Recent Kona Manta Sightings

Report by Jack's Diving Locker from our Manta Ray Night Dive & Snorkel Trip and our Manta Ray Night Snorkel Trip

Download Manta Sightings Report Calendar (.ics)

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Check our Manta Sightings Report as your trip approaches.

At Jack’s Diving Locker, we understand that signing up for a Manta Ray Dive or Manta Ray Night Snorkel Trip is a considerable investment of not only your money, but also your valuable vacation time here in Hawaii.  On average we see Mantas about 85-90% of the time, but they are wild animals and their appearance is beyond our control.  Obviously, when they don’t show up it can be very disappointing for everyone.

Seasickness is also another major factor that can affect the enjoyment of the experience.

With that in mind, we maintain the calendar and links below to make sure you can take recent sightings and weather forecasts into planning your trip, and also to cancel with proper notice if you should determine that the risk of not seeing mantas is greater than you’re willing to take.

Swells & Weather

First and foremost, seasickness is much more common at night than during the day, especially for snorkelers.  Please be advised that even on the calmest of nights, you should strongly consider the option of taking appropriate seasickness medication.

In addition to normal weather concerns, Hawaii’s famous ocean swells can occasionally create challenges for these trips, including significant surges at depth, and reduced visiblity.  

The Manta Ray Sites are most effected by large swells (6' or greater) from the west to northwest.  Winds over 15 mph from the southwest to northwest can also impact our trips. If you see forecasts above those levels we may still be able to run your trip, but if you have personal concerns about your comfort and experience, you should change plans before the no cancellation period starts (see below), .  Generally we wait until noon the day of the trip to make final decisions about the weather since the forecasts aren't always reliable.

View detailed surf forecast for Honokohau Harbour. Visit surf-forecast.com for more details, long range forecasts, surf reports, swell and weather maps.

Manta Dive Site Selection

There are two Manta Ray Night Dive sites on the Big Island. One is North of Kailua Kona by the Kona Airport. The other site is South of Kailua Kona, at Keauhou Bay.

As a general rule we have a strong preference for using the Northern site, also known as Garden Eel Cove. This site is closer, usually a little more protected, has more moorings, and provides a more concentrated viewing area for the numerous boats, divers and snorkelers that go there. In addition, it tends to have greater numbers of mantas on average, and is a nicer dive site in general.

We will however occasionally go to the Southern site by the Keauhou Bay Sheraton if we feel there is a significantly better chance of seeing mantas there. However, this site has limited mooring space. Because of this, if there are only a small numbers of Mantas and lots of boats, the groups get dispersed over a large area and the viewing can vary greatly from group to group. For this reason you’ll often hear of some boats getting a great show, and others at the same site not getting to see them very well, or at all. So generally speaking, if we’re going South, there is a slightly greater chance of not seeing mantas, or having a more limited view of them.

Cancellation Policy

• We have a 24 hour cancellation policy, except December 20th through January 5th when we have a 48 hour cancellation policy.
• Changes or cancellations made with less than the above mentioned time periods will result in a full charge with no exception.

Manta Guarantee

While we see mantas about 85-90% of the time, they are wild animals and their appearance is beyond our control. If you don’t see a manta on your night out, you can go again on another night on a space available, standby basis. Keep in mind that these spaces may be very limited, especially during the busiest times of the year. However, the offer never expires but is non-transferrable and has no refund or cash value.*

*The Manta Guarantee was not available prior to 9/01/2013, and all requests to use a standby pass must be documentable via your receipt (or the digital record in our system)

Historic Manta Sightings