Manta Night Dive, Garden Eel Cove

Verified2026-09-24 checkedNightReef

Divers kneel on sand with torches pointed up. The plankton comes to the light and the mantas come to the plankton.

Depth: 8–14 m26–46 ft
Difficulty: Beginner
Entry: Boat
Typical current: Light
Coordinates: 19°43.698′N 156°3.486′W
Activities: Scuba · Snorkelling

One of the most reliable animal encounters in diving, and an entirely engineered one, which is the honest way to describe it. Boats moor over a sand patch at about 12 m off Garden Eel Cove; divers settle in a circle with torches aimed at the surface, snorkellers float above with lights aimed down, and the column of light between them concentrates plankton. Reef mantas arrive to feed and barrel-roll through it, often within arm’s reach and often for the whole dive. The rules exist because of how close it gets — lights up, hands down, nothing touched, stay on the bottom. Individual mantas are catalogued by the markings on their bellies, and most of the regulars have names.

Boats leave Honokohau Harbor, north of Kailua-Kona, in the late afternoon.

Best season

ExcellentMay–Sep
GoodOct–Apr

Before you get in

A night site. A backup light and a navigation plan matter more than usual.

Taken from this site’s recorded depth, type and current, and nothing else. An empty list is not a safe site — the sea on the day, the local geography and the boat traffic are not in it. The briefing on the spot comes first.

Conditions

Water temperature: 27.7°C82°F
Wave height: 1.1 m4 ft
Air temperature: 22°C72°F
Wind speed: 3.3 km/h2.1 mph

Updated 2026-10-07 15:45 UTC · Source: Open-Meteo

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Conditions are reported for information only. Assess the site yourself and follow your guide and your training.

No live conditions for this site yet.

We only show numbers we can attribute to a source.

Sea state and tide

On a date

Tide · 10/7

Low07:040.41 m
Low19:500.36 m

Forecast heights against mean sea level. Real tides in a bay, a harbour or over a flat can differ — check an official tide table before you get in.

Pick a day to see its tide

Only wave height and wind are scored, because those are what close a boat ramp or a shore entry. Water temperature is reported and never scored: 12°C is an ordinary dive in a drysuit and punishing in a 3 mm, and a number that cannot see your suit has no business marking it down. Stars do not decide whether you get in — you and your guide do, on the day.

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Marine life you may see

Reef manta rayMobula alfrediCommon
Whitetip reef sharkTriaenodon obesusSeasonal
Spinner dolphinStenella longirostrisCommon
Short-finned pilot whaleGlobicephala macrorhynchusRare
Humpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliaeJan–MarSeasonal
Crown jellyfishCephea cepheaMay–SepSeasonal

From divers

What people who were in the water reported. Not a forecast, and not a judgement about whether the site is safe to dive.

No recent reports from divers. If you dived here in the last two weeks, you can say how it was.

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