This was an incredible encounter with the Kona Manta Rays at the Keahole Bay (near the Kona Airport), on the Big Island of Hawaii, one of the very few locations you can swim with manta rays. The Kona Coast is the best place to spot manta rays in Hawaii, and the manta ray night swimming is unlike anything you will find on any other island. At night, spotlights are used to attract plankton which in turn attracts the mantas that feed off the plankton. Our tour took off an hour or so before sunset from Honokohau Harbor just north of Kailua-Kona. As night fell, with the help of these lights and attracted by the plankton in the water, we were treated to an amazing show as giant mantas glide and somersault in mesmerizing patterns. The mantas swam within inches of us, always managing to avoid contact at the last second. Getting this close to these ethereal mantas is truly an unforgettable experience.
Much like a fingerprint is unique to each human, manta rays have distinguishing black and white markings on their underside that are used to identify them. These gentle giants can grow up to 20 feet in length and weigh up to 3000 pound; their giant mouths are very intimidating, but these extraordinary sea creatures have no teeth and no tail stingers, making this the safest large animal encounter in the world.
This video is shot from a Gopro Hero3+ in the highest 4K setting.