

Conservation and the Manta Pacific Research Foundation Manta birostris feeding In 2017, the 3 most popular sites to do the manta ray night dive on the Island of Hawaiʻi are (from south to north) (1) in front of the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay (formerly known as the Kona Surf Hotel, the dive spot is called 'Manta Village'), (2) in front of the Kona International Airport at Keahole, Hawaii (also called 'Garden Eel Cove' or 'Manta Heaven'), and (3) between Kawaihae harbor and the Kohala resorts.
Manta ray swim big island professional#
The Professional Association of Diving Instructors states that "dive magazines the world over consistently rank Kona's manta ray night diving as one of the best things you can do underwater". Travel guides often rate this dive highly. The frequency of these dive trips increased over the years with many dive operations offering trips most days. In 1992, dive operators began occasionally taking scuba divers to areas such as the Kona Surf Hotel for manta ray encounters. History įor decades travelers to Hawaii observed manta rays from restaurants and hotels along the coast, such as the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and the in 2002 closed Kona Surf Hotel. Other sea life includes garden eels, Hawaiian turkeyfish, and Heller's barracuda. Located just off the coast of Keahole Point (near the Kona International Airport), it attracts scuba divers for the abundance of manta rays.

Ī popular site is just off the coast of Hawaiʻi Island called Garden Eel Cove, as well as the Kona Surf Hotel. While diving, scuba divers shine lights up while snorkelers shine them down creating a column of light which attracts millions of minuscule plankton, which in turn attracts the manta rays. Some days no manta rays are seen while on days with high plankton levels upwards of a dozen may be present. Two manta rays feeding at night Description ĭepending on the amount of microscopic plankton present, the number of manta rays will vary. A manta ray night dive is a scuba diving excursion to view manta rays.
