Giant trevally (ulua), manta rays, and turtles in Hawaii

Back in July, my girlfriend and I went on a 5-day trip to the Big Island Hawaii. I was an awesome trip with some of the highlights being:

- Spearing my first ulua (aka giant trevally), mu, and goatfish
- Sunrise on top of the highest point on the Big Island, the volcano Mauna Kea
- Night diving with manta rays
- Freediving with tons of sea turtles

I recently put together a short 2 minute video of some of the best footage including my first attempt at a timelapse photographing the sunrise on top of Mauna Kea.

Here's a link to the video and some photos:


Enjoy 
- Matt

Great footage!!!

I'm on my way out to Kona on Sunday - New Year. Where did you go for Mantas and spearing? I have a blue water trip lined up but did you charter for reef fishing or just wing it? Can you share some spots? I'd be all about a big Ulua. You had a breakaway but what size was your gun?

Thanks for the pictures and cool video Matt.

Nice fish.

I've heard that those ulua aren't good eating at bigger sizes?  High ciguaterra risk and tough/wormy meat. 

Did you eat it?  How was it?

Enjoyed the video, The night diving looked fun and surreal, must have felt incredible being in the water with multiple rays and having them be so comfortable with your presence. Not being a diver, it’s sort of hard to imagine. Must be an addicting sport!

Great footage!!!

I'm on my way out to Kona on Sunday - New Year. Where did you go for Mantas and spearing? I have a blue water trip lined up but did you charter for reef fishing or just wing it? Can you share some spots? I'd be all about a big Ulua. You had a breakaway but what size was your gun?

You'll do better than me if you have a blue water trip lined up! I didn't want to drop the dough for one 

We did the night manta ray trip with Anelakai Adventures. The guys running it were pretty cool. It is one-hundred something for a night snorkel with the mantas, but worth it for the first time you do it in my opinion, especially if you are bringing someone with you who is not an experienced diver. You paddle out in the dark on an outrigger canoe and they shine lights down to attract plankton which, in turn, attracts the mantas.

Be aware though, they don't let you wear fins or dive down. They also make you wear ankle floaties  (so you don't accidentally kick the mantas)

I did not know this going in and was kind of pissed that I couldn't dive down and swim around, but it was still a cool to watch from the surface.

It is great for beginners, so if you want to bring any non-diving friends along, it is a super easy way to do it. I think there was even someone in the group that didn't know how to swim 

We just dove on the Kona side. My gun was a RA 150 but that was overkill (it's my only long gun lol). Breakaway is also not necessary but I had my gun rigged that way from a prior trip. Plus I like having a float so I don't have fish on me for the sharks to come after.

Happy to share some spots. Just message me on FB or IG. Also I recommend getting a 4x4 rental if you want to access some of the more remote shore dive spots.

Thanks for the pictures and cool video Matt.

Thanks!  Anytime

Nice fish.

I've heard that those ulua aren't good eating at bigger sizes?  High ciguaterra risk and tough/wormy meat. 

Did you eat it?  How was it?

I was told by the Hawaiians that anything under 30 is usually okay for cig but no guarantees. I was also told not to eat the belly meat, collars, or any meat in the head because that is where the cig concentrates. Since this one was in the 20-25 range, I felt somewhat comfortable eating it. It was delicious. No worms either.

Enjoyed the video, The night diving looked fun and surreal, must have felt incredible being in the water with multiple rays and having them be so comfortable with your presence. Not being a diver, it’s sort of hard to imagine. Must be an addicting sport!

Yeah the rays were unreal! It was ~45 minutes straight of swooping mantas. Even got a little boring by the end as we started to get cold. Didn't think that was possible