These boards attract the plankton that the mantas feed on, allowing for a view of these beautiful sea creatures. The Manta Ray Snorkel tour departs from Keauhou Bay and features custom-made lighted surfb oards. Take an evening sunset snorkel to search out mantas with DOLPHIN DISCOVERIES. Divers are instructed to stay near the bottom, while snorkelers are advised to remain on the surface to allow the manta rays room to maneuver. This is dive destination isn’t only accessible to certified divers but is also great for snorkelers. As a very popular destination for tourists, this is not the most secluded manta site but a fantastic place for taking underwater photos. The resort will turn on its outdoor lights when the manta rays appear.ĭive shop owners say manta rays can be found most days from as far north as waters off the Keāhole- Kona International Airport to Keauhou Bay. Scuba diving with the Kona manta rays is one of the most magical night dives in Hawaii. The water off the SHERATON KEAUHOU BAY RESORT & SPA is a regular feeding spot for manta rays, and a good place to see them from shore is from the lanai of the resort’s RAYS ON THE BAY restaurant. Many local diving and snorkeling companies conduct NIGHTTIME MANTA RAY TRIPS, or you can hope to catch a peek from the shore. Noted for its resident manta ray population, the KONA COAST is one of the best places in the world to get close to them. Though related to sharks, these amazing sea creatures have no teeth and no tail stingers, making them harmless to humans but no less intriguing to watch. Fair Wind Big Island Ocean Guides is based in Keauhou Bay, just outside the Sheraton, so your wing-flapping manta frenzy can continue into the night at the location of your choice.They may look fearsome, but MANTA RAYS, known in Hawaiian as hāhālua, are really quite tame. You can observe or listen to the Sheraton's docent from its broad deck – an experience which combines nicely with pupus or a Mai Tai, or with an upward glance at the stars.īut if you're feeling water-friendly and a little frisky (Hawaii does that to you, after all), you can also sign up for a snorkel or scuba night dive to see a few of the giant critters face to face. Baa Atoll and Ari Atoll are the best locations in this island nation for manta ray spotting. The Maldives is one of the best countries in the world for swimming with manta rays, but diving in the area can also yield plenty of whale shark and nurse shark encounters. For that and more, you only need to stop by the Manta Ray Bar & Grill (soon to transform into Rays at the Bay) on any given night, when the hotel directs its broad beams at the water starting at 7pm, and a dozen or more of the creatures come to feed. Diving with manta rays in Kona, Hawaii, is unlike any other location on this list. These are just a few bits of trivia you can pick up on your next Big Island visit by staying at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa (bonus factoid: Keauhou Bay is where Kamehameha III, Hawaii's longest reigning monarch, was born in 1813). The males also have "clampers" which have to be 1.5 inches long for them to be able to mate. Want a little more? They gobble up to 300 pounds of plankton daily, by executing octuple backflips with their three-foot-wide mouths agape. The important thing to remember about manta rays – 3,000-pound creatures with wingspans reaching up to 22 feet – is that they're born with their wings wrapped around their bodies, like manta-ray burritos.
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