales use to find food.
Going slow gives whales quiet time to feed
When ships in Haro Strait were asked to slow to 11 knots, underwater noise fell by 2.5 decibels, about 44 per cent less sound energy. Scientists estimated this cut the feeding time killer whales lose to noise by 22 per cent.
Questions
Will we see manta rays and whales?
Can I swim with the whales?
Do I need to be a strong swimmer?
How much does it cost?
How does the payment plan work?
Can I have a room of my own?
What is included?
Which meals are included?
Can I come alone?
How do I book?
USD 5,270 per person in a twin room, for two guests booking together (deposit USD 1,580), or USD 6,600 in a private room (deposit USD 1,980). 14–20 February 2027, 7 days and 6 nights, six guests at most. Breakfast every day. International flights are not included.
Local guides, paid local wages. Six guests at most. Why it matters
Real guest reviews: Google · BookRetreats
Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.
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