Wildlife· Hawaii (Big Island)· Hawaii
Kona Manta Ray Night Snorkel
19° 33.5′ N · 155° 58.1′ W · approximate
After sunset at 'Manta Village', just outside Keauhou Bay off the point below the Outrigger Kona Resort, lights draw clouds of plankton and reef manta rays with wingspans of 12 ft or more barrel-roll beneath snorkelers. Mantas have gathered here since the old Kona Surf Hotel installed floodlights in the 1970s, and Fair Wind reports they show up about 92 percent of nights.
Practical
Coordinate is approximate: placed about 100 m offshore of Kaukalaelae Point and the Outrigger Kona Resort (both mapped in OpenStreetMap), where Fair Wind describes Manta Village as a five-minute boat ride from Keauhou Bay; it is not a published mooring position. The site is worked nightly by many permitted tour boats with lights on the bottom and on floats, so a private yacht should not anchor in the viewing area; book a tour from Keauhou Bay or Honokohau, or dinghy carefully and stay well clear of the tour floats. Manta Pacific Research Foundation guidelines: observe only, never touch, chase or ride the mantas; snorkelers stay at the surface with legs horizontal and do not dive down, and shine lights down while divers shine theirs up; avoid touching coral and urchins. Hawaii's manta rays (Manta alfredi) are harmless filter feeders.
Best for
One of the world's most reliable manta encounters
Season
Year round, nightly after sunset
Nearby
- Keauhou Bay Small Boat Harbor0.3 NM away
- Kahaluu Beach Park1.2 NM away
- White Sands Beach Park (Magic Sands)2.2 NM away
- Da Poke Shack (Kailua-Kona)3 NM away
- Kona Community Hospital3.6 NM away
- Red Hill (Pu'u Ohau) Dive and Snorkel Moorings3.7 NM away
- Grocery Outlet (Kealakekua)3.8 NM away
- Greenwell Farms Kona Coffee Tour3.9 NM away
Place data includes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).