Manta Heaven

August 27th 2010
Dive: 5
Location: Kona Coast, Big Island of Hawai'i "Manta Heaven"
Visibility: 15-20 Feet
Max Depth: 35 Feet
Bottom Time: 50 Minutes
Cumulative Dive Time: 163 Minutes
Weight: 24lbs
Exposure Protection: 5mm Wet Suit
Conditions: Salt Water/Boat Dive/Night Dive
Company: Kona Honu Divers 
Dive Master: Scott Blain

This Dive is so beautiful and so surreal that it's hard to describe, all I can say is you really have to go experience it sometime in your diving lifetime and if you don't dive or you have kids who don't you can  always snorkel- it's still awe inspiring if you snorkel it as well.

We went out from Honokohau Harbor on the Kona Coast of the Big Island of Hawai'i. My wife's father is a boat Captain for  Kona  Honu Divers so we are lucky enough to go diving with them every chance we get when we go to the Big Island. I had cruised out on the boat before and gone snorkeling but was yet to dive with them and we were going for it this trip, Manta Heaven Night Dive...it couldn't get any better.

Conditions were serene and perfect for the dive.

We descended into the darkness and gathered around an underwater "fire pit", a rock pit filled with underwater dive lights. These lights attract plankton which the Mantas feed on and before we knew it the Mantas were swooping down and all around us.

We were also joined by Frank the Eel...a striking green moray eel that has been showing up at Manta Heaven since divers started exploring it. He's extremely docile and, as you'll see in the video, swam right across my wife's mouth. I was a little more hesitant and wasn't going to lose a finger but I later found out that he'd never shown one ounce of aggression towards divers.

Video by Scott Blain.

We were joined by thirteen Manta's that night eleven of which Scott was able to ID (my wife's been diving this spot since she was fifteen and has never seen more than six at once).

Mantas ID'd:

1. Lefty (the first Manta ever ID'd in 1994, she got her name from her missing left mandible)

2. Captain Kirk (now that's just awesome)

3. Vinny

4. Doug

5. Grayer

6. Curly

7. Blain

8. Vicky

9. Timbuktu

11. Koir

If you are lucky enough to spot & photo a Manta that hasn't been Identified you get the privilege of naming it.

**Check out Kona Honu Divers, you won't be sorry you did.