This was awesome! Definitely a must do if you ever have a chance. Rachel and Anna did a great job, very interactive, great fun time, I am not very comfortable in water but they made it Awesome!!! read more

Torpedo Tours - Boating Near Me

One of my pledges this year is complete more reviews of dive shops & sites. Used Torpedo Tours once before for a night manta dive 5 years ago. Opportunity presented itself again, and my group ended up booking a night manta dive and private charter with them on this most recent trip to Kona. The six of us first went out on the private charter. Rachel, our dive guide, queried us on our preferences and experience levels. When she learned we were relatively advanced divers, she immediately suggested a dive site called "A Touch of Gray." Turns up that one was of the sites a Kona friend of the group recommended! We took a good while to motor out to the side. When we splashed into the water, the surface current was very strong. So strong that I anticipated a dive cancellation. We slowly descended, and the current got easier the deeper we went. After we got to the bottom, we made our way to the dive site. It is called "A Touch of Gray" because it is a gray reef shark nursery. Tucked into a cut, we saw the school of baby gray reef sharks, how neat! They were agitated at first with our appearance, but they slowly got used to our presence- but still slowly moved around just in case. We left the nursery, and the current picked up. It turned into a drift dive, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The underwater topography was incredible, lots of valleys and cliffs- you really feel like you're flying above everything! After a safety stop and nearly 50 minutes, we surfaced and the boat picked all of us up! A safe dive is a good dive! The second dive was called "Pipe Dreams." It was another deep (almost 100 feet) dive. It was centered around the abandoned pipe formerly used by the Natural Energy Lab that brought up from the deep to generate electricity. There was supposed to be a resident frogfish, but it wasn't around. It still was a cool dive. Plus one of the access ports had a scarlet cleaner shrimp in it, one of my favorites! The last dive with Torpedo Tours was another night manta dive. Two of our group hadn't ever done this dive, plus I had a new camera compared to when I last went with TT 5 years ago. Fun as always! Amazing as always to see the mantas moving around so fast and so close to us! Torpedo had a hot water hose for us to wash and warm up after the dive- always a plus! Mucho mahalos to all of the Torpedo Tours staff: Captain Mike, Dive guides Rachel & Michael! It was great diving new (relatively to us) dive sites so safely! Will repeat and highly recommend Torpedo Tours! I think I found my go-to Kona dive shop! What are you waiting for? Let's dive! read more

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Absolutely amazing experience! My family and I booked the sunset Manta Ray snorkeling tour and it truly exceeded all our expectations. Huge thank you to Anna and Rachel for your incredible hospitality and kindness. You gave us an unforgettable evening. We felt so cared for and learned so much about the ocean and manta rays. This experience is a must-do for anyone visiting this beautiful island. Highly recommend! (I wish I had pictures to include but I was enjoying myself too much) read more

Full disclaimer - This was a last minute switch, this other company pond us off to this wonderful group. Captain Ryan, Jasmine & Mark were awesome tour guides. We did the 6pm night manga Ray snorkel. (Best choice you see the sunset) We were welcomed by Matt and had great conversation, which made this a smooth transition into the boat. I brought two friends who were brand new to snorkeling. We about a ~15 minute boat ride to the location, and had a educational and casual convo about the manta rays. Once we were all on the water, the fun began. Once we got in the water - within 5 min max we were in contact with the rays. They were HUGE! They come LITERALLY face to face. Rule or thumb- you can't touch them but they can touch you. We met the manta ray Amanda and she actually touched my belly and hands on the tour, as well as other people. So many others surfaced. Hands down the best thing I've done in Hawaii. Truly worth every penny! read more

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Booked manta snorkeling with Torpedo Tours. Team was amazing, astute, entertaining and well trained. Highly recommend booking your manta snorkeling with them. read more

We hired the team at Torpedo Tours during our wedding week to take a boat of family and friends to Kealakekua Bay. They were so helpful during the planning process and we were able to time it to meet up with kayaks and other hikers. They were so accommodating to give us a great rate and it was a highlight of the week for our friends and fam! read more

Spent three days with Micheal and Rachel to get scuba certified and I cannot recommend them enough! Micheal is a patient and detailed instructor. I never once felt unsafe. Not to mention, the dive sites they took us to were PHENOMENAL. If you're ever in Kona and want to dive or do a Manta Ray snorkel, Torpedo is hands down the only way to go. read more

Diving with the mantas is an outstanding experience! Mike was a fabulous dive guide. Very thorough briefing, it is clear he genuinely enjoys the experience which makes it even more fun. He is dedicated to safety and satisfaction of the guests, a win -win. Rachel our boat captain was kind, experienced, helpful and fun. She spotted a pod of spinner dolphins on our way out of the harbor, the crew was in no hurry to leave the area, they let us enjoy every minute of that surprise encounter. A total bonus. I selected the operation because I wanted to dive but my friend is a snorkeler and we wanted to be on the same boat and enjoy the experience together. I am so glad we were able to do this. Highly recommend selecting this operation! read more

We were originally scheduled to go out with Manta Ray Dives charter but their boat broke down so they offered us a chance to go out with Torpedo Tours. I am so glad that it worked out that way. Rachel our guide was amazing! Not only was she energetic and fun, but she seems to really love her job and the rays! Her positive attitude rubbed off all of us and we were all hyped to go out into the water! Rachel & Geoff got us into position around multiple "campfires" and the Manta Rays just kept coming! Both my husband and I were blessed with Manta Ray cuddles... or "strippered" as they call it. To say that these gentle giants are big is an understatement. They are enormous! However, they are fun to watch as they frolic and feed. Absolutely amazing! Bring your go pro or waterproof camera... you will not regret it! (That was our only regret). If you are looking for a night dive choose Torpedo Tours, you will NOT REGRET your decision! read more

Torpedo Tours - Full Moon snorkle sesh... - Boating Near Me

Excellent experience. They don't have a physical location, so if you do everything you need to do online and ahead of time, you just follow their instructions, meet at the picnic tables and they'll arrive at the scheduled time. They're very fun, efficient, experienced crew and operation. They knew the site well and the animal behavioral tendency for the location. Once you arrive on site and you see how many boats and people are in the water you're thinking "this is going to be a shit show", but it's purely organized chaos and all of the boat operators seem to have a professional camaraderie with one another and despite the barnyard of bodies, once you're down and the mantas show up, it's just you in your amazing little bubble of amazement and nothing else matters. It was majestic and wonderful and my experience with Torpedo Tours was just excellent. I do wish they had t-shirts for sale, but guess they don't do that anymore; Definitely wanted to hand them another $30-40 for one! Lol. read more

We did three boat dives in one day and had a fantastic time with Captain Rachael, and dive masters Danny and Mike! They are professional yet chill and we had some fantastic dives. As a new diver, they were understanding of my need to take it slow on the descent. My partner, who is an experienced dive master and instructor himself, has nothing but good things to say about this trip, as well! Danny, the dive master and guide on our two daytime dives, gave me some pointers to help me learn to control my buoyancy. We got to see some great wildlife and reef. He was careful and helped me feel confident on my 5th and 6th dives. Captain Rachael... I don't even have the words to describe how amazing she is! She has to be one of the sweetest people I've ever met. Dive master Mike was an excellent guide for the manta night dive. He clearly loves mantas and has a vast well of knowledge about them. He doesn't overwhelm you with information, but gives you enough that you really appreciate and respect them when you see them in the wild. We look forward to booking with Torpedo Tours the next time we visit Kona! We would not hesitate to hire them again and again. read more

We booked Torpedo Tours through the Hawaii Tours website and were very happy with the dive. This is one of the few boats that offers both scuba diving and snorkeling which was perfect for our group. We had one member of our group that had issues with his mask but it was likely due to his beard and not having the special silicon sealer most other dive operators carry. Either way it was an epic adventure. I took the scuba diving option and it was one of the most amazing diving experiences of my life. There were so many manta rays and when we first pulled up there was a pod of bottle nose dolphins swimming around too. If you are in Kona don't miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity! read more

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I dove with Mike and Nikki 12 years ago during a friend's trip to the Big Island and had a really good experience, and this time around I decided to dive with Torpedo again. April and I did the Manta Ray night dive with Michael, Rachel, and Jasmine, absolute great crew and had a blast. If you are looking for good people, good dive spots, well maintained boat & gear, and very reasonable prices I would highly recommend Torpedo Tours. Michael had some great cheesy dad jokes to keep you on your toes. read more

100% Recommend!!!!!!!! My son and I did a beginner dive with them (2 tank) (my 5th, his first). Rachel, Michael, Mike, and Mark were amazing! The gear is excellent, their training is excellent, and they are extremely personable. They've worked together for a long time so it was like being with a family. It's a small outfit and there were only 4 of us on the boat. with 1 dive leader each for 2 people! Since they're a smaller outfit, we felt we had our own private charter. If you want to feel like cattle in an assembly line, sure, sign up for one of the big outfits. If you want to feel like you're the center and focus of the dive, use Torpedo. read more

Never once had a less than incredible experience with Torpedo Tours! Their master divers are always so knowledgeable and kind. Every dive or snorkel I've gone on with them I've been shown or taught something new. I cannot recommend them enough! It's definitely worth it to get certified through a reputable organization such as this one. Also, check out their dark water Manta Ray dive/snorkel trips, they're legendary! read more

Torpedo Tours - Me! Looking off the boat before our night dive with the Manta Rays. - Boating Near Me

Highly recommend the torpedo tour!! The crew was engaging and provided a enjoyable environment full of laughs. Rachel, Michael and captain Ryan were attentive to everyone and made sure that no one got sea sick which made the experience more memorable since no one had to spend there night hanging over the edge of the boat . When the tour started the staff was able to find 15+ manta rays within a 45 min time period. Well worth the money! Don't miss out! The manta rays are a once in a life time experience which was made more enjoyable with such a great crew. read more

Torpedo Tours - Boating Near Me

***BEST MANTA RAYS NIGHT SNORKELING & DIVING EXPERIENCE*** WOW I'm so impress with this company. They made it so simple to find the boat and get on the boat, into the water to see all the manta rays safely. We all stayed together so Jasmine can point out when the manta rays were coming. Definitely bring your GoPros because they come up so close to the lights on the surfboards it's just amazing. Once we were done they got everyone back on the boat safely and we had a very nice warm shower upon entering the boat. The other companies do not offer that so you end up freezing on the way back, cold, wet and with the wind making the trip back even worse. We were able to head back to land quickly and stayed nice and warm. The excursion we did was the 6:30pm which was perfect. We were able to see the sunset and right after that the Manta rays. Photos posted below. Jasmine and the crew were just amazing. She has such a great personality and was very patient and made sure everybody enjoyed the tour and it was safe for all ages. They provide snacks and drinks on the boat as well. I just wish we had time to do this every night. It never gets old. We had such a positive and wonderful experience can't wait for the next time. read more

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Went manta ray night snorkeling with torpedo tours and had a great time! The tour guides were knowledgeable and gave us some intro info on manta rays on the ride over. We probably spent ~20 min in the water and saw ~5 manta rays. All gear is provided but you can bring your own snorkels as well. Bring a towel and dry sweatshirt for the ride back. Not sure about other tours but torpedo had great pluses like the hot water shower, snacks/drinks, and of course the captains sweet dog (biggest reason to go with this company!) Other tips are to bring motion sickness medication since the ride can get pretty bumpy. Overall had a great time and would definitely recommend going manta ray snorkeling with torpedo! read more

Rachel and Mike were awesome. Great trip. Definitely book them. They were very informative. Manta rays are totally cool. Thank you for the fun time. Definitely recommended. read more

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This company is THE BEST!!!! Highly recommend for manta snorkel and two tank morning dive! read more

Torpedo Tours - Best night dive ever!!! - Boating Near Me

The most professional, fun, and quality dive team on Big Island! If you're looking for the best time, look no further! A beautiful sunset boat ride listening to great music and snacks are included. The gear was all top notch, along with the lights. We had the brightest lights so the mantas were coming to us from every direction, it was so magical. The experience is so worth every penny. I've done over 500 dives this year, and this was one of the best! Thank you so much, we'll be back read more

Torpedo Tours - Boating Near Me

We had a blast!! Mike and Rachael were informative, relaxed and fun! We were greeted by the boats mascot, a happy pup that likes to swim with dolphins! We saw a young tiger shark on the way out of the harbor and a large turtle on the way into the harbor. Both dives were fantastic with a variety of sea life. We saw a white tip reef shark in a cave and many eels to mention a few. Mike and Rachael helped us to see many wonderful creatures and we felt safe the entire time. While traveling in the boat to the dive spot we saw flying fish and a manta ray. We have dove with torpedo tours in the past and will definitely be back. read more

This was the most amazing adventure! We were nervous at first, but once we got on the boat all our anxieties were diminished due to the crew's friendliness and hospitality. Jasmine is so knowledgeable and passionate about the mantas. Once we got in the water, we knew so much about them that it made the experience so much better. The boat we took carried just the right amount of people. Other boats had a lot of people so it took them much longer to load and unload. Jasmine stayed next to us in the water the whole time, and we had a nice warm shower and snacks afterwards. This is a must for a fun time on the big island! read more

Wow, what a spectacular experience! Rachel was enthusiastic throughout the entire trip and provided a wonderful info session about manta rays before we got in the water. Joff also helped give excellent advice, allowing us to see a beautiful sunset on the way out to the manta site. And I can't forget to mention Maka, the boat's resident dog. Super friendly! She only added to an already incredible experience that sees you come within inches of manta rays at night. read more

I've been going back and forth on writing this review. This isn't something I take lightly. I am a small business owner and understand how difficult it is to grow your customer base and make everyone happy. I went on a manta night dive about a month ago. I was alone and the dive master was my "buddy". I have about 28 dives under belt, so I'm still pretty new. I forgot my mask and borrowed from the shop. Everything was great until we were lined up in a vertical position waiting on the Manta rays. My borrowed mask started to leak. Slowly at first. I calmly felt around the edges trying to figure out what was going on, I couldn't feel anything out of the norm. The problem became increasingly worse to the point it was flooding and I was clearing it constantly. This panic caused me to take in water through my regulator. During all of this, which was happening over the span of minutes I was looking for my dive buddy. He wasn't near me. He had a big light, but wasn't anywhere to be found. At this point I reallt started to panic. I went to numerous people around me and let them know I had an issue and signaled I needed to surface. Every one of them ignored me. No one helped me. Imagine! I'm going person to person asking for help and my dive buddy is still no where to be found. I ultimately decided to surface on my own ( this was not safe, but I really had no other option at this point). About halfway up the dive master-my buddy grabbed me and helped me surface safety. I have a few issues. 1. Where was my dive master and how on earth was I left alone for minutes and minutes with absolutely no help. I should have been able to depend on help from fellow divers, but that's a whole story in itself. 2. When we finally got to the surface, I was scared to death. All I could think about was getting home to my kids. All this guy said to me was that I couldn't surface alone like I was trying to do (out of desperation) and that I should have been fine, it's possible to dive without a mask By the time I got on the boat, all I could do was cry. He went back down because there were 2 others in our group. He never apologized, he never even really checked in on me. I've since come to the conclusion that I probably had the mask too tight, causing it to leak. Regardless, I can't get past the fact that my buddy- also my dive master abandoned me and wasn't there when I needed him most and he didn't seem to care a bit. So- if you want to snorkel and have fun with this company, great. I would never recommend them for diving, especially!! If you are not a very experienced/completely independent diver. This was their response to me on TripAdvisor- completely false. Note I mentioned numerous times how long I looked for him- the entire time clearing my mask repeatedly- I even asked others for help. My dive master of course wouldn't know this because he wasn't there! Unbelievable. Look and you will find other similar reviews with them never taking responsibility. Looking back I now understand why none of the other dive companies knew who these guys were or were willing to acknowledge it. Aloha Brea, we are so sorry to hear that you experienced this. However, we make a point of keeping our divers safe and ensuring that their equipment is fully functional while we are still on the surface. If you are having any issues with your equipment it is vitally important to let your dive guide know in a calm manner so they can assist you before you descend. Also, every certified diver should be comfortable and equipped to clear their mask in the event of leaking or flooding, as taught in your open water course. In the truth of this situation before anyone could assist you, you immediately bolted up to the surface in a panic, which is one thing a scuba diver should never do. Your dive guide was next to you the entire time but in your panic couldn't adequately help you without putting himself at risk. We apologize that you experienced this and we recommend any certified diver who is inexperienced to refresh their scuba skills before joining us on a manta ray night dive! read more

Went on Manta Ray night dive with Torpedo tours. Staff was very nice, we were a small group of only 2 divers and one guide which was great! Water, soda and snacks were provided on the short trip to the dive site, where we saw the manta rays. Compared to other places in Kona, the price for rental gear is reasonable, and not a ripoff - that was actually the reason why i choose Torpedo tours, and it was a good choice. read more

After living here for 4 years we went out with TT for the Manta Snorkel and dive. It was an amazing experience I would repeat over and over again. The staff was friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive. The experience was priceless! read more

Hmm how to begin. Didn't know what to expect at first. Actually a bit nervous since my wife and I are not really open ocean people even though we can swim well. (I'm 33 and she's 28). One HUGE HUGE THING is to maybe make sure to take some anti nausea/dramamine for motion sickness. I know i'm not one to have a weak stomach as i do pretty extreme stuff but sometimes the waves just get to you over time. Tour was very prompt on time. Jasmine, Hugh, and Mike were our crew and we're so amazing. They went over standard op procedures and expectations. Don't know if we could've trusted anybody else. Felt so safe with them and they were always checking in on us to see how were doing on and off the boat. They got to know us on the ride there and didn't forget our names. What an awesome personal touch. Once we got in the water. HOLY CRAP. the epicness began. once i got over the fear of being in the open ocean in the dark of night (about 5 seconds), it went amazing. The mantas were so close and so frequent. And by close i mean they brushed up on me more than a few times, prolly an inch from my face for about 20 minutes doing rolls, twists and flips again and again. Just don't panic, everything will be fine. (My wife is 21 weeks pregnant and we looked up if that had anything to do with anything, online says that the Mantas can sense the pregnancy and are attracted them.... in the safest way possible, my wife loved it, it just felt like they wanted to say hi the whole time. I will never ever in my life forget this. Def one of the coolest things i've ever done and seen. Seeing them on Nat Geo is one thing but seeing them an inch from touching your face is on a whole other spectrum of WTF amazing. Once you see an actual Manta and realize how freakin big it is, you're gonna lose your sheets. Couldn't really prove it with pics as there was no way i was taking my phone in the water with me and having to hold onto the floatation boards. Perhaps a body mounted gopro attachment next time. A nice little tip that made it more comfortable for me in the water was to keep the noodle they provide towards the underside of my stomach so that kept my lower body afloat as the crew repeatedly tells you not to kick your feet in the water because the Mantas don't like that. Make sure you know how to use your snorkel gear before hand and have practiced at least maybe once in your bathtub so that you're not trying to learn on the fly in the middle of the night with these giants right below you, that can def take away from the experience as i saw that happen to some other people. Worth every dollar and more!! read more

Best snorkelling experience ever !! Jazz was amazing very knowledgeable she went above and beyond to answer all our questions and taking us where we can see the Manta rays ! Thank you Captain Rachelle read more

Fun and friendly crew, Rachel was an awesome dive master! Dogs on the boat were a bonus too! Night manta diving is a MUST when visiting Kona! read more

Rachael and Michael and the crew, were so amazing, above and beyond, they were really helpful with use of equipment, making sure gear fits, so you had a safe, awesome experience, Rachael, made sure we got every advantage to maximise our ocean adventure. Mahalo nui loa read more

Was a great experience going on the nighttime Manta Ray Snorkel tour. We got to see 6 rays. The guides were beyond helpful even for some of th!e guests who weren't as experienced snorkelers. Thanks for a great trip read more

This was an experience like no other! Our hosts/guides Rachael and Geoff were awesome...both were personable, super knowledgable, and communicating with one another to link us up in just the right location to be sure we had as many sightings as possible. Captain Mike was great as well and even paused the boat briefly for the guests to appreciate the sunset on the ride out. This is a must-do before leaving the Big Island! I suggest bringing a hoodie or something for the ride back, as it can be a bit chilly. read more

At the last minute, I received a call from Hawaii Forest and Trail cancelling our sunset Mauna Kea trio, which was supposed to be the highlight of our trip. So I started calling around for mantaray night snorkels which was another activity we didn't think we'd have time for. Good news: They were nice enough to squeeze us in - Bad news: we did not see any mantarays. Not only that, someone on the trip opened the beer I brought in board and just put it back without saying a thing. Who does that? At least drink it then (shoulda known from the beginning since they were obnoxious). The saving grace was that there was a swell that night, which brought up some bioluminescent creatures you'd normally only see in a deep dive. If we had not seen anything interesting at all, it would have made for a very sad evening. The crew also made the trip a nice one - they were very friendly and engaging. read more

From booking the tour to finishing the night, all went smoothly. The manta ray night dive is amazing and is a must do when on the island. You have many choices, and I'm glad we choose Torpedo Tours to go with. Booking and paperwork was easy to navigate. Directions to meeting point were clear and easy to follow. The crew was knowledgeable, friendly and hard working. When we arrived to the dive spot we already had all of our gear fitted and ready to go. Put on the equipment and jumped in. We had a small dive group and we easily got yo our location to watch the show"! Thank you Torpedo Tours for an amazing night. read more

The best dive I ever been to. The staff was so friendly and fun which made the experience that much better. They had a lot of good important knowledge and I could easily tell they knew what they were doing. There were so many manta rays and I was just in awe during the whole dive. Definitely recommend doing this with torpedo tours! read more

If I could give this charter 100 stars I would! If you're a tad seasick, take some medication prior and they offer a few snacks and juices to steady your stomach! It is the most wonderful experience and Rachel was very enthusiastic in talking about her diving experiences and trips around the islands. Great for people of all ages, there were kids aged 10-12 to adults aged 80! Very safe conditions most nights and well-lit with boats around for some added comfort while you're in the water. They provide snorkels, masks, and pool noodles for a gentle float (you don't swim at all as they have you hold onto a surfboard that shines LED lights in the water to attract plankton which attracts the manta rays)! Absolutely no concern for other less-than-calm creatures around, and I would love to go back to take my friends. If you're on the Big Island this is a must-do!!!!! Tip the crew! read more

We just got back from the late night Manta tour (8:30) and it was beyond our wildest expectations. Jasmine, Mike, and Micah were absolutely wonderful, energetic, welcoming, and knowledgeable and I couldn't possibly leave out Maca (the boat dog!!) who was so incredibly awesome to have with us on the trip. Jasmine's passion for and connection to the Mantas is truly something special! Recommended in every way! read more

Amazing time on the boat for this nighttime manta ray viewing experience! Our group was half divers and half snorkeling, and we were all able to go out together which was perfect as most tours are either only one or the other. The crew was great and would definitely recommend this to anyone on the island read more

Awesome tour with an intimate group of people and a fun, lively crew!! The boat has both snorkelers and divers, so it's great for groups that have people that want to do different things, but also stick together. Would totally recommend to anyone visiting Kona! read more