Have done this tour 5 years ago with a different vendor. Was much better with other tour group but did not recall who it was when I booked this trip. Things I did not like about this tour:
1. Was not notified I could have been picked up in Kona. So we drove over an hour when we did not have to. Another couple drove all the way to the visitor center for the same reason 2. Dinner was marginal at best. 3. Star viewing from the visitor center parking lot?? Are you kidding me? Why? Light pollution, less clear skies..what a joke. I lay that blame on the tour guide, Maka. 4. Guide is not passionate about astronomy but he can be a good guide at times. Sadly, as the night wore on so did his personality. 5. Gloves were only proffered when a man complained. Hand them out with the coats.
Bottom line: do the tour but with a different group.
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2022/11/01 |
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Dylan was a fantastic guide! He put an interesting spin on the whole tour, and he taught us a lot about the geology of the island as a whole. Every part of the tour was great. The coffee farm had a wonderful view, the bakery was great, the beach was very unique, and the volcano + hike were really cool. The fact that they'd brought a telescope made it even easier to see the laval.
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/14 |
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Very friendly staff and fun facts about manta rays throughout the snorkel trip. We got to see 4 different mantas throughout our trip and they come up so close to you it’s amazing. 10/10 would recommend.
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Attended as: | Friends |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/24 |
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Hands down a memorable experience. I absolutely loved it and want to go back ASAP. I went in September and I still can't stop thinking about it. The parking was right in front of the loading area. The crew was welcoming right away. They got us set up with gear and even let us use our own gear if we brought. They had snacks and beverages on board. We got to watch the sky light on fire for sunset as we sailed out to where the mantas were. Lots of other companies were around in the harbor as well but the crew made sure to stay a safe distance away without disrupting the other experiences. And !!for the main event!! we saw SIX manta rays! Maybe more. They were so beautiful and flipping right underneath us. The captain also shared some knowledge atop the floating mat while we snorkeled so we could hear her stories while appreciating the creatures. The mantas stuck around the whole time. When it was time to head back in, the crew treated us to hot chocolate. They were also happy to share footage they took during the experience. I fully appreciated their generosity. I would definitely go back and do this again with Iruka! And a BIG MAHALO to HawaiiActivities.com and the Hawaii Reef Hero contest for making this possible for me and my friends <3
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Attended as: | Friends |
Activity Date: | 2022/09/05 |
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We had the greatest time on this tour! Ocean Encounters has the best crew and they made it so much fun! They were super nice and very knowledgeable! Not only that but the mantas put on a great show for us!! Highly recommend!! Mahalo Ocean Encounters!!!
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Attended as: | Friends |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/25 |
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This was an awesome first time experience for my wife and I. Brent and Jesse were great at having us engage with them in the activities and provided safety instructions to a tee that made it very clear and easy to understand and follow. Jesse provided us with some history along the way that made for fun facts. Brent did a great job at making me feel comfortable jumping off the cliff which was my very first time doing any type of cliff jumping and super glad I did! Snorkeling was super fun with clear and warm water. Would definitely do it again and highly recommend! Oh, and special shout out to the owner Mike for making the booking process swift and easy! Thank you guys!!
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/01 |
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It was a nice experience. The service was outstanding as the whole crew was very polite and always ready to assist. The ride itself was a bit rough.. not sure off it was just on that day due to the wind and current being strong or the captain was driving too fast lol.. but I did get a bit dizzy. The food Wass tasty and the views, info and music were also on point.
Mahalo for joining us! We are glad that you enjoyed outstanding service! Thank you for the five star review and kind words! Best wishes to you and yours!
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Attended as: | Friends |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/22 |
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This experience is beyond human words to describe. We had an absolutely perfect night with a crescent moon that set shortly after we got set up. The Milky Way was more spectacular than we could have imagined. James’ knowledge of what we were looking at was top notch. There were a couple of personal disappointments and cons but they do not diminish the rating of the experience.
I had expected some serious telescopes that would be used. James had a top end mount and camera with some powerful lenses but when it came to looking at Jupiter and Saturn, I get bigger and better images with my homemade 6” reflector. I was really wondering if he was using his equipment to show us Andromeda and what I think he said was the Dumbbell nebula or if he was showing us stock photos. He homed in on those two objects very quickly for a setup that was merely put down and “kinda” leveled.
The other comment is about the cost. James is an expert and one expects to pay for expertise. But for an adventure that does not include pickup except for about a mile from the destination and has no major equipment like a submarine that the Atlantis has to maintain, the price seems high. Especially since the included photos are about worthless, you are forced to purchase the full resolution package if you want to share your photos with anything other than your phone.
That being said, experiencing God’s creation like that was amazing!
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2022/09/28 |
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We had a great time on the boat. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable and it was the perfect activity for a group with kids and grandparents. Everyone got to see fish and turtles up close in a way that was easy and enjoyable for a group not up for snorkeling
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Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/21 |
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お天気も良く
初めての乗馬でしたが
利口な馬のおかげで安心・安全に楽しめました
乗馬時間は充分でした
説明は英語のみ!
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Attended as: | Families |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/18 |
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This is a must do. It was fantastic. Our pilot was Wade and he was very
informative
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Attended as: | Friends |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/11 |
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I was nervous because I hadn't kayaked on the ocean before, but Brent & Jesse kept us safe while making the day SO MUCH FUN! Brent even took my son up a 32 foot cliff to jump off! The sea cave was cool, but the snorkeling was fantastic. So beautiful and fun!! Thanks guys for a great day!
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Attended as: | Families |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/15 |
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Such a beautiful ranch and the guides were very knowledgeable!
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/17 |
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The Manta Ray Night Snorkel by Sea Quest is well worth the expense for the unique opportunity to get up close to the beautiful rays. There are a lot of different companies doing this type of tour. Sea Quest really has the entire process dialed in to make the most of the experience and to maximize your viewing time. Very professional and just downright nice. They truly care about delivering. Would highly recommend.
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/16 |
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The guides were incredibly informative and so down to earth! We felt so welcomed and ended up with a private tour!! The whole experience was amazing, but my absolute favorite part was going to the ocean!! The view is spectacular and we even saw a pod of dolphins swim by !! 10/10 and I highly recommend it!
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/13 |
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The boat was old and had not enough power. On the way there we were passed by many boats of same size. Then the boat wouldn't start at all and we were towed back to port. 3 passengers were very sea sick.
The crew didn't provide any information about the manta reys while we watched. Other boat crews were very informative.
Would not recommend.
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Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/10 |
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The crew, the equipment and the atmosphere were fantastic. But all topped by the giant Manta Rays that we saw on the trip. Once in a life time experience and was one of our favorite things we did while in Kona!
Aloha Nathan,
Mahalo for sharing your experience with us, repeating customers receive a 20% discount on all future bookings!
Mahalo,
Iruka Hawaii
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/10 |
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- absolutely awesome guide
- outstanding landscape
- sea kayak / cliff jumping / snorkeling / picnic on the sea
- as soon as I go back, I will participate again
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/02 |
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The tour was a lot of fun! Kona Joe's has a great view and good coffee, stopped here for lunch included in tour. Then went on to the bakery at South Point for a Malasada. I don't recommend waiting in the line for purchasing anything else. The malasadas are called in so you don't have to wait, but the line for other items was super long and you can buy their bread in grocery stores. Then to the black sand beach - very cool to see and we saw a sea turtle in the beach! Then on to Volcano Park for a quick tour and to see the caldera and steam vents. On to the lodge for dinner, which was pretty good. I don't recommend the broccoli Cheddar soup and they only had ranch dressing for salads. The blackened catch of the day was great! Then to the lava glow - where our tour guide PJ brought a scope for a better look. It was very cool, but not as close as I thought we'd be so it's not a bright red like in the picture.
But the tour guide was the best part - full of information, fun to talk with and really looked out for his guests! I'd recommend!
Aloha Laura,
Thank you so much for your review! We're glad you enjoyed PJ, he's a wonderful guide. We appreciate your recommendation!
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/13 |
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It was such a great experience! Our tour guide was AMAZING! So personable and knowledgeable. He knew sooo much history. I don’t think there was a question asked he couldn’t answer at all. My favorite stops were the lava tube and volcano summit visits. Incredible views. My wife and I were saying we should’ve done this when we first arrived instead of at the end of our trip. Sooo much great information. Learning about how coffee was made was also great! Keep it up!
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/13 |
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We had an amazing experience, the mantas were huge and plentiful. Seeing the amount of plankton, no wonder the mantas stays in that area. The crew was awesome, the hot chocolate was great. Finding Sea quest was easy, and getting out to the swim site was quick. The only downfall was when water would get into the mask, and you go to readjust the mask, because there’s a lot of plankton around, could there be a possibility that you may have swallowed some as well, or may have gone up your nose. My friend had a serious sinus infection the day after our tour. She’s doing ok now. Otherwise, we had a blast and will cherish this moment forever. Thank you for the experience.
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Attended as: | Friends |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/09 |
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Great day to see all parts of the Volcano Park! Nice they have Hilo side tours as we were nervous when staying on Hilo side.
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/05 |
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This experience was awesome and you dont even need to be a great snorkeler!
Aloha Kara,
Mahalo for sharing your experience with us, repeating customers receive a 20% discount on all future bookings!
Mahalo,
Iruka Hawaii
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Attended as: | Friends |
Activity Date: | 2022/09/24 |
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Jumped over to Bg Island for the day and this tour hit it all! Great experience
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2022/09/23 |
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It was OK. Nothing was explained well. Water was cold and did not expect to be hanging by the side of board for half hour to watch them coming at you! Very inconvenient, cold and ill-explained activity. Although staff was helpful. Wished they listened to the individual difficulties to understand. Could have enjoyed better with help.
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Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
Activity Date: | 2022/09/15 |
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I have to say, the the experience from the beginning was very impressive. Bruce, the tour guide reached out to everyone, he was very intelligent and very knowledgeable of all things we were doing. Bruce made sure everyone in the tour was taken care of, feed, and having a great time. At the volcano Brice made sure everyone in the group was safe and having a good time . We have been on many tours in the past and this by far was the most enjoyable tour we have ever taken. Thank you Brice for all you did.
David and Ofelia
Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Aloha David and Ofelia,
Thank you for posting your review! We appreciate you taking the time to do so. Bryce is a special guide and we're lucky to have him on Team Kailani! We hope you enjoyed your time on the island!
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/02 |
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This Zip-line Tour was off the hook! David and Josh, along with the other staff, were awesome and very good at what they do! They’re safety instructions were very friendly and clear that made it a really simple and fast process. They’re funny humor kept my wife and I engaged and laughing the whole time which helped break the ice and had everyone conversing. The Zip-Lines are short at the beginning but that’s ok because it was our first time doing this type of activity and helped ease into the longer ones. The grand finale is awesome and are still super stoked about doing it! You won’t be disappointed. Oh! And you have to try the different types of bananas while tracking through the different Zip-Lines and don’t forget to enjoy the views! Once again, thank you Josh and David for a great time and all the info provided! Until next time!
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2022/09/30 |
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The crew was fun, safe and respectful as well as extremely fun! We saw a minimum of 3 and a max of well… it was 7 or 8 at once. We were all so pleased with this even and I highly recommend going at sunset.
The rays were magnificent and gentle for such large creatures. They truly are a sight to see.
Will do this again on our next visit.
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/05 |
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We had a great time on the tour. The description about black sand beacb was misleading we did t go there since it’s not anywhere near hilo but We got to see lava rocks, lava tubes and learned a lot about the National park and plants located on the island! Definitely recommend the tour
There is some hiking (up to 2 miles round trip) involved so definitely wear comfortable shoes and bring a jacket
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/06 |
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The canoe was a very cool option and keeps the number of people in the group low. The boat sailed a very short distance to the manta viewing area- great for me as I tend to get motion sick. The water was warmer than I thought- again great for me bc I think I’m allergic to cold water. I wore my own wetsuit but they provided everyone with a proper wetsuit top. I wore both and was fine. Our 12yo said he was cold but didn’t complain.
We were all provided snorkels and masks. We all got into the water and held onto a floating device equipped with an underwater light. There we’re several mantas in the area and a few of them swam within inches of us! One touched my arm with its belly. We were in the water about 30 minutes at best guess which was plenty of time in my opinion. I specifically booked a shorter tour for fear of getting sick or freezing but none occurred.
Overall it was a very cool experience and our guides were friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful! Definitely recommend this adventure!
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Attended as: | Families |
Activity Date: | 2022/10/05 |
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Reply from activity provider
An unexpected error has occurred. Please go back to the previous page and try again, or wait a few minutes and try once again.
Aloha Lea,
Mahalo nui for sharing your kind words and amazing photos of your experience with us! We are so happy the crew was able to provide a memorable experience for your group, and all returning customers receive a 20% repeater discount. We hope to see you again!
Mahalo,
Team Iruka Hawaii