travel blog, minus the bull$hit

A couple years ago I worked on getting my PADI scuba certification with one goal in mind: to do a night dive to watch manta rays feed. My siblings and I got certified together and jetted off to Kona over on Big Island in Hawaii.

Without doubt, I can say these are the most majestic creatures I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing with my own eyes. What I found the most interesting, is there is a catalog/ID project that lists all manta rays spotted in the islands of Hawaii. Similar to birth marks, manta rays have unique markings on their under belly which is how we are able to differentiate each manta.

Here is the link to all of the ones in Kona. Our tour company let us know that some nights, they are able to see 15+ mantas swimming around and feeding. Unfortunately when we went we were only able to see 3: Big Bertha, W, and Lefty if I recall correctly.

If you are not PADI scuba certified, many tour companies also offer snorkeling options at the surface! Although the view is muuuuch better down below. ❤

Although one may want to read this well written article by marine biologist, Dr. David Shiffman that questions: Are Manta Ray Night Dives Ethical?

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