Hawaii 2019 (page 9 of 11)

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Day 9

We relaxed in the morning. Mike went out for a run before sunrise, and after he got back, we had breakfast in the condo. Greta went for a walk down to the shopping area & back (about 20 minutes one way – during busy traffic times, it will take almost 15 minutes to DRIVE there & find a parking spot).

We headed out for late lunch at Lava Java right on the shore at Kailua. Two orders of fish tacos plus an outstanding view of the Kailua Harbor. We then walked down the street a bit & booked some activities for Sunday (whale watching tour followed by a sunset dinner cruise) with Body Glove.

Next, we checked in at Jack’s Diving Locker for our night Manta dive at their full-service store near Ali’i drive. They directed us up to their harbor location (same harbor as Pacific Rim Divers, but on the south end vs. the north end) where they have a smaller store front. It was a big group of people on the 46 foot Newton. There were about half a dozen snorkelers plus 18 divers. Three dive masters were in charge of 6 divers each, plus another person in charge of the snorkelers. It took a while to get everyone suited up for the dive, but we got to sit outside in the shade by the harbor while we waited.

The staff there was great, and they split the divers into 3 groups, where your gear was staggered/separated so you were never setting up right next to another diver. The first dive was before sunset, and we got to see a number of creatures. Then back up on the boat to watch the sun set into the clouds & we had crackers plus a sandwich to eat. After it was very dark, and a lot of boats had appeared, it was time to go down for the night dive. The surf was quite strong and all the boats were rocking. This time, we all had lights on our tanks to distinguish our groups (we were in the red group with Russell) plus a flashlight.

We jumped back into the water – and descended together. It is VERY dark down there if you don’t have your flashlight shining on something. We slowly worked our way to the “campfire” – seeing a few things like eels and crabs on the way. Then the campfire – AMAZING. Different dive groups have a sandy area of the bottom set up with lights shining up. Snorkelers have a surfboard with lights shining down. And everyone has a flashlight they shine. The light attracts plankton and the plankton attract the Manta Rays. We saw three different rays that just stayed in the “campfire” group. They swam around and ate the plankton – huge graceful beasts that would spin and dance in the light. The largest one was at least 10 feet across. There was some surge under the water, and it made staying in place rather difficult. But it was magical to watch them swim right over your head – within inches. You could have easily reached out and touched them, but that is a big no-no. Here is a video of the spectacle! We were one of the last groups to get there and last to leave. Everyone takes their lights with them, and as we swam back to the boat, a couple of the rays swam with us. We swam against a current on the way back but they’d told us how to identify our boat (blinking lights hanging from the ladders) so that we’d go up to the right boat. Our dive masters made sure we were all together and pointed out the boat as well. If it were not for the blinking lights, you probably could not have seen the boat from 40 ft. down – it was very dark.

Once everyone was back on the boat, we all were exchanging stories. Everyone was impressed. Some nights, they see over a dozen rays, but the 3 we saw put on such a show that the lesser number didn’t matter at all. It was a very memorable experience and something we’d highly recommend for someone looking for a bit of adventure on the Big Island.

By the time we got back to the harbor & our car, it was 9:30 pm. We were tired, cold, salty & hungry. Lots of places were closed by then, and sitting in a restaurant in dive clothes didn’t seem all that appealing. We stopped by the “Sack & Save” and picked up a Red Baron frozen pizza (all the way from MN). Then we headed back to the condo. By the time the gear was rinsed & hung up, everything was put away – the pizza was ready. It was a late dinner but hunger is a great condiment, and it was very tasty. Plus the location (steps away from bed) couldn’t be beat!

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