Reviewed by: Katy
Awesome catamaran, great staff and naturalist on board! Unbelievable whale watching from every angle. Delicious beer on tap as well!
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Packages: | [8:00 AM] Whale Watch Cruise from Anaeho’omalu Bay |
Attended as: | Friends |
Posted on: | 2018/01/24 |
Activity Date: | 2018/01/20 |
Reviewed by: Hilary
Excellent diving with the manta rays, really enjoyed it and was one of the highlights of my holiday.
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Packages: | Standard Package |
Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
Posted on: | 2018/01/22 |
Activity Date: | 2017/12/24 |
Reviewed by: たつや
クジラはほぼ90%以上の確率で見れるそうです。それ以上に良かったのは船からのハワイ島の眺め。綺麗で雄大で最高でした。船の設備も食事飲み物トイレ付きと至れりつくせり。
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Packages: | Test Package |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2018/01/21 |
Activity Date: | 2017/12/28 |
Reviewed by: Ilse
This was my second Manta experience and I was disappointed not to see a manta. There were a lot of boats out looking, I counted 15 at one time and it was just before dusk. On a previous Manta experience it was later so I wonder if they prefer to feed later when it's completely dark? I felt like I got to the party early and the cool kids showed up after I left. There was no lack of plankton however, so we were amused by the fish that gathered; an entire school under our light. I've gotten used to the 'entertainment' boat staff provides which makes an excursion more fun. This excursion was rather perfunctory. Go out, hop in the water, no manta, ok, go back. Everyone was rather disappointed not to see Mantas, so I'm not sure if that made going back seem rather glum. I realize these are wild creatures but my last excursion (with another company) there were quite a few Manta, like 6-8? It was an incredible experience that I wanted to repeat with my husband and was disappointed.
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Packages: | Sunset Cruise & Evening Manta Snorkel Tour [2.5 hours] |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2018/01/20 |
Activity Date: | 2017/12/29 |
Reviewed by: R&B Olson
Great time from Kawaihae!! Captain and crew along with biologist kept us up to date with all you want to know about humpbacks . Had whales all around.
Highly recommend this trip.
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Packages: | [09:30 AM] Whale Watch Cruise from Kawaihae Harbor |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2018/01/18 |
Activity Date: | 2018/01/15 |
Reviewed by: Cloudia
We had an experience beyond description. After watching the whale sufficiently, when the sailor turned on the music for a small party, the captain shouted for me to look for the noon direction and I saw a wonderful scene. Music was playing on the boat, a group of dolphins came from two o'clock, and a humpback whale made a wonderful vertical jump on the horizon. At that moment my friend and I felt we were in a dream. It was a fascinating and beautiful experience.
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Packages: | Whale Watch Cruise |
Attended as: | Friends |
Posted on: | 2018/01/16 |
Activity Date: | 2017/12/24 |
Reviewed by: Daina from Phoenix
My first whale watch was a total success. It was a beautiful day. The staff was more than helpful and friendly. The information from the naturalist was engaging and helpful. We were fortunate enough to see spouts of water, breeching and a few beautiful tails. I would definitely do this again.
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Packages: | Whale Watch Cruise |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2018/01/15 |
Activity Date: | 2018/01/09 |
Reviewed by: ピーベリープルメリア
常夏のハワイ、とは言え真冬おまけに生憎の雨で寒い中、屋根ひとつないところでウェットスーツに身を包み沖へ出るとかなりのうねりが!
われわれ日本人の感覚からすれば、こんな、悪天候の時に出航するのかと思ってしまう条件の中でのスタートとなりました。
案の定寒さと、うねりにより体力に自信のない女房は早々に船上に。
心配で同行した私も、デッキで滑り転倒して脇腹を痛める始末。
肝心のマンタは海の底辺りに2尾だけ現れたのを確認できたのみで、ハワイ島初日にすこしがっかりのツアーでした。
英語がわからなくても、勢いで大丈夫っていった書き込みを信じての参加でしたが、やはり費用が割高でも日本語でのツアーの方が安全面のためにも良いのではと思います。
ただ、双胴船のため、揺れは少ない方だと思いました、好条件の時ににリベンジしたいと思います。
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Packages: | サンセットプラン |
Attended as: | Families |
Posted on: | 2018/01/13 |
Activity Date: | 2017/12/20 |
Reviewed by: まいまい
日本人は私たちだけでしたが、クルーの方々は親切で快適に過ごせました。
出航してすぐにクジラが見れました。その後も何回も見ることが出来ました!
小学生の息子はとても感動していました。
朝のクルーズは爽快で、ハワイ島の景色も楽しむことが出来ました。
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Packages: | 8:00発/ワイコロア港 |
Attended as: | Families |
Posted on: | 2018/01/13 |
Activity Date: | 2018/01/10 |
Reviewed by: Evar
My most favorite experience on Big Island with Sea Paradise! A great crew and we were taken care of from start to finish. You start by checking in at the shopping center, drive 5 minutes to Keauhou Bay to park your vehicle, get fitted for your wet suit, and get on the boat. The sunset on along the Kona Coast was beautiful. The crew were extremely helpful, very knowledgeable about the history of the manta rays, humorous and went out of their way to make sure we spent the most time with the manta rays. We were one of the first boats in and last to leave. Plus, we were given fresh pineapple, juices/sodas and hot chocolate.
I do not know how to swim but the guides took extra care to make sure I made it on and off the boat with flotation devices. I would definitely recommend Sea Paradise!
Aloha and Mahalo for taking the time to review your experience. We are delighted to hear you had such a wonderful time. We look forward to serving you in the future. A Hoi Hou.
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Packages: | Manta Ray Night Snorkeling [Early Evening Tour] |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2018/01/13 |
Activity Date: | 2018/01/10 |
Reviewed by: Jon
Bambi (captain) and Steven (dive guide) both are very friendly and knowledgeable. More importantly, in case that you do not see any manta ray, they arrange you another trip for free. In our case, the giants took a day off on Sunday and then came back on Monday. So try to book it at least 2 days before the end of your trip.
Mahalo for taking the time to submit a review of your sunset/manta tour(s) with Kona Ocean Experience. We're so glad you had the opportunity to rejoin us for a second evening after the mantas took a "night -off", so that you could enjoy seeing their majestic moves. Thank you for acknowledging our "manta guarantee"! Hope to have you aboard again sometime, to perhaps join us for a morning Dolphin & Kealakekua Bay adventure. Aloha!
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Packages: | Sunset Cruise with Appetizers & Night Manta Ray Snorkel [90 mins] |
Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
Posted on: | 2018/01/09 |
Activity Date: | 2018/01/07 |
Reviewed by: くじら〜
天気にも恵まれ、生まれて初めてのホエールワッチングに興奮しました!
ただ英語のガイドだったので、意味がよく分からず少しだけ残念でした。
クジラはそんなにアクティブではありませんでしたが、数回ジャンプを見ることができ、それだけで満足です!
主人は少し船酔いしてしまいましたが、また来たいと思います!
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Packages: | 9:30発/ カワイハエ港 |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2018/01/09 |
Activity Date: | 2018/01/04 |
Reviewed by: Stephen
While we only saw one manta, she did come up close, which was an amazing experience.
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Packages: | Standard Package: Sunset Manta Snorkel |
Attended as: | Families |
Posted on: | 2017/12/31 |
Activity Date: | 2017/12/28 |
Reviewed by: Neera Iyer
This was a last minute booking so we were glad to get it. We did the 7:45-9:45 PM night tour. The set up is pretty standard. The crew was experienced and knew what to do when didn’t find rays at the first spot. We were towed gently to where we saw two! We had a couple of screamers which was a bit annoying but that apart, terrific trip
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Packages: | Manta Ray Night Snorkeling Tour [Late Evening Cruise] |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/12/29 |
Activity Date: | 2017/12/26 |
Reviewed by: D & L Williams
For those who love the water and its fascinating creatures, we highly recommend this activity aboard the Hawaiian Sailing Canoe. The canoe is a modern replica seating a limited number of passengers, so the skipper Dave knew our names immediately. But much like going to a "modern" zoo, you may see what you're looking for the first time out but you may not. Our first night snorkel was at 8:30pm, and while the groups before and after us had a grand "show" we were skunked. But Dave said we could keep coming back (for free!) until we sighted the mantas. The next night at 9:30pm we were in luck, and were treated to a 45 minute water ballet by two mantas that glided and turned just inches beneath our illuminated surfboard. For optimum warmth bring your own full-length wetsuit instead of using their wetsuit tops.
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Packages: | Standard Package |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/12/25 |
Activity Date: | 2017/12/21 |
Reviewed by: Big family with kids
The whole family really enjoyed the boat ride, the hosts on the boat were excellent and we saw a lot of fish, turtles etc. they were wonderful at engaging with the kids and answering all our questions.
The customer service of the people we met at the hut left something to be desired. Aloof and not very interested in engaging. Which is fine, but they are the first people you meet when you get there—so—it made me kinda nervous, but the actual ride was fine!
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Packages: | Waikoloa Glass Bottom Boat Cruise |
Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
Posted on: | 2017/12/23 |
Activity Date: | 2017/12/02 |
Reviewed by: Mayra
The water is so clear we could see many different types of fish in the water. The captain was great at helping us spot turtles swimming on the side of the boat and would stop for us to see them. It was a lot of fun.
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Packages: | Waikoloa Glass Bottom Boat Cruise |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/12/21 |
Activity Date: | 2017/12/18 |
Reviewed by: Nobu
波は高かったのですが何回もクジラが見られて最高でした。また船のクルーの人も説明(英語)をずっとしていたり、ドリンクサービスもこまめに聞いてくれて、楽しいひとときを過ごせました。
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Packages: | 9:30発/ カワイハエ港 |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/12/18 |
Activity Date: | 2017/12/15 |
Reviewed by: RMred
The ride was too bumpy as there were many waves. We were able to spot only 1 manta ray. Too expensive for 45 min bumpy ride and the whole experience.
We appreciate you taking your time to review your manta snorkel and are sorry to hear you did not enjoy the tour. It is true, some nights are better than others; ocean conditions, weather and the amount of rays seen on any given night is out of our control. What we can control we aim to do our best with the conditions we are presented with.
Aloha
Sea Paradise
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Packages: | Manta Ray Night Snorkeling [Early Evening Tour] |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/12/16 |
Activity Date: | 2017/11/24 |
Reviewed by: Lorena
Our 10am whale watching cruise was cancelled but we were accommodated on an other cruise for 10:30am. This one included snorkeling. So it was a big win for us. We did get to see a few whales and dolphins. The crew was amazing. They were friendly and informative. They took the time to chat with us. They gave us some background on the whales and clear instructions before getting in the water for snorkeling. They were very attentive and ready to help everyone during the snorkeling. This was an awesome tour. I would definitely book this tour again and recommend it.
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Packages: | [09:30 AM] Whale Watch Cruise from Kawaihae Harbor |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/12/12 |
Activity Date: | 2017/12/06 |
Reviewed by: LJKouri
Guides were great. Hard to see through glass, though.
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Packages: | Waikoloa Glass Bottom Boat Cruise |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/12/02 |
Activity Date: | 2017/11/09 |
Reviewed by: Ella
Steven and Shawn were amazing captain and guide. Provided us with an amazing tour and really great snorkeling spots around the area! The tour time is perfect to catch sunset and then it gets dark so the water lights up beautifully in the dark. The waves in the ocean are a bit rough so going on an empty stomach is adviseable. We saw 5 manta rays on our expedition. Definitely an attraction to do on the Big Island!! And Kona Ocean Experience is a great company that hosts this amazing experience!!
Mahalo for submitting a review of your Sunset Cruise & Night Manta Swim with Kona Ocean Experience! We appreciate hearing that you felt our KOEX crew of dive guide, Steven and Captain Sian, as well as the tour they provided were "amazing"! And pleased that you would recommend our company to others looking to experience a manta ray tour with our company. Mahalo nui!
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Packages: | Sunset Cruise with Appetizers & Night Manta Ray Snorkel [90 mins] |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/11/30 |
Activity Date: | 2017/11/26 |
Reviewed by: Paseba
Diese Tour fand mit ca. 18 Personen auf einem modernen Katamaran statt. Man befindet sich ca. 45min im Wasser, wobei man neue Neoprenanzüge trägt. Der Trip wurde professionell durchgeführt, es fanden sich neben den Teilnehmern stets 2-3 Sicherheitsschwimmer im Wasser. Wir sahen 5-6 majestische Mantarochen - selten was eindrucksvolleres erlebt. Ich empfehle Mittel gegen Seekrankheit, denn die Tour findet auf offenener See (Wellengang) und bei Dunkelheit statt. Kann diese Tour auf jeden Fall empfehlen.
Thank you for taking the time to review your manta tour. We are happy to hear you enjoyed the experience. Hope to serve you again in the future.
Aloha!
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Packages: | Manta Ray Night Snorkeling [Early Evening Tour] |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/11/26 |
Activity Date: | 2017/11/05 |
Reviewed by: Scott Reimer
My girlfriend broke her ankle trying to go snorkeling so going again was out for us. The next best thing or better even was this tour; Kat, our guide, answered every one of our questions and it was super fun! We saw all kinds of critters and fish and it felt like you were under the waves yourself! Clear and colorful! I’d do it again, and the price was the most reasonable of all the activities we’ve tried so far on the Big Island ;)
Aloha Scott, Glad you had a great time and thank you for such a nice review. Sorry to hear about your girlfriend, hope she is better now...ankles take time healing though!
Mahalo,
jeannie
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Packages: | Kona Glass Bottom Boat Cruise from Kailua-Kona Pier |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/11/20 |
Activity Date: | 2017/11/17 |
Reviewed by: アロハ
雄大に泳ぐクジラに出会えて、とても感動しました!船の大きさも、人数も多すぎず、少なすぎず、ちょうど良いと思いました。ぜひまた参加したいと思います。
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Packages: | 午後出発 飲み放題&ビュッフェ付きサンセットプラン <カワイハエ・ベイ出航> |
Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
Posted on: | 2017/11/09 |
Activity Date: | 2017/03/02 |
Reviewed by: Erica
We had a great time, and really enjoyed the entire experience. We we lucky and had manta rays barrel rolling right up to us for most of the time we were in the water. The captain and staff were friendly and knowledgeable. And the snacks were a nice treat after getting out of the water. Hope to do it again!
Thank you for taking the time to review your manta tour. We are happy to hear you had a good time.
Mahalo Nui Loa!
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Packages: | Manta Ray Night Snorkeling [Early Evening Tour] |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/11/01 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/02 |
Reviewed by: Elizabeth from AR
This was an amazing trip. We had a smooth ride out to the Sheraton and saw a beautiful sunset.
Then we got our snorkels and masks and got in the water. We all grabbed the handrail on the kick board and gotntowed out to abgood spot. We ended up joining up with other groups to form a "buffet line". Th manta rays came through eating plankton doing barrel rolls so close I thought they were going to brush our faces with their wing tips!
I highly recommend this tour group. They're super friendly and are very good at what they do.
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Packages: | Sunset Cruise & Evening Manta Snorkel Tour [2.5 hours] |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/11/01 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/29 |
Reviewed by: Linda R
It was an interesting experience. We enjoyed it but a couple people did get sick on the long boat ride. Lots of mantas rays showed up and swam with us.
Aloha, We appreciate you taking the time to write a review. Unfortunately sea sickness does happen to random guests. We keep ginger chews on the boat for this reason. Mahalo for joining us and hope to see you again your next visit to the Big Island. Aloha
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Packages: | Moonlight Cruise & Evening Manta Snorkel Tour [2 hours] |
Attended as: | Families |
Posted on: | 2017/10/28 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/08 |
Reviewed by: dusty
their lights were dim compared to other companies, and they went in much earlier than the other boats.
Thank you for reviewing your tour with us. The lights we use are quite powerful, we do place a special blue filter over them to attract more of the microscopic plankton which the mantas' appear to prefer over the larger zooplankton, that may be why they appeared to be dim by comparison.
Mahalo
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Packages: | Manta Ray Night Snorkeling [Early Evening Tour] |
Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
Posted on: | 2017/10/25 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/22 |
Reviewed by: Amber Bialy
My husband and I were both nervous, I get seasick and he has a fear of deeper water and has never snorkeled. Captain Morgan was amazing and the crew was super reassuring. They gave me ginger candy when I got on. I only felt a little queasy, it wasn't as bad as I thought. Short ride and they got us in the water and we had a full display of barrel rolls by 2 mantas! My husband had an amazing time and he enjoyed it more than he thought he would. He would do it again! You stay in the water for a reasonable amount of time, I got out a tad early but we went back shortly after. Tea, soda and fresh pineapple was offered. A MUST do and I couldn't ask for a better crew. Bring your own goggles and snorkel if you have them, some masks leaked a little. Worth it even if you get seasick (lots of ginger and dramamine!)
Pick a day with no wind as Well! We had a great experience.
Thank you for taking the time to review your manta tour. Happy to hear both you and your husband enjoyed the experience. Thank you for joining us and hope to serve you again soon in the near future.
A Hui Hou!
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Packages: | Manta Ray Night Snorkeling [Early Evening Tour] |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2017/10/24 |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/21 |
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Aloha, Thank you for coming out with us on the Manta Ray swim. I'm sorry that the Manta Rays did not cooperate that evening. Wahine Charters is one of the few tour companies that will take you out again for free if you don't see the Manta Rays. I hope you will take us up on that offer. We offer two Manta Ray tour departure times; the Sunset Manta tour and a later Moonlit Manta tour. Sometimes we see more Mantas on the Sunset tour and sometimes we see more on the moonlit tour, and occasionally we don't see any. There are two Manta Ray snorkel locations and we will take you to the location we believe will have the best show. We hope to see you again.
Captain Tim