When we tell potential participants they need to be confident swimmers with recent ocean snorkeling experience, we’re not trying to exclude anyone; we’re ensuring that everyone has the best and safest possible experience swimming with manta rays at night.
Our requirements exist for two reasons: the safety of all involved (participants, animals, and guides), and the quality of this once-in-a-lifetime encounter with the gentle giants.
The unique challenges of nighttime ocean swimming
Swimming with manta rays at night presents challenges you won’t find in a typical snorkeling experience. We enter the water after sunset, in complete darkness, surrounded by marine life that’s active and feeding.
This environment can feel overwhelming; the darkness makes everything appear different – distances seem greater, sounds carry differently, and natural reference points disappear. When someone’s worried about keeping up with the group or struggling with equipment, they can’t focus on the incredible experience happening around them.
We’ve seen guests miss magical moments because they were too focused on their gear or exhausted from the swim to the viewing site. That’s not the experience we want for anyone.
→ Read more about the risks of snorkeling with manta rays at night
Why you need to be a confident swimmer
What makes our manta ray experience different than most others is that participants aren’t floating around a boat. We enter the ocean directly from the beach and swim to the manta viewing area, which can take about five minutes (up to 350 yards, give or take).
This means everyone needs to actively swim – not just float – to keep up with the group.
Many people are confident pool swimmers but have limited ocean experience. The ocean presents different challenges: saltwater affects buoyancy, currents can be unpredictable, and swimming in deep, dark water feels different than during the day. While we cancel our swims when conditions become unsafe, there are still nights when we encounter swells, currents, or waves that require swimming ability to navigate safely.
During our moonlight swims, you’ll be in water that’s too deep to stand in, surrounded by marine life, with limited visibility. This environment requires genuine comfort and confidence in the ocean, not just the ability to swim laps in a pool or to stay afloat when wearing a swim vest.
Why recent snorkeling experience is important
Many people think snorkeling is simple – just put on a mask and breathe through a tube. In reality, there’s a skill set involved that takes practice to master.
Comfortable snorkelers know how to clear their mask if it fogs up. They understand how to position their snorkel properly and what to do if water gets in. They’re familiar with how fins feel on their feet and how to move efficiently through the water.
We’ve encountered guests who thought they were proficient snorkelers, but their experience was limited to floating in a life vest next to a boat or close to the shore. They never actually swam or dealt with equipment issues independently.
We’ve seen inexperienced snorkelers spend most of their time fiddling with equipment instead of watching manta rays. For confident snorkelers, these aren’t dangerous situations; they’re routine issues with simple solutions. However, for someone without recent practice, they become obstacles to an enjoyable experience.
Keeping everyone safe
When someone joins our group without adequate swimming or snorkeling skills, it affects everyone’s safety and experience. Our guides need to focus on managing one person’s struggles instead of facilitating an amazing encounter with manta rays for the entire group.
We’ve had to escort unprepared participants back to shore, which means other group members miss part of their manta ray viewing time. Our small group sizes and experienced guides help ensure safety, but everyone in the water needs to be self-sufficient with basic swimming and snorkeling skills.
That way, our guides can focus on making the experience more enjoyable and pointing out where the action happens, instead of troubleshooting someone’s equipment.
How to prepare for your manta ray encounter
If you’re confident in your swimming and snorkeling abilities, you’re ready for this incredible experience. If you haven’t been snorkeling recently or feel uncertain about any aspect of ocean swimming, we offer a daytime snorkeling refresher that can help you prepare.
These refresher sessions let you practice your skills in daylight, become comfortable with equipment, and build confidence before your nighttime manta encounter. Many participants find these courses invaluable for feeling fully prepared.
→ Book the refresher course here.
When you join our moonlight swim with solid swimming and snorkeling skills, you’re free to focus on the magic happening around you, instead of worrying about staying afloat or adjusting equipment.
Making the right decision: get in touch
Our requirements aren’t arbitrary: they’re based on years of experience and countless encounters with participants who’ve been both well- and underprepared for this adventure. To us, this is about “kuleana”, a Hawaiian term that means “personal responsibility”: we believe everyone involved shares responsibility for making this a safe and enjoyable experience, and every single one of us should always keep in mind what impact their actions can have on fellow humans, on the animals we’re all here to see, and on their ecosystem that we’re working so hard to protect.
If you’re unsure whether your skills meet our requirements, we encourage you to contact us with questions. We’d rather have an honest conversation beforehand than discover skill gaps when we’re about to hit the water.
0 Comments