november2011

November2011SanDiegoMagazine.com 65

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

THE BIG

ISLAND

A visit to the island of Hawaii is all
about sublime encounters with the

natural world, whether it’s a whale
breaching in the distance or a

particularly exquisite bloom of wild
ginger on a rainforest hike. But perhaps

the most sublime encounter to be
had—trumping even the giddy joy of

having your kayak overtaken by a pod
of spinner dolphins—happens nightly

on the Big Island’s Kona coastline.
Dive and snorkel operations

depart every evening from
Konokohau or Keauhou Bay, near the

Sheraton, to ferry visitors to one of
two spots frequented by manta rays.

The manta ray, though a relative of
the shark, is one of the ocean’s gentle

giants. Toothless, stinger-free, and

utterly harmless, they are among the

most graceful of creatures, gliding

and swooping through the dark

water, ingesting millions of tiny

plankton as they go. Of course, they

swoop and glide during the day, too,

but they can be hard to find. At night,

divers and snorkelers need only

convene with high-powered

flashlights to attract plankton, which

in turn attract the mantas.

It would be difficult to overstate

the elegance and serenity with which

the giant rays—measuring 6-14 feet

across—conduct their underwater

feeding ballet. And the viewing

proximity is frankly amazing. Divers

are instructed to sit perfectly still on

the ocean floor, about 35 feet down.

Snorkelers form a ring at the surface,

Manta Ray, The Big Island

BIG ISLAND

TROPICAL TIDBIT:

The Big Island boasts the southernmost

point in the United States (aptly

named South Point), occupying roughly

the same latitude as Guadalajara.