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About Us

Ninth Island Nation

Welcome to Ninth Island Nation – your gateway to aquatic wonders!

 

Dive into adventure with our group and private snorkeling tours featuring the famous manta rays in Kona. Join scheduled sessions or reserve an entire boat for an exclusive experience. Explore the beauty of the ocean in a whole new way. Dive in with us!

Aloha! 

Ninth Island Nation Adventures
Kona, Hawaii
74429 Kealakehe Pkwy,
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740

The first question many ask is “why the name Ninth Island Nation.”

The Ninth Island is a colloquial name for Las Vegas, where one of our founders moved from (to Hawaii) in 2023.  Las Vegas is called the Ninth Island because more Hawaiian Islanders live there than anywhere else in the world, aside from the eight inhabited islands of Hawaii.

The story behind the name has multiple facets and perspectives:  The reality for Hawaiians is that housing affordability has reached levels that island incomes no longer support, thus many have been forced to move to the mainland to find affordable housing.

Conversely, many Hawaiians enjoy visiting Vegas for all the entertainment it offers and to visit their loved ones.

At Ninth Island Nation we have multiple missions; Manta Ray conservation and interactions are only the beginning.  We move forward with the purpose of not only business but to do our best to create an understanding of the true story of Hawaii.

Mahalo Nui Loa

Testimonials

Nighttime manta ray snorkeling was awesome.

"I loved the intimate feel of our adventure. Only 3 of us on our boat plus the captain and the guide. The minute I was in the water, I saw a manta ray right next to me. Cassie shared so much info about the manta rays. She knows the name of all of them. We had 11 rays out there with us tonight. Breathtaking adventure!"

ShellBelle

Night snorkel with Manta rays

"Had an awesome night manta ray experience. Loved the small group (6)” people, the boat, the captain and our guide! Well run adventure and absolutely seeing the rays!!"

KimG

Exceptional experience

"It seems like everyone who comes to visit me on the Big Island wants to go swimming with the Manga Rays, so I have been on a few of the larger tour boats, but I must say that this was by far the best experience I've had. The smaller group and great guide are just something that the big boats can't do. I know that tonight was a extremely rare experience with so many rays Swimming with us. But it was an experience that I will never forget. My thanks to the entire crew for your excellent service. I will not use any other tour service in the Kona area."

Sara S

"Our experience was totally great! Got to see a lot of beautiful, magnificent, huge mantas tonight. The water is warm. The owners and the whole team are super awesome. They explained all the details about manta rays. They gave us a private tour just for our family. It was the highlight of our Big Island spring break trip and an experience of a lifetime! Thank you so much and will definitely be back again to this beautiful island! Mahalo, Niebres family"

Gaile N.

"The best in the business. It's the reason I go to the Big island from Kauai. They are friendly and you can rest assured you'll have an amazing experience."

Anastasia S.

"Great business. Fantastic experience. Joni & the crew were so helpful & accommodating."

Dm K.