If submerging yourself in dark waters scares you, this isn’t the tour for you.Īs instructed, we quickly slipped into the dark waters quietly and swam to a surfboard with rope handles along the edges. With the sun completely gone, the waters were black with no visibility except floodlights. From the sounds of the squeals, they had spotted a manta ray. In the shallows, another group of tours gathered with the snorkelers. Snorkelers gathered around a board to watch the manta rays Each vessel had its own set of lights to illuminate the waters below. However, snorkel and night dive operators work closely together to find the best snorkeling in Kona to ensure you get the best experience possible.Īrriving at Keauhou Bay, I immediately spotted a group of boats huddled together in the deeper water where the tour operators gathered the divers. After all, these creatures live in their natural habitat, and they do not appear on demand. While swimming with manta rays in Kona was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, Manta Village offers no guarantee that I’d see any. Consequently, the Kona snorkel tours and manta ray diving excursions began. With the influx of manta rays came the tourists who traveled to see these graceful creatures. Manta rays consume up to 3% of their body weight in food per day……….that’s a whole lot of plankton! Once the sun sets and the spotlights turn on, the manta rays swim into the shallow waters to feed. In the 1970s, the oceanside resort (now owned by the Sheraton) added spotlights in the bay to add ambiance to the surrounding waters.Īs a result, these spotlights attract microscopic plankton and tiny marine organisms, the perfect smorgasbord for giant manta rays. The warm waters off the Kona coastline offer a perfect habitat for the magnificent manta rays. Getting To The HarborĪ perfect Kona sunset as we were heading out to Manta Village Where To Swim With Manta Rays? While there are many charters available, I took my tour with Kona Snorkel Trips. This article is about my experience of swimming with manta rays in Kona. This area is commonly called Manta Village. As a snorkeler, the only place for viewing is Keauhou Bay, located next to the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa. Being there and experiencing the underwater ballet firsthand far exceeded my expectations.įor certified scuba divers, the manta night dive takes place at Garden Eel Cove, known as Manta Heaven. Having watched several YouTube manta ray videos, I was mesmerized by the gracefulness of these massive creatures. However, on a recent Hawaiian cruise, our cruise ship, the Celebrity Eclipse, docked on the Big Island for three days making this bucket list adventure possible. Since ships depart before sunset, booking this Kona shore activity was impossible. After sunset, the Kona manta rays come into the shallows to feed. While I have been to the Big Island several times, I have always done so on a cruise ship. It’s been on my bucket list for quite some time to swim with manta rays. In Kona, travelers must be able to swim and feel comfortable in the ocean. Globally, there are lots of places to dive, but few places to snorkel with manta rays. Whether you choose a night dive or a snorkel, swimming with manta rays in Kona is a memorable experience. In Kona, Hawaii, thrill-seekers have the opportunity to swim with them in their natural habitat. Manta rays are gentle giants who feed on plankton.
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