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MAGNIFICENT MANTA
RAY NIGHT DIVE!
Snorkelers and Ride Alongs Welcome!
New Manta Gallery! Just click here for some recent shots from THE Manta Ray Night dive. The Manta Ray Night Dive is a "MUST DO" trip. Kona Honu Divers offers a one tank charter which lasts approximately three hours. This charter is recommended for snorkelers and is also an option for divers who have significant night diving experience and don't desire to do the orientation dive in addition to the manta ray night dive. Our most popular option for divers is the two tank charter. On this five hour charter, we conduct a nice guided tour on the first dive before the sun goes down and then do the manta ray night dive after an hour surface interval. This longer charter is strongly recommended for novice night divers and divers who have minimal experience or who have been out of the water for longer than a year. Snorkelers are welcome on either charter but most non divers prefer our shorter, three hour charter. For pricing on these and other charters click here.
"Maggie and Glen, Just a Thank you for a phenomenal diving experience
from myself , two children Vince and Danielle, and my snorkeling wife
Kim. You have a great operation and staff who are both very professional
and service oriented. The Manta experience is one that we will all cherish,
and will give my kids something to boast about to their friends for quite
a while. I’ll make sure that I send some referrals your way. Thank you
once again!" Todd DeMario Westminster, MD
“"The hair on the back of my neck stood up and a chill
went down my spine when I first encountered these magnificent creatures",
M. Stepien, Chicago, IL
This dive is consistently voted to be one of the TOP 10 dives in the
world. The Mantas and other nocturnal marine life come to feed on the
planktonic crustaceans attracted to our dive lights. The mantas make repeated
passes overhead, scooping up as much plankton as they can. They will often
times follow the divers right back to the stern of the boat as we exit
the water to perform a farewell loop or two. This dive provides the
most dependable opportunity to dive with Manta Rays in the entire world!
We have an 80% success rate in seeing these beautiful, peaceful giants.
"I just wanted to thank you guys for an ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC experience.
I took the two-tank Manta Ray dive last Saturday night and was overwhelmed.
I did not believe that was possible to actually dive with TWENTY MANTAS
AT ONCE!! WOW!!!! This dive was the highlight of my entire Hawaii experience.
I don't remember the names of the dive leader or Captain but they were
really helpful, super friendly and very knowledgeable. This was by far
the best dive that I have ever been on and look forward to another "Manta-Dive"
with Kona Honu Divers very soon. Thank you very much", Richard
Kassler Federal Fire Department San Diego
When feeding, the Mantas use their oversized pectoral fins or “wings”
to move through the water. The cephalic fins or “horns” direct
the flow into its wide mouth and water passes through the gills with fine
hair like projections filtering out tiny planktons and other microscopic
food. Remaining motionless on the ocean floor is the best approach for
divers to prolong “show time” with the Mantas.
Snorkelers and Mantas
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Our professional underwater videographer can capture this amazing dive
or snorkel experience for you. The HiDef DVD is available for purchase.
This is a vacation keepsake capturing the dive of a lifetime. Years later
still remembering feeling a sense of awe as you watch your Manta Ray video,
you will renew the sensations of "chills down my spine and hair standing
on the back of my head" from your dive with the MAGNIFICENT MANTAS.
Please follow these guidlines to ensure enjoyment for everyone (including our wonderful mantas!)
1. OBSERVE ONLY: No touching. Resist the urge to "pet" the mantas. This will rub off their protective mucus coating. Do not chase, grab, or try to take a ride on the mantas.
2. DIVER POSITION: Divers please stay on or near the sand, rubble or boulder bottom. An open water column is necessary for the mantas to maneuver. Avoid contact with coral, sea urchins, or other marine life. Form a semi-circle with your group.
3. SNORKELER POSITION: Snorkelers please stay on the surface. Do not dive down into the water column where the mantas are feeding.
4. LIGHTS: Divers please shine lights up into the water column to attract plankton. Snorkelers please shine lights down.
5. BUBBLES: Divers please avoid exhaling bubbles directly into the manta’s face.
6. TAKING PHOTOS or VIDEO: Photographers and videographers please be considerate of others. Adhere to these guidelines and let the mantas come to you.
Get More Diving for your $$$ by including a manta charter with
one or more morning charters by taking advantage of our discounted multiple
charter dive packages.. The cost of our Manta
Ray night dives includes use of a dive light, a lite meal, and beverages. For our 2 tank charter, departures
vary from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. depending on the time of year. The boat
leaves from Honokohau Harbor and returns approximately 5 hours later. Our 1 tank charter leaves approximately 2 hours later and returns at approximately the same time as our 2 tank trip.
"We were in Kona in July of this year and took our Advanced
Open Water Dive instruction for certification with John Haut. We had such
a great time with the Kona Honu crew! The dive instruction was top notch,
and the boat and dive briefings were interesting and informative. We thoroughly
enjoyed the experience and would recommend Kona Honu Divers to anyone
interested in having a fabulous dive experience on the Big Island.
We were able to participate in the Manta Ray night dive to fulfill
our night dive requirement for advanced certification. What an amazing
experience that was! The Manta Rays are truly beautiful creatures! I was
a little apprehensive about doing a night dive----a fear of the unknown,
I guess. Because of the knowledge and experience of John Haut and the
rest of the crew, we were very comfortable during the entire dive and
can’t wait to get back into the water for future night dives!"
Marcy & Brian Hogan, Orange, CA
"I so much wanted to email you before now - trying to "calm
down" and write coherently. But the first thing that came to my mind
while thinking about the manta ray trip Sarah and I took with you was
" Ohmigawd, ohmigawd, ohmigawd" which pretty much was all I
could say while in the water. Sarah and I were so unbelievably fortunate
to have this mother-daughter trip after her college graduation. And to
have such a phenomenal experience as we had with your crew and the manta
dive was icing on the cake. It was unbelievable. We both still shake our
heads when describing it people - we're so glad we did this.... you and
crew did a great job of allaying our fears.... I was extremely pleased
with the professionalism of you and your crew...it was obvious you love
what you do and want others to enjoy themselves safely. THANK YOU!"
Andi Schoenman & Sarah Tompkins
To read more testimonials from our customers click
here.
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