Manta ray night dive
A manta ray night dive is a scuba diving excursion to view manta rays.
Depending on the amount of microscopic plankton present, the number of manta rays will vary. Some days no manta rays are seen while on days with high plankton levels upwards of a dozen may be present. While diving, scuba divers shine lights up while snorkelers shine them down creating a column of light which attracts millions of minuscule plankton, which in turn attracts the manta rays.
A popular site is just off the coast of Hawaiʻi Island called Garden Eel Cove, as well as the Kona Surf Hotel. Located just off the coast of Keahole Point (near the Kona International Airport), it attracts scuba divers for the abundance of manta rays. Its official name is Hoʻona Bay, at 19°43′58″N 156°3′26″W / 19.73278°N 156.05722°W. Other sea life includes garden eels, Hawaiian turkeyfish, and Heller's barracuda.
For decades travelers to Hawaii observed manta rays from restaurants and hotels along the coast, such as the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and the in 2002 closed Kona Surf Hotel. In 1992, dive operators began occasionally taking scuba divers to areas such as the Kona Surf Hotel for manta ray encounters. The frequency of these dive trips increased over the years with many dive operations offering trips most days.
Travel guides often rate this dive highly. The Professional Association of Diving Instructors states that "dive magazines the world over consistently rank Kona's manta ray night diving as one of the best things you can do underwater".
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Wikipedia