Pictured above: A photo I captured using my GoPro during the manta ray dive on the Big Island

I love celebrating birthdays. It’s the opportunity to celebrate a special day for those closest to me. However, I don’t always love celebrating my own birthday. I’m not someone who loves hosting parties or having all the attention on them. Turning the lights out and having the entire room sing Happy Birthday to you? Yuck.

Fortunately, my love of celebrating other people has inspired a reciprocal approach for those in my life. While Dan also dislikes his own birthday to a certain extent, I would never dream of not celebrating it. It’s a day to show someone how much you truly love and appreciate them in your life. Our birthdays are about a month apart, so for the past couple of years, we’ve each taken on planning and celebrating the other so there’s no need to feel that birthday awkwardness.

Dan’s Plans for My Birthday

Leading up to my birthday, I knew that Dan had been planning something, but I wasn’t quite sure what. I had chosen to leave him completely in the dark about his birthday plans as we were celebrating belatedly. As a result, he decided to do exactly the same to me.

My birthday, September 6, has always been around Labor Day. My due date was originally September 2, 1996, which was Labor Day that year. I was born four days later on September 6, and thus I’ve benefitted from having days off from school or work for a handful of birthdays since I was born.

On the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend, I knew something was coming. Dan had told me we had plans for both Sunday and Monday, but he hadn’t told me what they were. Because he knows I’m a planner, he decided to tell me on Saturday to give me some time to prepare (bless him).

He announced that we were heading to the Big Island the next day to snorkel with manta rays and visit the volcano winery. I was ecstatic.

I hadn’t been to the Big Island since the summer of 2018 with my family. During that time, we mostly stayed at the resort outside of a little bit of snorkeling. So, I was excited to head back to the island and see more than I had previously.

Heading to the Big Island

Heading to the Big Island on September 5

We left on a flight out of the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) around 10 AM on Sunday morning. Dan had coordinated everything perfectly. He’d booked a rental car for pick-up at the airport, which would allow us to explore the island for the next two days. He also found a 5-star bed and breakfast called HONU KAI where we’d stay that night and even got a discount because they typically only book 3-day stays.

When we arrived, the bed and breakfast wasn’t quite ready for us to check in yet; although they did say they would be ready for us early, so we just needed to kill a little bit of time. One of the owners of the bed and breakfast, Wendy, suggested that we head into town and park in the Farmer’s Market parking lot (which was free). We browsed the Farmer’s Market for a little while before going over and grabbing lunch at PAPA KONA. I was thrilled to find crab cake benedict on the menu, which is one of my favorite meals.

The view from our lunch table at Papa Kona

After lunch, our room was ready, so we went over to the bed and breakfast. Our manta ray snorkel wasn’t until that even around 5 PM, so we had a few hours to spend doing whatever we want. Hana Koa was a true bed and breakfast with only 4 rooms and a living space that was open to guests. The more I stay in local inns and bed and breakfasts, the more I think I may want to run one someday.

We spent a little while decompressing before heading back out into town. Since the tour was going to fall right around dinner time, we decided to go to Foster’s Kitchen. Everything at this restaurant was made in their scratch kitchen. Dan had some of the best ribs of his life, and I got a couple of delicious cocktails from their menu. While I didn’t initially intend to pregame the tour, that’s exactly what I ended up doing. It was my birthday, right?

The Manta Ray Tour

Around 4:30, we headed to the harbor to give us plenty of time to find the tour. Our friend, Shannon, had visited the Big Island only a few weeks prior and raved about the manta ray tour, so we had high hopes that it would be a good experience.

Although we’re both SCUBA certified, Dan had opted for the snorkel version of the tour for a variety of reasons. His thinking was that it was cheaper, and it had been some time since either of us had been diving. Thus, it was more likely to be a good and relaxing experience, especially since neither of us had ever been night diving.

We went out on a 30-minute or so boat ride to where we’d be snorkeling. Our guides said that this spot was great for manta rays because the currents brought plankton to this area. The tours attract the manta rays by putting bright lights under a flotation device. These lights attract plankton that the manta rays feed on. Around the flotation device, PVC pipes were attached to allow everyone in the group something to grip.

Our guides instructed us to float on top of the water “like superman.” They told us we could not snorkel freely because they didn’t want our snorkels or fins to damage the protective skin coating of the manta rays. We were not allowed to touch the manta rays or “stick any cameras down their throats.” I got the feeling that that specific instruction was only given because someone had done it at one point or another.

After that, we were issued wet suits to help keep us warm. Then, right as the sun was going down, we hopped in the water. Dan and I were the first from the boat into the water, and it took only 30 seconds to start seeing manta rays. I brought my GoPro along, so I’ll try to include some pictures below.

Seeing the manta rays is among my top wildlife experiences. The only experience that rivals it is swimming with dolphins in Zanzibar.

After about 45 minutes or so, the tour was coming to a close. The manta rays were particularly present with our groups for the first 20 minutes or so, and then they went to see the SCUBA divers, which is fair.

We road back to the harbor, called for takeout at a restaurant Wendy had recommended, and headed back to the bed and breakfast to eat. We ate downstairs in the main area and took advantage of the hot tub that was available there. It was a great end to an ideal day.

More Adventures on the Big Island

The next day, we woke up early to enjoy the most delicious breakfast that I’ve had from a bed and breakfast. Everything was homemade and came out in courses. We enjoyed pastries, quiche, French toast, fresh fruit, and more. The only drawback was that there was only one big table for all guests, which meant that breakfast had to be social. As someone who likes to have at least an hour to wake up before she talks to anyone, I’m not a particularly social person at breakfast.

After breakfast, we packed our things (we only brought backpacks) and checked out. The rest of our day would be spent out on the island before heading back to the airport in the evening. Our first stop was the volcano winery, and then we planned to head to the Black Sand Beach. After that, we had a reservation back in town for dinner. If there was time, we were planning to hit the Kona Brewery, but we weren’t sure where that would fit in.

Despite the size of the island, driving all the way across it only took about 1-1.5 hours. This was surprising to us because, despite how much larger it is than Oahu, the length of time to get across the island was about the same.

We had a nice tasting at the winery; although, I don’t think either of us thought it compared to our experience at Maui Winery. It was much more informal, and a lot of it took place inside, even though there was seating available outside. I think a large part of this had to do with restrictions on their liquor license. All that said, I think the winery has potential, but it needs some tweaks. I enjoyed being able to go and see this area, however, as we weren’t planning to go up the volcano or do anything in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

We took a different route back to the Kailua-Kona area so that we could go by the Black Sand Beach. It was clearly one of the most popular beaches in the area, and there were signs that specifically stated not to bottle any sand from the area. I imagine that must be a popular souvenir for tourists but wreak havoc on the ecosystem overall.

A picture of the Big Island’s Black Sand Beach

We didn’t stay long with all the people, but we took a leisurely stroll along the beach, snapped a few pictures, and went on our way. Dan said we had one stop to make before heading back into town. And that’s where the cake came from.

Sitting at the coffee shop with my birthday cake

I’m a big proponent of the fact that you simply cannot have a birthday without cake, so I was hoping he’d remember, which he did. We ended carrying the cake right onto the plane later that night as a carry-on (half-eaten).

Wrapping Up Our Big Island Stay

We had a little bit of time to kill before dinner, and we were hopeful that we would be able to go right to the Kona Brewery. However, we quickly discovered that it was closed. We couldn’t figure out if it was due to the holiday weekend or renovations, but either way, it was shuttered. As an alternative, we found a cute little coffee shop with live music down the street, and we treated ourselves to some iced mochas and cake. It was the perfect afternoon treat.

An hour or so later, we went to dinner at Wendy’s top recommendation on the island and then followed it up with some house cocktails at Foster’s Kitchen to say farewell to the Big Island. We arrived home late and tired, but I felt loved and celebrated. Thank you, Dan!