James knew that he could find the manta rays somewhere along the coastline after he had heard from local boat captains that mantas were being seen during the day at Garden Eel Cove. In the summer of 1999, the manta rays essentially abandoned the Kona Surf Hotel as a feeding area. During daylight hours, the dive site is called “Garden Eel Cove”. It’s offshore from the Kona International Airport. The dive site “Manta Heaven” is located in Makako Bay, just around the corner of Keahole Point, the most western tip of the Big Island. In 2021, the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa changed ownership and is now the Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa. A short time later, manta rays returned, and many new mantas have been identified and named since. James teamed up with their management, to help install new flood lights re-creating a favorable manta ray venue. In October 2004, the resort reopened as the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay. As the plankton stopped accumulating, the manta rays stopped frequenting the area. In May 2000, the Kona Surf Hotel was closed, and the lights were turned off. The official name is Kaukalaelae Point, but most people call it “Manta Village”. The zone in front of the Kona Surf Hotel in Keauhou on the West Coast of the Big Island was the first manta ray viewing site. Manta Ray Viewing Areas along the Kona Coast of Hawaii What are the Manta Viewing Sites Along the Kona Coast? Manta Village Nevertheless, it prompted James to find other viewing areas (more about this later). This might have been due to the cyclical nature of plankton. Over the years, more manta rays were conditioned to feed at the Kona Surf Hotel at night ~ until the summer of 1999.įor several months only one or two manta rays were sighted, and then for a few weeks, none showed up. In its early stages, the manta ray night dive was scheduled once a week, yet it was only a matter of time before boat operators would be doing this every night. From Weekly Manta Ray Dives to Full-Fledged Viewpoint Marine life interaction guidelines were established to ensure the manta rays were not harmed.īack then, manta ray advocate James Wing had the video concession at KCD – this meant he’d join the groups into the ocean and create beautiful footage of the manta ray dives for the guests to take home as souvenirs. The attraction was instantly successful with tourists, and other dive operators followed suit. 30 feet/10 meters), where it would be easier to position groups of divers. They custom-built underwater lights and placed them on the bottom of the sea this drew the manta rays away from the shallows into deeper water (approx. His company Kona Coast Divers (KCD) became the first boat operator to schedule weekly scuba night dives. In 1991, a man called Jim Robinson realized that the manta rays’ frequent visits to the resort could be turned into a touristic activity. This is how the shoreline of the Kona Surf Hotel became a favorable feeding location. Over time, the manta rays began associating light with their natural food source this process is called “classical conditioning” or “Pavlov effect”. Since a manta ray’s diet consists of plankton, it was an incredibly rich food source for the manta. Unintentionally, this attracted plankton to concentrate in the water near the shoreline. This way, guests could enjoy the beauty of the wave action at night from the rooms and public viewing decks. In the early ’70s, when the former Kona Surf Hotel opened, the resort illuminated the surf zone with bright floodlights. How did the first manta ray viewing site start? To keep manta ray ecotourism on the island safe and sustainable, commercial activity providers have agreed on tour operator standards. Although the sites are within 100 yards from shore, due to the rocky volcanic coastline, they are only accessible by boat, which makes it safe for divers and snorkelers to come and experience the magic of manta rays first-hand. At these locations, you have a 70+ % chance to see at least one manta ray during the manta ray dive and snorkel adventure. Did you know swimming this activity has been named one of the top-10 aquatic attractions in the world? What are Manta Ray Viewing Sites?Īlong the West Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii, we’ve got three established viewing sites for manta rays. Travelers from around the globe visit Kona on the Big Island to swim and dive with manta rays. Manta rays are truly remarkable and beautiful creatures, and Hawaii is one of the few places in the world where you can be an arm’s length away from manta rays.
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