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 that 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 an instant success with tourists, and other dive operators then followed suit. 30 feet/10 meters), where it would be easier to position groups of divers. They also had custom-built underwater lights they’d place 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 to associate 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 mantas. 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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