Vacation Magic 2 - Swimming with the Manta Rays

You can't get too much vacation while on vacation.  It wasn't enough to escape through comedy and magic one night, we decided to escape in the ocean on the second night.

From the magic of laughter, we went to the magic of silence.  A unique activity on the Island of Hawaii is the opportunity to have a night swim with the manta rays.  A half hour sunset ride on a comfortable catamaran took us to a cove on the Kona coast known for its plankton where, attracted by lights and food, manta rays come to feed.

The outfitter supplied wet suits and snorkeling gear, and we all jumped into a warm ocean, grabbed onto a handle attached to a surf board, ducked our heads into the ocean, let our legs float behind us, and focused our eyes and ears on the silent beauty of the underwater.  Almost immediately a gigantic dark figure with a huge gaping mouth rose from the deep circled underneath almost touching us with a glowing white, spotted underbody and disappeared back into the depths.  The only sound was the sound of our own breathing magnified by the water and the snorkel.  A surreal and magic universe.  Ahh, vacation.