Manta ray night dive
{{Short description|Ecotourism diving experience}}
{{Expand lead|date=July 2024}}{{globalise|date=July 2024}}
A manta ray night dive is a scuba diving or snorkeling excursion to view manta rays 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.
File:Two Manta Rays Feeding At Night.jpgs feeding at night]]
Description
Depending on the amount of microscopic plankton 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.{{cite web |url= http://www.gohawaii.com/big-island/guidebook/topics/manta-ray-diving |title= Manta Ray Night Dive in Kona, Big Island |work= GoHawaii.com web site |accessdate= December 22, 2010 }} 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.{{cite web |title= Kona Manta Ray Night Dive |work= Manta Pacific Research Foundation web site |url= http://www.mantapacific.org/mantapacific/kona/index.html |accessdate= December 22, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090413154134/http://www.mantapacific.org/mantapacific/kona/index.html |archive-date= April 13, 2009 |url-status= dead }}
A popular site is just off the coast of Hawai{{okina}}i Island called Garden Eel Cove, as well as the Kona Surf Hotel.{{cite book |author1= Luci Yamamoto |author2= Gorry Conner |title=Hawai'i The Big Island: 35 Themed Itineraries Beaches, Activities, Family Travel |location= Oakland |publisher= Lonely Planet Publications |year= 2008 |isbn= 978-1-74104-715-8 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=psRVlNrY_04C }}
Located just off the coast of Keahole Point (near the Kona International Airport), it attracts scuba divers for the abundance of manta rays. Its official name is Ho{{okina}}ona Bay, at {{coord |19|43|58|N| 156|3|26|W |type:landmark_region:US-HI |display=inline}}.{{GNIS |359423 |Hoona Bay }}{{Hawaiian Dictionaries |Ho'ona |dic=cl |accessdate= December 22, 2010}}
Other sea life includes garden eels, Hawaiian turkeyfish, and Heller's barracuda.[http://www.jacksdivinglocker.com/charters2/divesites.htm Jack's Diving Locker : Dive Sites]
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 and the in 2002 closed Kona Surf Hotel.{{cite web |title=Mauna Kea Beach Hotel web site |url=http://www.princeresortshawaii.com/mauna-kea-beach-hotel/hawaii-hotel-family-activities.php}} 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.[http://aquaviews.net/best-dive-sites-top-10-dives-to-experience-before-you-die/ Best Dive Sites: Top 15 Dives to Experience Before You Die][http://aquaviews.net/must-dive-sites-manta-ray-kona-hawaii/ Must Dive Sites: The Manta Ray Night Dive in Kailua Kona, Hawaii][http://www.islands.com/article/Plan-Your-Trip-Hawaii-Revealed Plan Your Trip: Hawaii | Islands.com]
The Professional Association of Diving Instructors 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".{{cite web|title=Hawaii Scuba Diving Hawai'i |publisher=Professional Association of Diving Instructors |work=web site |url=http://www.padi.com/scuba/scuba-diving-trips/scuba-diving-resort-vacations/Hawaii-scuba-diving-Hawaii/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525064459/http://www.padi.com/scuba/scuba-diving-trips/scuba-diving-resort-vacations/Hawaii-scuba-diving-Hawaii/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 25, 2009 |accessdate=December 22, 2010 }}
In 2017, the 3 most popular sites to do the manta ray night dive on the Island of Hawai{{okina}}i are (from south to north): in front of the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay (formerly known as the Kona Surf Hotel, the dive spot is called 'Manta Village'), in front of the Kona International Airport at Keahole, Hawaii (also called 'Garden Eel Cove' or 'Manta Heaven'), and between Kawaihae harbor and the Kohala resorts.{{cite web |title= Manta ray night dive locations on the Island of Hawai{{okina}}i |publisher= lovebigisland.com |url= https://www.lovebigisland.com/big-island-manta-ray-night-dive/#manta-ray-locations |accessdate= January 10, 2017 }}
Conservation and the Manta Pacific Research Foundation
File:Manta birostris feeding.jpg feeding]]
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 have been hunted by fishermen as a result of the increasing demand for manta ray gill plates.[http://www.mantapacific.org/mantapacific/conservation/index.html Manta Pacific Research Foundation : Conservation Programs] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626173137/http://www.mantapacific.org/mantapacific/conservation/index.html |date=June 26, 2007 }} 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".{{Cite web |url=http://www.mantapacific.org/mantapacific/ |title=Manta Pacific Research Foundation |access-date=2010-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229055015/http://www.mantapacific.org/mantapacific/ |archive-date=2008-12-29 |url-status=dead }} As a result of manta rays' fragile biological composition,{{clarify|What is fragile about the manta's biolgical composition?|date=July 2024}} 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.{{cite web |title= Project AWARE |url= http://www.projectaware.org/ |accessdate= January 10, 2017 }} The guidelines are strictly enforced by dive operations that conduct this dive.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-hj_cZRKJs Founder of Manta Pacific Research Foundation talk about the Manta Ray night dive rules]
References
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manta Ray Night Dive}}
Category:Biota of Hawaii (island)
Category:Tourist attractions in Hawaii County, Hawaii