Capturing the Moment

  Almost every night, manta rays come into a few select bays on the west coast of the Big Island, to feed in the shallows on plankton. Snorkeling with the manta rays has become one of the 'must-do' adventures here in Hawaii. However, it is not for the feint of heart. You have to wait for darkness, and be willing to jump into the ocean at night, and share it with creatures that are bigger than you. Luckily, these manta rays are gentle giants. They don't have teeth or stingers, which is nice, because as you will see, they can swim very close to you! Tonight was extra special, as it was the total lunar eclipse as well as our manta snorkel night. We took our boat to a little bay in front of the fancy, Mauna Kea resort. We anchored in about 17ft of water, put out surfboards with special underwater lights in them, and waited. The lights soon got crowded with plankton, and different fish coming in to feast on the plankton. But after thirty minutes, that is still all we saw. Everyo...

  A huge manta ray gliding gracefully under the snorkelers Yesterday we had two wonderful adventures here on the Big Island of Hawaii. Both adventures were very private and intimate experiences, away from the crowds. Read on to find out how you two can do these amazing activities away from the crowds. Two, very popular activities on the Big Island of Hawaii are trekking through volcanic landscapes and going snorkeling at night with huge manta rays. Usually people go to Volcanos National Park to see the volcanic landscape, and while this is an amazing experience you may experience large crowds, especially when there is an active eruption to see. The manta ray snorkeling experience is no different, it is a once in a lifetime opportunity, but there can be dozens of boats, putting 20 snorkelers in all at the same place, and can feel quite crowded. However, there is a way to get off the beaten path and do both of these activities without the crowds. It can feel like being in Hawaii 50 y...

  Every week I like to push the guests to try something new and to embrace new adventures. Traveling with Un-Cruise here in Hawaii can be filled with these new experiences. It is not uncommon for our guests to be on the more adventurous side already, but one excursion that usually puts people a little more out of their comfort zone is the night snorkel with manta rays. A Hawaiian Flagtail Fish  Manta in the Night Lights   It all starts with a warm up snorkel to make sure everyone who will go out at night has already gotten used to their gear and being in the ocean. Then during dinner we bring in a manta ray expert, usually Ian or Katie from Kona Dive Company, to talk about manta rays and answer questions.     As soon as dinner wraps up we head out on the back deck to get into wetsuits, snorkel gear, and wrist glow-lights. Then we load up into our skiffs and motor a few hundred yards over to the manta snorkel area. From here six or so guest will jum...