No…we had boy and a girl under 7 years old on the tour. I did an internet search and couldn’t find a single record of a shark attack during a night manta ray dive. Your chances of getting hit by lightning is much higher and a fatal traffic accident while driving to the marina is even more likely. Some folks have a real phobia about sharks…but attacks are rare. Also, the Kona coast is pretty calm so unless you are very susceptible to seasickness, you can leave the Dramamine at home. If the boat sprang a leak you could swim ashore in two minutes. Both locations are within 100′ of the shore, so it isn’t like you are heading out a couple miles to sea. One other thing, there are two locations that most of the tours go to…one is by the Sheraton at Kona and the other is near the airport. ![]() Put it this way, the nickname for Mantas is the “butterfly of the sea”…gentle, non-aggressive, no worries. Also, unlike, stingrays, mantas don’t have stingers (so don’t concern yourself about a repeat performance of the sad story of the Croc Hunter, Steve Irwin). They certainly don’t dine on Homo Sapiens. If they mistakenly get a fish in their mouth, they spit it out. Okay, I’m assuming you want to give this a try this now, so here are some answers to some questions that often come up: Is it safe? ![]() Not only that but my wife ALSO agreed that it was the highlight of our trip…which is perhaps an even more impressive fact:) This was without a doubt, the most incredible thing I did in Hawaii (which is truly saying a lot). Almost like you are on another world having a “Close Encounter of the Third Kind!”Ībsolutely insane. The captain on our boat referred to one local Manta they call Big Bertha that is more than 20′ across! If you would like to read more about Mantas, check out this link. Oh, and by the way, when I say massive, let me clarify…many of these suckers are easily 12′ or more from wingtip to wingtip and can weigh 2,000 lbs. Now imagine four or more of these creatures doing this same ballet repeatedly over an hour. Then, inches away from your nose, it turns away and silently glides back into the darkness while your body rocks from the water displaced by its passage. Imaging laying on the surface of the ocean, at night, and you start to notice shadows moving on the periphery of your sight, then this massive, but impossibly graceful apparition swoops up from the ocean floor, slowly opens its huge mouth and heads right toward you. So, what makes this so impressive? Well, start by looking at the photo above. Just imagine this big guy shooting up at you from the ocean floor! (Click on the photo to see a full resolution image) ![]() This article will give you some pointers and tips that will ensure you make the most out of your trip and also help you take incredible photographs to keep along with your memories. Read on to learn more about an experience you will be adding to your bucket-list. After the first ten days or so, I was starting to think that my biggest problem would be deciding what I would write about first, but that turned out not to be an issue after my wife and I did a night snorkeling Manta Ray tour! Holy crap…this was one of those kick-you-in-the-head incredible events that leave you positively giddy! I mean it was otherworldly, graceful, enthralling, ethereal, beautiful, exhilarating,…and another hundred adjectives that elude me right now. ![]() I’ve just returned from a two week photo extravaganza in Hawaii and I have a lot of photos, stories and tips that I’m dying to share with you.
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