Swimming with Rays & Reef Sharks: The 15 Best Trips

1.Full-Day Bora Bora Lagoon Cruise Including Snorkeling with Sharks and Stingrays

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 630 reviews · from $158Our pick

Spend six hours cruising Bora Bora’s lagoon with a local crew such as Manu, Ari, or Moana. Swim with black-tip reef sharks and stingrays, look for manta and eagle rays, visit coral gardens, then eat a barbecue lunch on a private motu with coconut demonstrations, music, and island views. Pickup, snorkeling gear, and lunch are included.

“Great snorkeling, we have seen mantarays, swim with alarms and a variety of fish. The captains were very entertaining, sang for us and made a lot of jokes.”

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2.Bora Bora Eco Snorkel Cruise Including Snorkeling with Sharks and Stingrays

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 501 reviews · from $118

Spend about 2.5 hours on Bora Bora’s lagoon with guides such as Manu, Tane, Tema and Captain T. Expect a shallow-water shark and stingray stop, a colorful Coral Garden session, and possible manta rays, eagle rays, turtles, dolphins or whales. Groups are limited to 12, with equipment, bottled water and pickup from select hotels.

“Captain T and Dan were great! Punctual in the pick up and very funny! We went snorkeling in 2 spots, in the first one we were surrounded by sharks and we saw one stingray, then the coral garden was fully of colors and full of different fishes! I highly recommend it!!”

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3.Bora Bora Jet Ski Tour, & Eco Shark / Ray Snorkel Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 376 reviews · from $323

Spend about six and a half hours on Bora Bora’s lagoon, combining a guided single or double jet ski ride with a boat safari to reef sharks, stingrays, coral gardens, and fish. Guides such as Marama, Tarepa, Ali, and Marine have been praised for their humor and care. Lunch, gear, water, and hotel transfers are included.

“What an amazing experience, the staff was extremely helpful and inviting. The actual excursion with the Sharks and Stingrays was so much fun, better than expected... the Jet Ski tour was amazing... such an exhilarating time...”

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4.Eco Shark and Snorkeling Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 156 reviews · 2h 30m · from $112Best value

Spend 150 minutes crossing Bora Bora’s lagoon by motorboat, with three snorkeling stops for black-tip reef sharks, stingrays, eagle rays and a colorful coral garden. Guides including Will, Marama, Ruma and Sam are praised for clear safety help and good humor. Equipment and hotel pickup are included, but food and drinks are not.

“This activity is PERFECT if you want to see the coral gardens, sharks and rays!! No frills just straight to the destinations. Highly recommend. Check out my IG for videos of excursion @double_d1022”

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5.Ultimate Encounter Snorkel with Sharks in Fiji

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 151 reviews · from $150

Travel by coach and high-speed catamaran from Denarau to Barefoot Kuata Island, then join trained guides in 4 to 6 metres of clear water with blacktip and whitetip reef sharks. You get equipment, safety instruction, buffet lunch, kayaks, paddle boards, and resort access. The day is long, but the shark encounter is the star.

“We did this experience for my son’s 15th birthday upon landing in Fiji. It was a great way to celebrate, and the snorkling was some of the best we saw during our time here.”

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6.Bora Bora 4WD Tour & Eco Shark & Ray Snorkel Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 94 reviews · from $260

Spend about seven hours seeing Bora Bora by open-air 4WD, stopping at WWII gun sites, mountain viewpoints, local craft stops, and Bloody Mary’s. Then snorkel with black-tip reef sharks, stingrays, and colorful fish. Guides such as Jean, Santiago, Sam, and Toiki are known for strong local stories and warm, lively hosting.

“Magnificent time. Had a blast. Great guides! Would definitely go again to swim with the sharks and sting rays”

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7.Ultimate Encounters Snorkel with Sharks and Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 87 reviews · 9 hours · from $191

You’ll leave Port Denarau by high-speed catamaran for Barefoot Kuata in the Yasawa Islands, then take a short boat ride to snorkel with black tip and white tip reef sharks. A guided water session, five hours on the island, buffet lunch, kayaks, paddle boards, and snorkeling gear are included. John and Api are among the guides praised for thoughtful help.

“It was amazing! Would definitely recommend the experience to anyone! Everyone there was wonderful. The snorkeling was so clear and beautiful.”

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8.Jet Ski, Lunch & Shark/ Ray Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 64 reviews · 6 hours · from $295

Spend six hours exploring Bora Bora with a small group of up to eight. Ride a single or shared jet ski past Mount Otemanu, stop for coconut husking and swimming, eat at Bloody Mary’s, then search a shallow lagoon for black-tip reef sharks, stingrays, eagle rays, and fish without feeding the animals.

“Amazing trip! The best way to see Bora Bora. Very well organised and both trips were extraordinary, thank you!”

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9.Milky Way, Shark City Island, Beach and Rock Island Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 20 reviews · from $200

Join Neco Marine Palau at 8:30 am for a small-group boat trip through Palau’s Southern Lagoon. You’ll snorkel, visit Jellyfish Lake, coat your skin in Milky Way clay, eat lunch on Ngermeaus Island, and return to Koror. Guides such as Olivia and the captain keep the day moving, with hotel pickup available.

“Neco marine is a very professional outfit. They were most helpful to me as I am a disabled person, almost 80. I was able to do everything, sometimes with a little physical assistance of the staff which was most gracious in their attitude.”

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10.Ultimate Shark Encounter Two Tank Dive at The World Famous Beqa Lagoon

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 18 reviews · from $195

At Aqua-Trek in Pacific Harbour, you board a boat for two guided scuba sessions in Beqa Lagoon. Descend to the Arena at about 25 metres, where bull sharks, reef sharks, nurse sharks, and other marine life gather. A certified divemaster manages the group, explains shark behavior, and helps you stay calm and properly positioned.

“Amazing the crew is awesome .It was safe and easy diving. Never been so close to a shark. If you are a diver it is an experience of a lifetime”

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11.Private lagoon tour (rays, sharks, turtles) by boat in Moorea

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 16 reviews

Set out from Maharepa with Mana Moorea Tours for a private four-hour lagoon trip. Nicky and Fabien guide you toward turtles, rays, blacktip sharks, coral gardens, and submerged tikis, with seasonal whale watching from July to November. Snorkeling gear, fruit, and refreshments are included, and the route can be adjusted to suit your group.

“Nicky was the best guide - extremely knowledgeable (she has a Uni degree and teaches at the university). We had a fab time - we did a private four hour snorkeling tour. We went to three places - swam with black tip sharks, sea turtles”

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12.Manta Ray Experience

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 8 reviews · from $184

From Port Denarau, you cruise through the Mamanucas and Yasawas to Mantaray Island Resort. A specialist guide leads a 75-minute snorkel in a manta-feeding channel from May to October, followed by pizza lunch and beach snorkeling. Sightings are not guaranteed, and the day can feel tightly timed.

“Once in a life time chance and fully understand no guarantees but it was so rushed. No manta rays and the coral reef was disappointing. We were not offered the trip another day for £75 which was stated on the paperwork.”

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13.Bora Bora adventure Private Combo Jet Ski and Eco Sharks Snorkel

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · from $698

Spend about seven hours with a private captain and guide on Bora Bora’s lagoon. Ride jet skis around the island, stop for lunch at Lucky House, then board a private Cap Camarat boat for a 2.5-hour eco snorkel with blacktip sharks, stingrays, coral gardens, and tropical fish.

“The entire experience, from our guides for both the jet skin tour as well as our boat captain, to the views and areas they took us to, was simply perfection! A great way to experience the entire island all in one 6 hour adventure.”

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14.Private boat tour to swim with whales and sharks

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews

Set out from Moorea with captain Stephane and aquatic guide Louis for about four hours searching for humpback whales and, when conditions allow, swimming near them. The private boat carries only your group of up to four. Shark encounters are part of the tour description, but whale sightings and swims depend on animal behavior, sea conditions, and safety decisions.

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15.An Eagle Ray and Turtle Tour-Small Groups & Photography Included

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 3 reviews · from $143

Join a private, small-group snorkelling trip to a protected local site near Rarotonga. Your guides provide reef shoes, fins, masks, lifeguard cover, underwater photo help, and an online gallery of premium images. Turtles are guaranteed, while eagle rays depend on weather and sea conditions.

“Amazing company and tour. We booked it because it was a smaller more personal tour. They were amazing working with us because we were on a ship and had time restrictions. The water was rough, it was a full moon but our guides maRead more”

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