Night Light Delight


Four of us went snorkeling with the manta rays last week. The Sheraton in Keauhou shines lights on the water to attract plankton which draw the filter-feeding mantas. These seemingly alien creatures hoover in the water like space crafts, gracefully gliding through the dark ocean and playfully performing backwards somersaults in effort to scoop as much food as they can into their giant mouths. Some mantas have a wing span of over 15 feet, but the largest we saw of the five mantas was about 6 feet across. The mantas are harmless but I have heard their skin can be abrasive. I'm glad I was wearing a wetsuit. As you can see from these videos, mantas aren't shy.