Manta RaysSwim with the Manta RaysYou know Manta Rays - they are those black or gray creatures with a lighter underbelly and a short squat face and wings on both sides for fins. I guess they are fish (but I may be wrong) - they have gills of some sort, but they almost resemble whales in that they eat plankton and can get very large. The smallest can be under one foot from 'wingtip' to 'wingtip' and the largest can be over 12 feet. See a picture here RainbowDiver . On the Kona side of the Big Island the Kona Surf Resort turns on lights at night that shine in the water and attract plankton, which in turn attract the Pacific Manta Rays. They usually come after 10 and feed along the shoreline for a few hours. If you don't like the idea of getting in the water at night (like me) you can stand on the Nalu Terrace (near the salt water swimming pool) and watch from there. You can usually spot one or two of the smaller ones skimming the rocks right next to shore. If you are feeling brave, you can go night diving and swim directly on top of or with these gentle creatures. Normally about 8 to 10 boats will line up in a circle about 20 feet off shore and shine their lights in the water. These boats usually have people on board who paid to come out and scuba dive. I know a couple of the boats even have glass bottoms - so you don't have to get wet if you don't want to. Anyway, people have told me about the experience and say it is amazing. They say you can swim along and the Manta Rays will be coming right at you ... you can look right down their throats while they feed ... and then at the last minute they will swerve to avoid a head on collision. The Manta Rays are extremely graceful and breathtaking to watch. Every little movement flows through their body like ripples in a pond. As far as I know the Kona Surf Resort is the only hotel on the Big Island that offers this opportunity from shore but there are plenty of dive boats that offer to take you out. Here's a couple for you,. http://www.konacoastdivers.com/ http://www.rainbowdiver.com/index2.html |
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