The manta ray moonlight snorkel experience is extraordinary, but it’s not the right fit for everyone. Read this before booking it for someone other than yourself, to avoid them getting turned away at arrival.
Safety first: why every guest needs to meet prerequisites
Our prerequisites apply to everyone in the group, not just the person making the booking.
Each guest must:
- Be confident swimming in water too deep to stand, and have snorkeled in the ocean within the past year (we offer a refresher class for anyone who hasn’t)
- Be at least 12 years old (under-14s must be accompanied by an adult)
- Speak and understand English; we don’t allow translators, as our guides need to communicate directly with every guest during the briefing and while in the water.
- Arrive without alcohol or other drugs in their system; we have a strict zero-tolerance policy, and guests who don’t comply are disqualified without a refund
Besides this, if guests have any health issues (heart condition, weight exceeding 300 pounds, taking medication that may affect snorkeling abilities, etc.), we ask that they get in touch with us ahead of time so we can advise accordingly.
Every guest also needs to sign their own liability waiver when they book, confirming they meet these prerequisites and understand the risks. We have seen travel agents or corporate bookers providing a digital signature for the full group, which often means guests arrive at the swim not knowing what to expect or not understanding the risk.
Booking on someone’s behalf doesn’t waive the requirement for every participant to sign their own waiver; it’s a personal acknowledgment each participant has to make for themselves.
If you’re not sure whether someone in your group qualifies, reach out to us (or ask them to reach out) as soon as possible. You’ll also find the full prerequisites on this page.
If someone in your group doesn’t qualify: Manta Point
Not everyone in your party needs to be in the water to be part of the experience. Guests who can’t or don’t want to join the swim are welcome to watch from Manta Point, a lookout overlooking Kauna’oa Bay where the mantas can often be seen from shore.
It’s a good option to mention upfront, especially for large or mixed groups where not everyone meets the prerequisites or wants to swim in the ocean in the dark of night.
Just in case: why we need contact details for each guest
We need a phone number and email address for each guest, not just the main contact on the booking. This isn’t extra paperwork for its own sake; it’s how we reach people directly if something changes at the last minute.
Ocean conditions can shift quickly, and we sometimes need to cancel or delay a swim on short notice. If we can only reach a travel agent, a booker who isn’t on-site, or a single member in the group (who may not have their phone on them, or not be with the rest of the group at that time), we lose valuable time getting the message to the people who actually need it.
If you don’t have everyone’s contact details when you book, we’ll send you a form to collect them afterward.
Booking for more than 6 people
Our groups are capped at 6 guests per guide, so we can guarantee the safety and enjoyment for everyone involved.
Any booking larger than that gets split across multiple guides and tours at different times on the same night. We coordinate this on our end, but it’s worth knowing your group won’t necessarily be swimming as one unit.
If you’d rather keep your group private and not mixed with other guests, you can book a private buyout of a tour instead – contact us to enquire about this.
Cancellation terms are also different for larger bookings. Groups of 12 or more guests need to cancel at least 96 hours before the activity for a full refund, compared to 24 hours for smaller bookings. You’ll find our complete cancellation and refund policy here.
Where this has gone wrong before
These aren’t hypothetical concerns. Here’s what’s actually happened when guests didn’t know about prerequisites, or when we couldn’t reach them in time.
Guests arriving intoxicated
Sometime last year, several guests from a travel-agent booking arrived at the beach shack – they had clearly been drinking. The tour guide, ready to start the safety briefing, had to turn them away.
Alcohol slows reaction time and affects balance and judgment; not something a swimmer needs at night, in open water, near large animals they can’t always see coming. An intoxicated guest is a risk to themselves, to the guide responsible for the group, and to everyone else in the water.
That’s why we have a zero-tolerance policy, and why it’s been in place for years. We can’t offer a refund in these cases either; the guide travelling to the beach and preparing a tour takes time, and once guests are disqualified, it’s too late to bring someone in from the waitlist to take their place.
Guests who couldn’t speak English – and couldn’t snorkel
A corporate client who’d booked with us multiple times sent a group of 14 people. While the group was split into smaller groups for the actual snorkeling, they were all together during the safety briefing – and nobody noticed that five of the participants couldn’t communicate in English.
Once everyone was in the ocean, this gap became a real problem. Guides give instructions in real time: where to go, when to stay close, what to do if something happens. A guest who can’t follow a warning or a signal can’t act on it fast enough, and our guide ended up having to figure out mid-swim who actually understood the briefing.
One of the guests in this group, a 14-year-old, had never snorkeled before. They were struggling with their equipment and unable to enjoy the experience to the fullest.
If the booker had been more aware of the prerequisites, they would likely have found a different activity for the guests who couldn’t speak English or couldn’t snorkel. If the guests themselves had been aware of this, they likely would have flagged it ahead of time, rather than finding out once in the water.
Guests showing up for cancelled tours
Ocean conditions can turn fast. More than once, we’ve had to call off a swim only a few hours before start, either because the surf got too rough to be safe, or because it was clear the mantas simply weren’t going to show that night.
When we can only reach the person who made the booking, the message doesn’t always make it in time. We’ve had guests drive out to the resort and walk down to the beach shack, only to be told at the door that the swim isn’t happening.
That’s a wasted evening that’s easily avoidable, but only if we can reach every guest ourselves.
A guest who couldn’t swim
One guest had snorkeled before: floating beside a boat in calm, shallow water. The people booking for them assumed that meant they’d be fine.
But participating in our manta ray moonlight swim means swimming 30 to 300 yards through open ocean, at night, to reach the manta viewing site. That’s a different skill than floating next to a boat.
Thankfully, this was caught in time, and the guest didn’t join the tour. If they’d read the prerequisites themselves and signed their own waiver, they likely would have caught the mismatch before ever booking.
FAQ
Do you offer commissions to travel agents?
We don’t currently offer commissions or kickbacks to travel agents. We do appreciate the business, and we’ll do everything we can to make sure your clients have a safe, high-quality experience.
Do you offer discounts for large groups?
No, our pricing is the same whether you’re booking for one person or a large group.
What if someone doesn’t meet the prerequisites after we’ve already booked?
Let us know as early as possible. Guests who don’t meet the prerequisites won’t be able to join the swim, but they’re welcome to watch from Manta Point instead. If they don’t cancel ahead of time, they won’t be refunded.
What if I have other questions?
Our team is available daily (during Hawaii office hours), you can contact us by phone or email.
0 Comments