Big Island, HI

My wife and I were in Kona on the Big Island this last Christmas. The highlight of our trip was a special scuba dive to see manta rays in their natural habitat—at night! First, a little background: manta ray dives have been happening for years off the Kona coast. There are dozens of dive shops and tour operators who will take people diving, and snorkeling, with the mantas. Before our arrival in Kona, my wife and I had booked our trip (since they are popular and do fill up, especially during holiday periods), and could hardly wait to see mantas for the first time.

It turns out it was worth the wait. We did our dive with Kona Honu Divers, although there are plenty of other shops to choose from, and, if you’re lucky enough to know someone on the big island with their own boat, or you wanted to rent a boat, you could go to the manta dive site on your own.

We arrived on the dive site—off a deserted lava rock coast—about an hour before dusk. First we did a dive while it was still light out to familiarize ourselves with the dive site. The boat was anchored in about thirty feet of water. We dropped down to the rocky bottom, marveling at the crystal clear water. Then we swam out toward the open sea, where the coral-covered bottom sloped down to a deep, sandy seafloor that is home to a community of garden eels. We didn’t see any mantas on this first dive. Then it was back topside to prepare for the night dive.

After a pre-dive safety briefing and some words about what to expect, the darkness had settled over the cove. We entered the water. Down below had been placed some dive lights to attract the manta rays. As soon as we splashed in, we saw what we had come for-a huge manta ray was already in the area, swimming figure eight loops over the lights on the bottom. Then we descended, and all the divers from our boat arranged themselves in a circle, kneeling on the bottom around the lights.

We settled in for a fantastic spectacle. For the next forty minutes, three different mantas swam around our group and through the light beam shining up from the bottom. The lights had attracted a school of small baitfish which congregated in midwater, and the mantas were feasting. These majestic animals were a sight to behold. They are magnificently large—about twelve feet across from wingtip to wingtip– but they move with a fluid grace that is difficult to describe.

Besides the mantas themselves, there were other creatures of the night to see. One was a green moral eel, named Frank by the dive crew, because he is known to make regular appearances during manta ray dives. Frank was active but friendly, swimming around the perimeter of the group, darting in and out of rock and coral formations. We also saw a few squirrel fish.

Then it was time to return to the world above. Our group ascended, the divers’ green glow sticks marking their presence in the water. Back on the boat, everyone shared stories of how close the mantas had gotten, and how they hope their video and pictures came out!

It was truly an experience of a lifetime, and if you’re ever in Kona, this is an adventure not to be missed. If you are not a certified diver, you can snorkel the manta site, too, though this is not as fun as the scuba dive.