A manta ray night dive is a

scuba diving Scuba diving is a Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...

snorkeling Snorkeling (American and British English spelling differences#Doubled in British English, British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of human swimming, swimming face down on or through a body of water while breathing ...

excursion to view

manta ray Manta rays are large Batoidea, rays belonging to the genus ''Mobula'' (formerly its own genus ''Manta''). The larger species, ''Giant oceanic manta ray, M. birostris'', reaches in width, while the smaller, ''Reef manta ray, M. alfredi'', reac ...

s at night. This activity is especially popular on the big island of Hawai'i, where divers and snorkelers can observe manta rays during their nocturnal feeding in their natural habitat. Two Manta Rays Feeding At Night

Description

Depending on the amount of microscopic

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms that drift in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) but are unable to actively propel themselves against ocean current, currents (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are ca ...

present, the number of manta rays will vary. Some days no manta rays are seen while on days with high plankton levels upwards of a dozen may be present. While diving, scuba divers shine lights up - known as "bonfire" or "campfire" diving - while snorkelers shine them down creating a column of light which attracts millions of minuscule plankton, which in turn attracts the manta rays. A popular site is just off the coast of

Hawaii Island Hawaii is the largest island in the United States, located in the state of Hawaii, the southernmost state in the union. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of ...

called Garden Eel Cove, as well as the Kona Surf Hotel. Located just off the coast of

Keahole Point Keāhole Point is the westernmost point of the island of Hawaii. The Kona International Airport was moved here from directly north of the town of Kailua-Kona in 1970, when the previous smaller airstrip was converted into the Old Kona Airport Sta ...

(near the

Kona International Airport Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole is the primary airport on the Hawaii (island), Island of Hawaiʻi, located in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, United States. The airport serves leeward (western) Hawaii (island), ...

), it attracts scuba divers for the abundance of

s. Its official name is Hoona Bay, at . Other sea life includes

garden eel The garden eels are the subfamily Heterocongrinae in the conger eel family Congridae. The majority of the 36 known species of garden eels live in the Indo-Pacific, but can be found in warm ocean water worldwide. These small eels Eels are ray ...

s, Hawaiian turkeyfish, and Heller's barracuda.Jack's Diving Locker : Dive Sites
/ref> Manta ray diving tours on Hawaii occur year-round; they are not limited by seasons.

History

For decades travelers to Hawaii observed manta rays from restaurants and hotels along the coast, such as the

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel is a hotel property on the Kohala Coast of the island of Hawaii. It sits at Kaunaoa Bay. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) awarded the hotel an Honor Award in 1967 citing its "restrained detailing and fine spatial ...

and the in 2002 closed Kona Surf Hotel. In 1992, dive operators began occasionally taking scuba divers to areas such as the Kona Surf Hotel for manta ray encounters. The frequency of these dive trips increased over the years with many dive operations offering trips most days. Travel guides often rate this dive highly. The

Professional Association of Diving Instructors The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) is a recreational diving membership and diver training organization founded in 1966 by John Cronin and Ralph Erickson. PADI courses range from entry level to advanced recreational diver ...

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". In 2017, the 3 most popular sites to do the manta ray night dive on the

Island of Hawaii Hawaii is the List of islands of the United States by area, largest island in the United States, located in the Hawaii, state of Hawaii, the southernmost state in the union. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcani ...

are (from south to north): in front of the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at

Keauhou Bay Keauhou Bay is a historic area in the Kona District of the Big Island of Hawaii. The name comes from ''ke au hou'' which means "the new era" in the Hawaiian Language. Kamehameha III's Birthplace A small enclosure is maintained by the Daughte ...

(formerly known as the Kona Surf Hotel, the dive spot is called 'Manta Village'), in front of the

at Keahole, Hawaii (also called 'Garden Eel Cove' or 'Manta Heaven'), and between Kawaihae harbor and the Kohala resorts.

Conservation and the Manta Pacific Research Foundation

With the increasing popularity of this dive the conservation and protection of manta rays has become a priority for dive operators and organizations. Manta rays in other parts of the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

have been hunted by fishermen as a result of the increasing demand for manta ray gill plates. Local organizations, such as the Manta Pacific Research Foundation, try to protect the local manta rays and educate the public about manta rays and other sea life. The Manta Pacific Research Foundation's mission is to "study manta rays in their natural habitat, conduct scientific research, provide education programs for the public about manta rays and the marine environment, and to establish and promote global manta ray conservation". As a result of manta rays' fragile biological composition, guidelines to protect the health of the manta rays at this dive have been set forth by The Ocean Recreation council of Hawaii and PADI's Project AWARE. The guidelines are strictly enforced by dive operations that conduct this dive.Founder of Manta Pacific Research Foundation talk about the Manta Ray night dive rules
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manta Ray Night Dive Biota of Hawaii (island) Tourist attractions in Hawaii County, Hawaii Outdoor recreation Hawaii (island) Recreational diving Underwater diving sites Ecotourism