Things to do over the New Year's Day long weekend in Big Island of Hawaii (Updated 2026)

Amazing life experience! We had 3 beautiful manta rays swim under us! It was a ballet of beauty! They were with us most of our time out and the time out was just right.The three young men who took us out were knowledgeable and friendly.

We had a great time, Neli was terrific would definitely recommend.

This entire experience was outstanding from start to finish. Jacob and crew take care of everything and were genuinely happy to be there. My wife isn't as adventurous as I am and they helped her feel safe. We both had a blast with manta rays swimming so close they bumped us several times. For sure 20/10 recommend. Incredible experience.

It was such a delightful experience! We didn’t go down waipio valley, and instead trailed around the beautiful gigantic property. The horses were well trained and we saw beautiful ocean views with large forests and streams.Our tour guide was a delight. We had a blast. I very much recommend it!

It was an amazing experience and everyone was so helpful and friends! We will definitely boon again next visit!

Excellent sail. We all enjoyed it immensely. Just BE AWARE that Uber has a very, very difficult time finding you for pickup! You may end up standing at the loading area for an extended time. Ask me how I know.... LOL

It was great fun riding through the mud.

This was fun even if the wind didn't quit getting us really moving. Music was great. Crew was amazing! And the sunset was wonderful. Food could have been better. I would book with them again anytime.

Fantastic experience. My wife and I appreciated the care and respect of passing on culture and sustainable traditions to family and friends offered by the crew here.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to enjoy Mother Nature and the manta ray. The host is super friendly and fun. The swim is very easy, and the ocean is very warm. Perfect for all swimmers.

Was a wonderful trip. The Captain was very knowledgeable and kept us all knowledgeable about safety etc. They said we were lucky because the ocean was very flat after the hurricane and the clearest it has been in a month. The snorkeling was amazing and we saw eels, trumpet fish, beautiful star fish and so much more and the water was so clear and warm. On our way back we saw spinner dolfins which was an extra bonus!

Very kind staff and professional. We had Manta Rays come right up to us. So cool!! It was a highlight of our trip.

You NEED to do this! Such a memorable experience! Such a unique experience that I would recommend anyone doing!

Super fun time! Erica and Cody were amazing guiding us and keeping us safe and super knowledgeable. We spotted dolphins twice! Each had baby dolphins in their pod. Also got to see Jerry Garcias favorite scuba spot and lava tubes! Highly recommend!!

This was as amazing as everyone says! The crew got us in and out of the water safely! Was informative and we got to see a lot of manta rays mainly Kenzi, Janis and Santa Maria. They come so close and I got great videos. This truly is something you can only do on the bog island and I highly recommend. It started raining at the end of our snorkel session and that just added some magic.

Very nice trip with a guide with great knowledge about this journey.