For a deeper learning experience, visit the Manta Learning Center – which was developed as a partnership between the Manta Pacific Research Foundation and the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay. As a result, thousands of human visitors have also been flocking to this part of Hawai‘i each year to see Manta Rays in their natural habitat – both from the shoreline and from below the surface.ĭocents at the hotel provide a 20-minute educational talk on Tuesdays and Thursdays at sunset at the hotel’s waterfront restaurant, Rays on the Bay. The marine plankton are attracted by the lights, so the hotel and local dive companies provide plenty of it. Where the shore lights of the hotel (now the Sheraton) illuminate the coastal waters, these Hawaiian Mantas have been coming to feed on their favorite food – marine plankton – which they consume by filtering the food out of the sea water, which they run through their brachial filters. While the warm waters off the Kona Coast have long been their habitat, Manta Rays began gravitating to what has now become known as the Manta Village site in the 1970s. This means that are quite accessible for humans to pay them a visit! Shoreline Sighting at Rays on the Bay at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa Given their size, they have a surprisingly small coastal range of about 90 square miles (30 miles of coastline and about 3 miles offshore). While Manta Rays can dive to depths of 700 feet, they typically live at a depth of fewer than 70 feet. Manta Rays can weigh as much as 3,000 pounds and any can live as long as 3o to 40 years, which is a nice, long Hawai‘i life! Their wingspan typically reaches up to 15 feet across, though some have been found in other waters with wingspans as large as 25 feet across. Manta rays are related to the shark family, and of course, to other types of rays like Sting Rays and Eagle Rays, yet they are the largest of the ray family. Manta Heaven is located just offshore, close to the Kona International Airport, while Manta Village is about 6 miles south of Kailua-Kona, at the beautiful Keauhou Bay. These sites are known to scuba divers and snorkellers at Manta Village and Manta Heaven. These majestic creatures live in their natural, coastal habitat here in Hawai‘i and are often spotted at two magical locations on the Kona Coast of the Big Island.
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