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

This excursion was such an adventurous experience. I would definitely recommend this outing. The only thing I would do differently is scheduling a ride back to town before going on the excursion. The ranch is way up in the countryside. If we had not friended a couple with a rental car, I don’t know how we would have returned back to town.

I wasn’t sure what to expect but this adventure is 1000/10! Highly recommend and it will be a highlight of your Hawaiian vacation! The boat ride was thrilling, the nighttime “swim” was remarkable. You won’t have a better crew than Alexis, Raechel, and Emily! We learned a ton about the area and manta rays. We say about 3 manta rays. But just being in the water at night was worth it! So if you don’t see any manta rays which is possible it’s still a fantastic experience! I would definitely book again! I would also say this should only be for good swimmers! Anytime you are getting in the ocean- know how to swim. Your panic and fear puts everyone at risk! Friendly reminder. Bring some cash to tip the crew! They are worth it and work hard for you to have an excellent experience!

The tour, tasting, and presentation were all excellent! The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. Very informative and well worth the time.

Great snorkeling at this location, which is VERY difficult to reach by foot, moderately difficult to reach via kayak, and easy to reach via boat. Pluses: - Micah (our boat operator) rocks, as did her first mate (Leleani?). They love their jobs ( and it shows), and they love to share the history of the bay, Captain Cook, and the beauty of the island, its features, and its wildlife. - They will rent you corrective goggles if you are nearsighted. If you are, pony up. The reef goes deep and it is magnificent to see all the way down. - They supply flippers on the boat. These will help you motivate in the water, the bay covers a wide swath of land. - They supply you with a pool noodle. You don't have to exert yourself much to see amazing things on this trip. That said, there is ample diving opportunities in this spot as well. - The boat rips. If you have the need for speed, you will get your fix. Keep in mind: - We rented fins from the van b/c we didn't know they supplied flippers on the boat. Fins are better than flippers but we probably would have passed. They did give us a discount upon our return. - Bring a swim shirt and sport (mineral based) sunscreen and use them. The Hawaiian sun laughs at your paltry attempts to protect yourself. Seriously. - There are more pauses on the way back to see the lava tubes, caves, and discuss the history of the area and the island. If you need to pee, do it before you get back on the boat. The fish won't mind. - They also do a night snorkel with manta rays. Might give you a discount if you ask ;). -The boat rips. If you want a gentle ingress and egress to the bay, a catamaran or similar may be better. Ditto if you have small kids who may be spooked by racing over the water in a twin engine craft used by Navy Seals ;).

Incredible 10 out of 10 Great tour perfect amount of time the guides were great and informative mantas get so close

The tour was informative and fun. The tour lead really knew her history of the area and production process. She was so attentive to the group and sweet. If you are interested in food or cooking this is a must. My mind was buzzing with dishes to try our new salts on. 10 out of 10 would recommend. P.S. they provide umbrellas for sun shade and plenty of water (some with magnesium if you want to try its benefits, ask about the cold water foot soak)

This was the best adventure!! Pono and Kioki were awesome guides!! Highly recommend for a great time. Aloha!!

Greg made the tour. He was personable and knowledgeable about Hawaiian history, coffee, chocolate, soap and great places to eat. It was a full and enjoyable experience - well worth the time and money.

Amazing night snorkeling with manta rays. The guide was friendly, funny, and made everything feel safe and easy. We saw five manta rays, and it truly felt like a mystical experience.

10 out of 10. No notes. The experience, and the crew in particular, were so on point that we ended up booking their manta ray night snorkel tour later that night, and we had already done a manta ray night snorkel tour with a different operator a few nights prior. The Captain Cook snorkel tour was so fun, super informative, and extremely well run. The boat we were on was small, fast, and nimble. Which is what you want. That means less time getting to the snorkeling and more time in the water. It also means less people in the tour. Which is a huge plus. Smaller tours are ALWAYS better. We saw tons of wildlife and learned a lot from the crew. If I remember correctly, the Captain was named Alexis and tour lead? (not sure what her title was) was named Caleigh. They were AMAZING. Crazy informative, super competent, funny, and overall really chill people that clearly love what they do and are seriously good at it. I've done about 15, mostly snorkel tours, across the Hawaiian islands and they were probably the best crew I've ever encountered. Can't recommend Hawaii Oceanic enough, ESPECIALLY CAPTAIN ALEXIS AND CALEIGH!!

Great experience. We did the tour and the foot bath/ soak. The water was 48 degrees with a magnesium add in and was wonderful. The tour guide was incredible and very passionate about conservation and tools the history of the farm beautifully. After seeing several evaporation stages to get to sea salt, we did a tasting with a lot of different flavors. Definitely worth the time and the flavored salt is so so good, we bought several!

Want to learn? Gregg has the buzz on coffee, he has the sweet information on chocolate and he comes clean with his soap. My wife and I had a GREAT time! Gregg and his crew are awesome, super nice and very knowledgeable. A must do if you visit the island of Hawaii.

We had such a cool experience! The manta rays were amazing and the guides were fantastic. Highly recommend this outing.

Tour was beautiful and so fun!

Our guides were great, very knowledgeable and funny. We saw 4 mantas. Wonderful experience!!

Great times, manta rays were out and shining, communication was clear and seamless. Playlist out and in from doc was great. Would recommend