[2] A popular site is just off the coast of Hawaiʻi Island called Garden Eel Cove, as well as the Kona Surf Hotel.
[3] Located just off the coast of Keahole Point (near the Kona International Airport), it attracts scuba divers for the abundance of manta rays.
[7] In 1992, dive operators began occasionally taking scuba divers to areas such as the Kona Surf Hotel for manta ray encounters.
[11] In 2017, the 3 most popular sites to do the manta ray night dive on the Island of Hawaiʻi are (from south to north): in front of the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay (formerly known as the Kona Surf Hotel, the dive spot is called 'Manta Village'), in front of the Kona International Airport at Keahole, Hawaii (also called 'Garden Eel Cove' or 'Manta Heaven'), and between Kawaihae harbor and the Kohala resorts.
[14] As a result of manta rays' fragile biological composition,[clarification needed] guidelines to protect the health of the manta rays at this dive have been set forth by The Ocean Recreation council of Hawaii and PADI's Project AWARE.