Following up on our recent post about snorkeling in Hawaii, here’s a good eco-formational piece/travelogue by Alissa Everett, who recently went swimming with manta rays off Recently, the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort opened, and its nighttime lights are attracting the mantas. Visitors can get a topside lecture from local experts; alternatively they can jump in the water and either snorkel ($59) or scuba dive ($69) with these magnificent creatures. Sounds like a good time!
2. I did the dive off the Kona Coast of the Big Island back in 2002. One of the best (and most unusual) dives I've ever done. It also cost $100 from the cheapest dive operator at the time, most ran about $120.
Posted at 1:32PM on Nov 22nd 2005 by Calvin Tang
3. Calvin, thanks for the tip. And Bjorn -- I wrote "recently" because:
"In the early 1990s, dive operators began leading divers into the waters to experience the animals in their natural environment. Keauhou Bay, off of the old Kona Surf hotel, had repeated success with sightings and soon became the most popular spot for diving with mantas. In 1998, however, the lights shut off when the Kona Surf closed, and the mantas moved farther north. Now, with the opening of the new Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort, the lights are on again and the mantas are coming back."
4. That's what I get for commenting before I read the article! Thanks Willy.
Posted at 3:56PM on Nov 22nd 2005 by Bjorn Townsend
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1. Recently? Not so much. The resort, the lights and the mantas have been coming there for years. I first dove the site in 1999, and it'd been around for a good while before that. It's definitely a fantastic experience, though.
Posted at 12:29PM on Nov 22nd 2005 by Bjorn Townsend