Manta Rays And Sargassum Fish in Kona

See Through Sea is one of my favorite eco-tours in Hawaii. It's run by couple, Alicia and Jim, who worked for 8 years on an eco-tour in Oahu before moving to the Big Island. I've dove with them a few different times over the years on both islands and I'm always impressed by how considerate they are of the wildlife they encounter, particularly when it comes to marine mammals because some species can easily be negatively affected by too many swimmers. They're incredibly respectful, never force an interaction, and let the animals come to them, which are all vital aspects of a responsible ecotour in my eyes! I love that they now have their own tour and I want to hop over to the Big Island as often as I can to go look for fun adventures and creatures with them!

We flew over to the island for my birthday this year before the sun rose and jumped on their boat at first light! The water in Kona is incredible. It feels like swimming in a big aquarium. It's calm and crystal blue. I found myself doing less and less of my routine checks around me and over my shoulder, making sure no one is sneaking up on me, which is probably not a great habit to let continue, but I just felt so comfortable in these aqua infinity-pool-like areas.

Photo by Alicia Ward of See Through Sea

For me there is no greater feeling than when an animal is curious about you and feels comfortable enough to approach you. Even when that animal is a small sargassum frogfish who wants to hide in Siena's hair and behind Alicia's snorkel.

Photo by Alicia Ward of See Through Sea

It's scary how plastic has become a temporary shelter for some marine life. This sargassum frogfish was living in what had remained intact of a flashlight handle and Siena found another inside a floating stick of deodorant.

I've always thought manta rays were beautiful but they weren't originally on the list of marine species I was absolutely obsessed with when I began diving. That is until I saw one for the very first time and oh boy did that change. There is so much going on behind those eyes. Manta rays are technically fish, but they are a bit different. They have a high encephalization quotient. This means that their brains are very large in size in ratio to their body. In these very large brains, areas for learning, problem solving, intelligence, vision, motor coordination, and communication appear particularly developed. There's even indication that they might be self-aware. This means that like humans, dolphins, elephants, and great apes, they have a sense of self and of being an individual.

Today is Martin Luther King Day. One of my favorite MLK quotes is "if I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way." One of the smallest and greatest ways you can help manta rays is to cut plastic out of your life. These filter feeders are particularly vulnerable to plastic floating at the surface which they can accidentally consume. When we throw things away, particularly things made out of durable and harmful materials like plastic, they don't really go away. They simply go temporarily out of sight. Unfortunately, many of them end up here. The majority of this planet is covered in water and plastic has all the time in the world to find its way to it in one way or another. By buying and using resuable everyday items you can actively stop being a part of this problem. Thank you to Alicia Ward for the wonderful photo and the great day with her and Jim Ward aboard See Through Sea! You can read more about the intelligence of manta rays below:

• Manta Ray Brainpower Blows Other Fish Out Of The Water

• Ari, C. & D’Agostino, D.P. J Ethol (2016) 34: 167.

• Encephalization and Brain Organization of Mobulid Rays (Myliobatiformes, Elasmobranchii) with Ecological Perspectives