The main difference between the two locations is that Keauhou Bay is a very short boat ride (5 minutes) to the manta viewing site, while Garden Eel Cove requires a 30 - 45 minute scenic boat ride along the Kona coast from Honokohau Harbor. Garden Eel Cove, off the coast of the Kona airport Keauhou Bay, 4 miles from My Hawaii Hostel Manta Rays gather in two main areas at night to feed off the Kona coast: Read more about their cultural significance. Historically, manta rays have been revered by native Hawaiians and are mentioned in the Kumulipo - the Hawaiian creation chant. Manta rays can be found feeding in very shallow water but also are known to dive down to great depths of more than 1,000 ft.Īccording to some guides, mantas are attracted to singing…so bring your best karaoke voice. The Manta Pacific Research Foundation has identified and named the 300+ manta rays in Kona’s waters using their distinct spots and scars. Manta rays only have 1 pup every 2-3 years. We refer to them jokingly as ‘ballerinas’ because mantas appear to ‘dance’ in the water as they turn graceful somersaults and pirouettes during feeding. The lights from boats at night attract the plankton which attract the manta rays to feed. Manta rays are filter feeders who dine on billions of plankton with their giant vacuum-like mouths. Manta rays have wing spans of up to 15 ft and can weigh up to 3,000 pounds. Read on to learn more about Kona’s magical manta rays, where to see them, and our favorite manta tours in Kona. Related to sharks, these “gentle giants” are toothless and totally harmless. Massive vegetarian ballerinas of the sea, Manta Rays, or ‘Hahalua’, feed on plankton at night, offering up a spectacular underwater show. Fair Wind Big Island Ocean Guides is based in Keauhou Bay, just outside the Sheraton, so your wing-flapping manta frenzy can continue into the night at the location of your choice.“Big Bertha”, “Baby Huey”, “Elvis”, and “Calamity Jane” are just a few of the names given to the 300+ manta rays that call Kona’s waters home. You can observe or listen to the Sheraton's docent from its broad deck – an experience which combines nicely with pupus or a Mai Tai, or with an upward glance at the stars.īut if you're feeling water-friendly and a little frisky (Hawaii does that to you, after all), you can also sign up for a snorkel or scuba night dive to see a few of the giant critters face to face. For that and more, you only need to stop by the Manta Ray Bar & Grill (soon to transform into Rays at the Bay) on any given night, when the hotel directs its broad beams at the water starting at 7pm, and a dozen or more of the creatures come to feed. These are just a few bits of trivia you can pick up on your next Big Island visit by staying at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa (bonus factoid: Keauhou Bay is where Kamehameha III, Hawaii's longest reigning monarch, was born in 1813). The males also have "clampers" which have to be 1.5 inches long for them to be able to mate. Want a little more? They gobble up to 300 pounds of plankton daily, by executing octuple backflips with their three-foot-wide mouths agape. The important thing to remember about manta rays – 3,000-pound creatures with wingspans reaching up to 22 feet – is that they're born with their wings wrapped around their bodies, like manta-ray burritos.
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