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

Amazing experience. We saw so many manta rays (they swim up so close, make sure you try not to touch them cause they are within arms reach). Guides were awesome and swam us around to get different views. Can’t miss this experience if you’re in Kona.

It was an excellent experience. From checkin, to boarding the boat, to the snorkeling. Everything was great and all the guides and captains were excellent! It was the highlight of my trip and would definitely do it again.

We had a great time with Captain Jacob and his crew, Noah and Vince. They were knowledgeable and engaging though the tour sharing a lot of great info about Manta Rays . We saw lots of mantas and other fish including black tip sharks! Highly recommend this excursion if you are visiting Kona!

This was an incredible experience. We had the manta rays glide inches below us over and over. Graceful, beautiful creatures in their natural setting - unforgettable.

Our guide was knowledgeable and super friendly. She was engaging. It was great being able to sample all of the salts so we could choose to buy our favorites.

Eric and Lucas were great guides. We all had so much fun. Great spot to snorkel with plenty of schools of fish. Good history lesson of the area as well.

It was amazing the rays get with in an inch of you and they are massive. We loved every minute!! The water is a little cold would if you get cold easy rent a wet suit.

Had an amazing experience with Micah and Cody! We went out with about 12 people including us. We fit comfortably on the boat with the people and everyone’s bags! Left at around 4:20pm. We rode out to the bay to snorkel where they gave us goggle masks, snorkels, pool noodles, and flippers. She told us about her favorite fish to see and we all snorkeled for about 45 minutes. They gave us pineapple and water and she told us the story of Captain Cook! Then we headed back to the launch and stopped on the way to look at sea caves and the red hill. Micah and Cody shared stories and descriptions of all the places we went and were both very personable! We got back to the launch at about 6:30pm

Amazing manta ray night snorkeling experience! Deavon was our host and communication was great, with advance notice before we headed to the meeting area. We saw 3–4 manta rays swim just inches away from us. It was incredible to see these gentle giants up close! The crew was friendly, funny, and Greg was so knowledgeable, and did a great job educating us and answering our questions, making the experience truly unforgettable. Definitely worth the money! Tip: expect a possible delay in the start time, but they’ll let you know in advance, and definitely bring a waterproof phone case.

Our guides Bobbie and Keoki were fun, entertaining and informative. We had a great time and would do it again.

Once in a lifetime experience

Our tour guide Eugene made the experience wonderful, exciting and memorable. Even when things didn’t go as planned, clouds blocking the view of the stars, mist and rain on the summit of Mauna Kea, chill in the air or even some high altitude light headedness; Eugene provided amazing insight into the mountains, the history of the Hawaiians and geography of a most beautiful mountain that we all shared. Our vehicle was comfortable, making several pit stops to allow each of to acclimatize and explore as we climbed up the mountain. The tour provided a good tasty and very hot soup as our meal; providing plenty of tea, water and coffee for your very needs. We would highly recommend this tour above all others. This is our second trip and both times we had difficulty seeing the stars but Eugene got us to the summit. While we were unable to see the stars because of weather conditions that came in before the stars came out, we were able too see as beautiful sunsets providing us with another great memory. Moreover, the tour refunded us half of our money because we were unable to star gaze. This is worth the trip. Good luck.

So incredibly fun. We had an amazing time even in the down pouring rain! Although we weren’t able to do certain things because of the mud and rain our guide, Bobby, was able to make our experience just as fun and rewarding. Absolutely worth the money!

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

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!

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