Last Days on the Big Island

It took 5 days but finally the high surf conditions came down enough that the scuba diving charters were running again. All the books and everyone I talked to said if you only do one dive, make sure you do the night dive with the Manta Rays so off I went to hopefully get up close to these huge but gentle creatures. We boarded a catamaran in Keauhou bay and made the short trip out in front of the Sheraton hotel. After all the rough seas they were not sure if the Manta rays would show up but I guess not being fed for a few days helped because we had four big ones show up that night!

The catamaran has lights and each of us carried a flashlight to help attract plankton which is what attracts the Manta Rays. They circled and looped the loop around us as the four scuba divers stayed close to the bottom and a number of snorkelers floated on the surface. The 5 to 6 foot wide rays pass so close that it's hard to get a clear picture and they sometimes brush against you as they go by so they wouldn't let us wear snorkels. The dive master said that there are some dives when he comes out with Manta slime all over his dive cap!

I took a number of videos so I posted a few to try and give you an impression of the amazing experience I had diving with the Manta Rays. By the way, these gentle giants have no teeth (they eat the plankton by filtering through their huge mouths) and have no barbed stinger like the Sting Rays.

Here is another website that talks about diving with the Manta Rays in Kona:

http://www.5min.com/Video/Manta-Ray-Diving-in-Kona-with-Wayne-Levin-21293003

We decided to head downtown for some life entertainment at Bongo Bobs and dinner at Lu Lu's upstairs. It was another beautiful night, the stars were shining, the surf was pounding and the street was packed. Above our 2nd floor patio seats in Lu Lu's the ceiling, posts, walls and even the surfboard sign were plastered with dollar bills signed by everyone from famous celebrities to kids on their March break.

After a hearty dinner we checked out the local band at Bongo Bobs, sipping Mai Tai's and sitting next to a palm tree sticking through the roof (by the way the Mai Tai's were good but not anywhere near as good as Nick's!).

The band played Hawaiian versions of songs like Over the Rainbow, Hawaiian Superman or songs from groups like Doobie Brothers, U2 and Santana with a Hawaiian twist. The guys were great entertainers and everyone enjoyed their sets and added a lot of requests as well.

I thought I would finish our Big Island adventures with a parting shot of the catamaran just as we headed out for the Manta Ray dive. Now it's on to Maui!