Page 35 - AlertDiver_Spring2013

www.alertdiver.com | 33
several passes until their hygiene level is where they want it.
Sometimes, however, they’ll just drop down onto the reef,
close their eyes and enjoy a full spa treatment until they
need to surface for air. I’m hard pressed to think of another
destination where such reliable and intimate encounters
with turtles can be achieved so easily.
Mantas
For decades, even before diving became mainstream,
bright lights from oceanside restaurants along the Kona
coast have been attracting mantas close to shore, a
phenomenon the proprietors didn’t fully appreciate for
many years. Eventually, in the early 1990s dive operators
began to recognize the extraordinary nature of these
nightly gatherings, and they started taking groups of
divers to experience unparalleled face-to-face encounters
with the gentle creatures. Now Kona’s iconic manta night
dive is one of the most well-known dives in the world.
As if gathered around a campfire, divers sit in a circle
on a sandy bottom around light boxes and point their
flashlights toward the surface, attracting plankton en
masse. Almost without fail, mantas — sometimes as many
as 20 at a time — come to claim their free dinner and
perform feeding somersaults mere inches from your head.
How an animal so large can move with such precision and
grace is beyond my comprehension.
Although mantas can be found along the entire coast, sightings
are the most consistent and plentiful at Garden Eel Cove.
Blackwater Dives
Diving several miles offshore over thousands of feet
of water isn’t everybody’s idea of fun, especially not in
the middle of the night. But that’s exactly what Kona’s
“blackwater” night dives are all about.
Countless species of abyssal invertebrates spend their
days deep beyond the reach of sunlight and so are seldom
seen by recreational divers. However, when night falls,
many of these peculiar animals venture up the water
column, presumably in search of food.
This dive consists primarily of waiting, staring and drifting
below the boat with the current of the open ocean. As you
scan the unknown with your flashlight beam, it reveals
countless small, translucent animals, each more fascinating
than the last. Whether you are hoping for some unique
photographs or are simply interested in seeing some marvels
of evolution, this dive is highly recommended, and it can be
done just about anywhere in Kona’s rich waters.
Dolphins
If eerie oceanic night dives with tiny, otherworldly
Conditions: Regardless of when you travel to
Kona, expect air temperatures to be between
75°F and 80°F. Water temperatures are in the
low- to mid-70s during the winter; they rise to
the low 80s in late summer and early fall (August
to October). A 3mm or 5mm wetsuit is recom-
mended, and for heavy repetitive diving you may
also want to bring a hood. Being sheltered on
the lee side of Hawaii, Kona’s surface condi-
tions are usually suitable for diving. It’s common
to have more than 350 diveable days a year,
the exceptions being due to short-lived winter
storms. With few river outlets and almost no coastal sand to spoil
water clarity, visibility is consistently greater than 100 feet.
Getting There: Direct flights from Los Angeles, San Jose, San
Francisco, Oakland and Seattle can get you to Kona in five to six
hours, typically for less than $500. To maximize dive time, avoid
flights that connect through Honolulu, as these can sometimes
double the total travel time. Kona’s international airport is right
on the coast with dive operators scattered on either side of it.
On the Surface: If time permits, rent a car. Hawaii Island offers a
multitude of easily accessible attractions such as volcanoes, water-
falls, beaches, national parks, nature trails and historic villages.
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS: The water gets deep quickly off
Kona’s coast, making shore dives on rich reefs possible. There
are numerous dive operators running day boats to popular sites,
but for the most convenient diving experience, consider a trip
on one of the area’s liveaboards. To optimize bottom time and
range, a liveaboard is a terrific option.
HOW TO DIVE IT
Opposite: Carefully coordinated mantas perform
swooping somersaults inches away from
enraptured divers — and each other.
Below: A green turtle cruises slowly
past a photographer on its way to be
cleaned at Turtle Pinnacle.
Next page, clockwise from left:
whip coral goby; Kona’s rocky
shoreline; small holes in the
ceiling of a several-hundred-
foot-long lava tube create a
dramatic cathedral-lighting effect;
a pod of spinner dolphins