Sea Paradise Sailing and Snorkeling Tours Reviews

Ok so you spend 40 minutes stretched out uncomfortably in a “superman” position hanging onto a metal raft along with 50 or so other people. The raft has bright lights pointing down into the water. Apparently the bright lights attract plankton which attract the rays. The rays are huge and gorgeous but the whole experience felt unpleasant and contrived. If you enjoy the freedom and beauty of snorkeling then this will be the exact opposite. You will not move for 40 minutes. Completely misrepresented in the promotional material. I’m sure you can Google what it really looks like if you’re still interested after reading this.

It’s not swimming, not snorkeling! You just hang onto a metal raft with your two arms for 40 minutes just waiting for manta rays to swim by. It’s boring. And they aren’t honest in calling it swimming.

Great experience! Captain and crew were professional and positioned our group for the best view. Definitely recommend!!

As a local resident of 30+ years I’ve been on many of the trips that go to a Kealakekua Bay for snorkeling, this was hands-down the best experience I’ve had! The new boat is perfectly set up to accommodate dry storage and plenty of space for guests to spread out. The seating is comfortable and the step entries in/out of the water are really easy. Fresh washer showers at each exit are a nice option for rinsing off when coming out of the water. It was a pleasant surprise that this trip offers two different snorkeling spots instead of just Kealakekua Bay, so the contrast between an unprotected vs a protected marine sanctuary are really obvious, which I think is important for visitors to see and understand the impacts we have on coral and marine life. The food and drinks on the boat were tasty and good quality, I was very impressed. The thing I liked best about the trip was the captain and crew - they were top notch! Everyone was professional and fun, they made guests feel safe and gave top-level service, including bringing food and drinks out to guests, providing snorkeling gear, sharing historic facts and points of interest on the island, and giving good safety briefings. Each crew member was smiling, friendly, pleasant to be on-board with, and worked seamlessly together as a team. The captain and crew did an excellent job all the way around and earned the spot as my favorite snorkel trip on the island!

Did a night snorkeling with Sea Paradise and it was an incredible evening. The catamaran was brand new, the dive spot was within eye sight of the harbor so it was a very short ride. Equipment was all in great shape and all the staff was very friendly. We saw so many rays, would highly recommend!

It was okay, nothing too unique. A little misleading as they said they would take us to the captain cook monument, but when we got there they informed us the state doesn’t allow anyone to actually go to the monument from the water. Also, they don’t allow anyone to use their own snorkels because of “insurance” reasons, they couldn’t really explain why other than just “insurance doesn’t allow it” There was also no explanation of anything we were seeing other than one person telling a quick 3 minute story about how the ancient Hawaiians sacrificed teenage boys on the cliffs. But yeah, they take people to the bay so they can snorkel, which I guess as a baseline is what one is paying for, but there is nothing special or unique about this place over any of the other boats that will take someone there.

Night manta snorkel was absolutely incredible. Lived up to the hype for sure. Must do if you can. Just incredible.

Highly recommend Eka Snorkeling With the Manta Ray Adventure. What an amazing experience. Thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Manta Rays. Our hosts Mark and Kai were amazing. Also would like to thank David who alerted us to our double bookings. He helped us resolve issue. Thank you l

We had such a great time on the night time manta ray snorkel! The crew was awesome and made it entertaining and made sure everyone was comfortable. They shared a lot of information about the manta rays. I think even if you are not a great swimmer they do a great job keeping you safe and are available constantly to help if you need anything. We saw several mantas and the crew had names for each one. 45 minutes was just the right amount of time to be in the water, and the boat ride was very short so you get to spend more time in the water. They served hot chocolate on the way back to help you warm up. Overall great experience and glad we chose Sea Paradise when there are so many options!

We chose Sea Paradise for a night snorkel with manta rays and the experience was top notch. The captain and crew were friendly and professional and everyone made sure our experience was memorable. We saw manta rays up close and were in the water for approximately 45 minutes. They provide wetsuits and snorkel gear. All you need to do is show up and have fun. For those who aren't used to ocean swimming, the experience can be a little choppy and your arms might be tired, but it's such an awesome experience.

We very much enjoyed our afternoon snorkel from Kona. We were on a smaller catamaran, however it was new within the last year and it was roomy with the amount of guests on board. We sailed for about an hour south to Captain Cooks monument where the bay is known to be one of the best snorkel spots on the Big Island. We were provided professional snorkel gear in good shape and we were able to see many different types of fish and eels. Safety was paramount with the staff providing life jackets and noodles if you needed. On the way down snacks and juice were provided on a complimentary basis. On the way back the bar was opened with a selection of beer, wine and cocktails for a charge. We really enjoyed the team on sea paradise, they were very knowledgeable about the Hawaiian culture and made sure we were educated about the Islands and history. Thank you to the crew for making our trip to the Big Island a very memorable one!

A well oiled machine! The crew was fantastic and clearly works well together. The boat was beautiful, clean and comfortable. AND THE MANTAS OMG it was the most incredible thing ever. At one point there were 15 different mantas swooping by us, literally less than 2 inches from us. It was absolutely unforgettable. If you’re thinking about doing this experience, stop thinking and book here.

Awesome experience! We went out on the 9pm Manta Ray dive and it was amazing. We arrived early and watched as the Hoku Nui came cruising back in to the bay with their early evening tour. We were pleasantly surprised how beautiful and clean this 50ft catamaran was. It’s like the party bus on water. The crew checked us in then fitted us with our wet suit. We proceeded to board and was greeted by the crew. The crew were amazing, fun, helpful and very educational. The music was playing making it feel very relaxed. Then it was time to get in to the water, although I am Kamaaina, and grew up at the beach, I’ve never got in to the ocean at night so I was a bit nervous. But once in the water and got set up, I was so excited to see the Mantas. They are huge but yet so beautiful and graceful. And they come within inches of you. Just simply amazing. When we got back on board we were treated with hot coco, tea or soda. We had the hot coco. The crew were just terrific! This definitely was an experience I will remember forever. I would also advise you to rent the GoPro when you make your reservations, we did and it was so worth it. We went on Friday 8/26/2022 and we’re back home on Oahu now and couldn’t wait to watch our experience on video. Worth every penny! Do it, you’ll have the best experience! Awesome job Sea Paradise!

Awesome experience! We went out on the 9pm Manta Ray dive and it was amazing. We arrived early and watched as the Hoku Nui came cruising back in to the bay with their early evening tour. We were pleasantly surprised how beautiful and clean this 50ft catamaran was. It’s like the party bus on water. The crew checked us in then fitted us with our wet suit. We proceeded to board and was greeted by the crew. The crew were amazing, fun, helpful and very educational. The music was playing making it feel very relaxed. Then it was time to get in to the water, although I am Kamaaina, and grew up at the beach, I’ve never got in to the ocean at night so I was a bit nervous. But once in the water and got set up, I was so excited to see the Mantas. They are huge but yet so beautiful and graceful. And they come within inches of you. Just simply amazing. When we got back on board we were treated with hot coco, tea or soda. We had the hot coco. The crew were just terrific! This definitely was an experience I will remember forever. I would also advise you to rent the GoPro when you make your reservations, we did and it was so worth it. We went on Friday 8/26/2022 and we’re back home on Oahu now and couldn’t wait to watch our experience on video. Worth every penny! Do it, you’ll have the best experience! Awesome job Sea Paradise!

Great crew! Fun time for all!

I was actually looking forward to this activity the most for my wife and I’s anniversary trip. Unfortunately did not go as planned. Basically my snorkel (with 4 patches of tape) was leaking water from the getgo. Took it to one of their newest crew members to look at. He said it was fine, I tried to give it time, make sure I was truly above water, etc. I still had leaking, got it replaced by another member but was given a new mask and snorkel. The mask ended up having significant leak. And by leak I mean the lens was completely separated from the rubber sealant. Finally went back to boat before everyone was done because I was so fed up. Told the captain about it and he said “we rely on you guys to tell us when things are broken.” Well I did tell them, and it was 2 different faulty pieces of equipment. When the booking agency asked the crew about it, they said they replaced my equipment but failed to mention they replaced my faulty equipment with more faulty equipment. The staff was great, nice new boat. Just bring your own equipment so this doesn’t happen to you.

Absolutely fabulous tour! We did the morning sailing & snorkel tour and it did not disappoint. Fabulous locations and wonderful staff. We decided to go back for the evening manta ray snorkel because we had such a wonderful time.

Sea Paradise is amazing! The crew is top notch and goes the extra mile to take care of customers that aren’t even on their boat. We lost a cell phone in the ocean during a separate snorkeling adventure and the crew retrieved it in the reef and went out of there way to return it to us! It’s hard to find honest caring people these days but Sea Paradise crew are just that! Thank you!