MUST NOT have any neck or back injuriesĤ. We kindly ask that you arrive AT LEAST 15 minutes prior to departure.Īlso, due to the nature of the adventure, we do require that our customers:ģ. Snorkeling gear and flotation devices with lights to attract Mantasĭry boxes for cameras and personal belongings We will whisk you out to one of the popular locations in our Navy special warfare boat for a once-in-a-lifetime experience you will never forget! The mantas eat plankton that our lights attract, making for some spectacular up-close viewing. At night we invite them to a grand feast under our lights. The large, harmless mantas have no teeth and no stingers and during the day cruise the current lines and reefs of the Big Island. Manta Village sits just 7 miles south of Kailua-Kona, a central hub for tourism with many great choices for accommodation within the city or even closer to Keauhou Bay.2.5 Hrs – 17:30 to 20:00 – $125/person (+ tax) – 4~10 peopleĬome enjoy an alien encounter with some of Hawaii’s coolest marine life. The Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa is right in front of the spot.
#Manta ray night snorkel free#
Some tour operators offer a free re-booking if you don’t see any ray during your tour. Note that manta rays are wild animals and that sightings cannot be 100% guaranteed. Lit by the floating rafts, you can marvel at the rays from just feet away and peer into their mouths lined with brachial filters used to sieve the plankton from the sea. These gentle giants perform an acrobatic display by flapping their massive wings to spin in circles and filter the schools of plankton into their giant mouths. Night snorkeling with manta rays is can be impressive. Once the floodlights are turned on, the manta rays arrive quickly and use the water column between the snorkelers and sea bottom to perform their feeding rituals. It is important to stay either on the surface or on the seafloor to not harm or disrupt the manta rays as they come for their nightly feast. Snorkelers grab onto hand straps attached to the perimeter of the floating rafts and are instructed to peer downward. The boats form a circle, place floating rafts with downward-facing floodlights into the water, then allow snorkelers to enter. This adventure is particularly unique, as several boat operators coordinate their arrival and positioning to ensure the safety of guests and manta rays. The high volume of evening boat traffic and poorly lit rocky shoreline make swimming from shore dangerous and thereby prohibited.Ĭheck the Hawaii Ecotourism Association’s list of sustainable snorkeling tour operators on the Big Island for the best way to experience Manta Village yourself. Many tour operators offer nightly snorkel tours departing around sunset to reach Keauhou Bay (from $130pp.). Keauhou Bay is located about 7 miles south of Kailua-Kona.
#Manta ray night snorkel how to#
How to get to Keauhou Bay for snorkeling? Manta Village is considered one of the best locations on the planet to view manta rays perform their nightly feeding rituals and at close-hand!Ī manta ray at the surface of the sea in Keauhou Bay. Today, the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay maintains the legacy of shining the floodlights into the water, and many tour operators bring snorkelers here to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Keauhou Bay, and particularly Manta Village (the name given to the area in front of the hotel), became a popular place for people to come to view manta rays right on the shoreline easily. Unbeknownst to them, the floodlights served as a beacon for plankton to gather on the ocean’s surface, thereby attracting the filter-feeding manta rays to feed on the huge schools of plankton. The hotel started to illuminate the waters with bright floodlights for guests to view manta rays swimming in the evening. These gentle giants began congregating upon Keauhou Bay since the 1970s, when the Kona Surf Hotel first opened. The Kona Coast has long been a hotspot for manta rays to feed in the warm waters off the shore.
0 kommentar(er)
