Bora Bora Manta Ray Snorkeling

Which manta ray tour to book

For a half day that goes looking for manta rays, book H2O’s Half-Day Shared Boat Snorkel Tour. It costs $130 per person, runs 3.5 hours, is rated 5.0 from 769 reviews, and takes at most 7 travelers per booking. If you prefer more reviews behind your choice, the Reef Discovery Half-Day Snorkel Tour costs $135 per person for 3.5 hours and is rated 5.0 from 1,042 reviews, the most of any half day on this site. For a full day with lunch, the Manu and Rohivai trips both build a manta stop into the itinerary, and Parataito’s private solar boat sets aside 30 minutes for one.

Read every listing carefully, though. Mantas are wild animals that come and go, and none of these operators can promise you will see one.

How each listing words the manta stop

The wording matters, because it tells you how much of the trip is built around mantas.

• H2O’s shared boat says its tours “regularly encounter” manta rays, alongside eagle rays, turtles, dolphins and coral gardens. Sites are chosen each day based on conditions, and the listing states that it does not feed animals or stage encounters.
• Reef Discovery lists manta rays among the marine wildlife encountered, with eagle rays and reef fish. The listing gives no stop-by-stop itinerary, although several reviewers describe a manta cleaning station stop.
• Manu’s Full-Day Snorkel Tour with Lunch on Motu Fanfan names a 60-minute manta stop and points to the Anau area.
• Rohivai’s Full-Day Lagoon Safari names a sanctuary where mantas “can sometimes be found” and marks it as not guaranteed.
• Parataito’s Private Solar Boat Snorkel Experience has a 30-minute stop titled Meet the Manta Ray.

Moana’s Eco Snorkel Cruise also mentions mantas, but only as rays you may spot depending on weather and season. Its 100-minute main stop is for sharks and stingrays, covered on our shark and stingray tours page.

Where mantas are seen in Bora Bora

The mantas in the lagoon are reef manta rays, a species listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. They visit cleaning stations inside the lagoon all year. The best known is at Anau on the east side, where shallower sections sit roughly 5 to 12 m (16 to 39 ft) deep, so snorkelers can watch from the surface without diving. Researchers have identified 87 individual mantas in the lagoon between 2015 and 2024, and three main cleaning stations.

That is why a guided boat helps: the guide knows the stations and checks them. Sightings are likely at the known stations, but never guaranteed, and reviews reflect that. Some guests describe several mantas, others one, and one H2O reviewer noted that windy, cloudy weather made visibility poor.

Manta, stingray or eagle ray?

Bora Bora tours mention three kinds of ray, and they are easy to confuse.

Reef mantas are the largest, typically about 3 to 3.5 m (10 to 11.5 ft) across. Snorkelers usually watch them from the surface as they circle cleaning stations below.

Stingrays at the shallow sandy stops are pink whiprays, often well over a metre across. They have a venomous spine on the tail, so guides ask you not to touch, chase or corner them and to shuffle your feet on the sand.

Spotted eagle rays are listed as Endangered. They gather year-round at several lagoon sites, sometimes in large groups, and they are shy. Tours that visit their sandy areas see them often, which is why so many manta-tour reviews mention eagle rays too.

The manta code of conduct

Give mantas room. Stay at least 3 m (about 10 ft) away, do not touch or chase them, do not dive down onto them, and do not approach head-on. Float still at the surface and let them pass. A good guide will brief you before you get in, and you should follow that briefing over any urge to get closer for a photo.

Full-day and private options

Manu’s full day costs $145 per person, lasts 7 hours, and is rated 4.9 from 177 reviews. Beyond the 60-minute manta stop it visits the Coral Garden and a shark and ray stop, and serves a long lunch of grilled fish and chicken, raw fish in coconut milk and local sides on Motu Fanfan. The trade-offs: you meet the boat at Manu Taxi Boat near the Tiare Market supermarket, fins and towels are not included, and alcohol is sold separately.

Rohivai’s lagoon safari is on GetYourGuide at $171 per person for 6 hours, rated 4.9 from 774 reviews. It adds a stingray and shark stop, a coral garden and a motu picnic lunch, with boat pickup from 18 points. The Viator version of the same trip is $195.

Parataito’s private solar boat costs $523 per boat for up to five people, runs 4 hours and is rated 5.0 from 47 reviews. Besides the manta stop it spends 30 minutes at a sandbank and 30 at a coral garden, and includes overwater photos and videos. Fins are not included, and it has far fewer reviews than the group trips. Our private snorkeling tours page compares it with the other private boats.

When to go and what to bring

Reef mantas are seen in the lagoon all year, and no peak manta season has been established, so plan around your other dates. The water stays roughly 25 to 30 C (77 to 86 F) year-round, with a warm wet season from November to April and a cooler, drier one from May to October. Humpback whales visit French Polynesia roughly July to November.

Bring swimwear, a towel unless one is provided, reef-safe sunscreen and a camera that can go in the water. The H2O inclusions do not list snorkel gear, so confirm it when booking or bring your own. H2O asks guests aged 70 and over for a medical certificate, does not take guests over 80, and requires everyone to climb the ladder back in unaided. If you are not a strong swimmer, ask whether a float or vest is provided. Then check availability for your dates.