Sea Paradise

What Sea Paradise does

Sea Paradise is an eco-tourism tour operator founded in 1985, headquartered at Keauhou Bay on the Kona Coast of Hawaii's Big Island. The company operates daily snorkel and manta ray tours aboard the Hoku Nui, a 50-foot luxury sailing catamaran with capacity capped at 49 guests. Core products include Morning Snorkel and Afternoon Snorkel tours to Kealakekua Bay Marine Life Conservation District, plus 1st and 2nd Manta Ray Snorkel tours to Manta Village, where custom underwater light boards replicate plankton-attracting conditions that draw reef manta rays nightly (85%-95% sighting rate).

Sea Paradise generates revenue primarily through unit-priced tour ticket sales (adults $125-$165, children $45-$115, ride-along $65), with additional streams from private charters (weddings, corporate events, ash scatterings), onboard bar sales, branded merchandise, and gift cards. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the company's website, FareHarbor-embedded booking, and phone/email for private events; the company does not use third-party resellers or OTAs.

The customer base comprises tourists visiting Hawaii's Big Island, families with children, marine wildlife enthusiasts, and private event organizers, with no enterprise anchor accounts. Sea Paradise holds certified membership in the Hawaii Ecotourism Association, complies with NOAA and Coral Reef Alliance marine tourism standards, and partners with the Manta Pacific Research Foundation and Manta Ray Advocates Hawaii on citizen science and photo-identification of 450+ individual reef manta rays. The company is privately held, locally owned, and operates with no disclosed investors, subsidiaries, or parent structure.

Name

Sea Paradise

Legal name

Sea Paradise Inc.

Website

https://www.seaparadise.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sea Paradise is a tour agency that offers scuba diving tours and scuba certification courses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Eco-tourism boat tours

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (487210), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Guided Diving & Snorkeling Excursions (boat/shore trips) (THAAAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Whale Watching & Marine Mammal Tours (THAAAIAC), Catamaran & Sailing Cat Cruise Operators (THAEADAD), Marine Wildlife & Coastal Nature Tours (Whale/Dolphin Watching, Sea Kayaking) (THAAAEAD)

Keywords

• Snorkel tours
• Manta ray tours
• Sailing charters
• Eco-tourism services
• Private boat charters

Headquarters

HQ city

Kailua Kona

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tour Ticket Sales: Sea Paradise generates revenue primarily from selling tickets to guided snorkel and manta ray tours aboard the Hoku Nui catamaran. Tour types include Morning Snorkel Tour ($165 adult), Afternoon Snorkel Tour ($125 adult), 1st Manta Ray Tour ($130 adult), and 2nd Manta Ray Tour. Additional revenue comes from child and toddler pricing tiers and Ride-Along observer tickets ($65).
2. Retail Merchandise: Sea Paradise sells official branded merchandise including hats, hooded sweatshirts, and performance tops through its website, with some items fulfilled via FareHarbor booking links.
3. Private Charters: Private charters aboard the Hoku Nui are available for weddings, vow renewals, corporate events, ash scattering, and other private occasions. Customized experiences include catering, beverages, music, and themed décor options. Booked by phone and email.
4. Onboard Bar Sales: Alcoholic beverages including local brews, tropical cocktails, wine, seltzers, and mixed drinks are available for purchase on all day tours. Non-alcoholic beverages are included with tour tickets.
5. Gift Cards: Sea Paradise offers gift cards available in any amount through its website, allowing customers to purchase prepaid tour experiences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sea Paradise operates guided ocean snorkel and manta ray night snorkel tours from Keauhou Bay on the Kona Coast of Hawaii's Big Island. All tours depart aboard the Hoku Nui, a 50-foot luxury sailing catamaran, visiting Kealakekua Bay Marine Life Conservation District and Manta Village. The company also offers private charters for weddings, corporate events, and special occasions, plus branded merchandise and gift cards.

Product overview

Sea Paradise is an eco-luxury ocean tour company operating since 1985 from Keauhou Bay on the Kona Coast of Hawaii's Big Island. The core offering consists of four tour products: Morning Snorkel Tour and Afternoon Snorkel Tour (both visiting Kealakekua Bay with marine naturalist guides), and 1st Manta Ray Snorkel Tour and 2nd Manta Ray Snorkel Tour (night tours to Manta Village). All tours depart aboard the Hoku Nui, a 50-foot luxury sailing catamaran. Additional offerings include Private Charters for events such as weddings and corporate gatherings, Official Gear merchandise, and Gift Cards. The company positions itself as eco-luxury, combining premium vessel amenities with environmental responsibility and marine education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Morning Snorkel Tour

Quantifiable outcome

• 85%–95% nightly manta ray sighting rate, year-round
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Manta Pacific Research FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSea Paradise partners with the Manta Pacific Research Foundation to support manta ray conservation and research. The partnership involves sharing guest manta photographs for the research catalogue, encouraging guests to submit images to the Manta Ray Tracker database, and contributing to the ongoing photo-identification program that has catalogued 450+ individual manta rays on the Kona Coast. Captains also log manta sighting data after every departure, supporting operational research records.
• Manta Ray Advocates HawaiicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSea Paradise supports the Manta Ray Advocates Hawaii photo-identification programme, which catalogues individual manta rays using unique belly spot patterns. Guests are encouraged to photograph manta undersides during tours and submit images to the Manta Ray Tracker database. This citizen science initiative has contributed to identifying over 450 individual reef manta rays along the Kona Coast.
• Hawaii Ecotourism AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSea Paradise is a certified member of the Hawaii Ecotourism Association (HEA), the leading organization establishing sustainable tourism standards for Hawaii's nature-based visitor industry. Certification requires demonstrated compliance with environmental, operational, and cultural responsibility standards.
• Coral Reef AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSea Paradise follows the West Hawaii Voluntary Standards for Marine Tourism developed by the Coral Reef Alliance. These standards promote reef protection, responsible wildlife interaction, and careful use of marine resources along the Kona Coast.
• NOAAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSea Paradise follows National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) guidelines for marine wildlife encounters, including best practices related to sea turtles, dolphins, whales, and manta rays. The company also participates in the Dolphin SMART program, a collaborative NOAA and nonprofit initiative promoting responsible dolphin viewing practices.
• Hawaii Wildlife FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSea Paradise volunteers with and supports Hawaii Wildlife Fund, an organization working on habitat protection, shoreline cleanups, ocean debris removal, and reef conservation across the Big Island.
• Surfrider FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSea Paradise volunteers with and supports the Surfrider Foundation, an organization dedicated to protecting the world's oceans, waves, and beaches through grassroots activism.
• Keep Puako BeautifulminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSea Paradise volunteers with and supports Keep Puako Beautiful, a community organization focused on environmental preservation and beautification in the Puako area of the Kona Coast.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Fair Wind Hawaii: Fair Wind Hawaii operates snorkel, diving, and manta ray night snorkel tours from Keauhou Bay on the Big Island — directly overlapping Sea Paradise's primary product mix, location, and customer base. It is the most directly comparable competitor in Kona.
• Body Glove Cruises: Body Glove Cruises runs catamaran snorkel and manta ray night snorkel tours from Kailua-Kona, sharing the same manta sites, customer profile, and Hawaii Big Island tourism channel as Sea Paradise.
• Hawaii Forest & Trail: Hawaii Forest & Trail is a Big Island eco-tour operator offering nature-based guided experiences, sharing the eco-certified, naturalist-led, high-touch guided tour model that Sea Paradise uses for its snorkel and manta tours.
• Mauna Kea Summit Adventures: Mauna Kea Summit Adventures operates guided adventure tours on Hawaii's Big Island, targeting the same visitor demographic and trip-planning channels as Sea Paradise's snorkel and manta experiences.
• Big Island Divers: Big Island Divers is a Kona-based dive and snorkel operator offering manta ray night dives and reef snorkel tours, overlapping with Sea Paradise on product, location, and ocean wildlife experiences.

Broad incumbents

• Atlantis Submarines Hawaii: Atlantis Submarines operates large-scale submarine and water-based sightseeing experiences across Hawaii, serving the same tourist activity budget as Sea Paradise but with a much broader, multi-island portfolio and a different delivery modality.

Regional players

• Captain Dan's Snorkel Tours: Captain Dan's operates snorkel and dolphin watch tours in the Kona area. It targets similar visitors and overlap on ocean activities but has historically operated on smaller vessels from Honokohau Harbor.
• Honolua Surf Co. Honolua Surf Co. is a Hawaii-based ocean lifestyle and water-sports brand offering surf lessons, snorkel tours, and apparel. While Maui-based, it competes for the same ocean adventure tourist trip-planning and discretionary spend as Sea Paradise.

Others

• Snorkel Bob's: Snorkel Bob's is a Hawaii-wide snorkel equipment rental chain frequently used by independent tourists. It is an adjacent ecosystem player that competes for the snorkel-experience budget and is often a substitute for guided tours.
• Dolphin Quest Hawaii: Dolphin Quest operates marine encounter and dolphin interaction experiences in Hawaii, competing for the same marine wildlife tourist wallet and family/group event bookings as Sea Paradise's private charters.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sea-paradise-sailing-and-snorkeling-tours

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sea Paradise