Birthday weekend trip over to the Big Island to celebrate with a night snorkel with the manta rays…and it was even better than it sounds.

But first, a day at Volcanos National Park

…where there were steam vents, craters and lava fields.

Manta Rays, manta rays, and more manta rays

We met a tour guide at the marina after dark, put on our shorty wetsuits and off to the boat we went. It took us a quick 30 minute boat ride to get to an area where 2 other boats had bright lights in the water attracting the plankton, the manta’s favorite food. It’s almost impossible to put into words the feeling of a massive, graceful manta ray gliding just inches below you, barrel-rolling through the light. It’s a serene, breathtaking memory that will stick with us forever.