Thursday 14 July Swimming with Mantas

Tailless manta

Same manta, different angle

To get out of the SW swell and to be away from dangerous coral outcrops we'd moved to an anchorage east of Manta pass and a clear view of the action at the pass. This morning a 250' private cruiser joined us in the bay. Using the binoculars we had much fun watching the 22 crew attend to every whim and conceived whim of their charter guests; 3 large people carrier dinghies were launched, 7 jet skies hung off the stern, crew were dispatched to look for mantas, another detail dispatched to set up deck chairs, umbrellas and a volley ball net on the beach in anticipation of a picnic lunch.

Meanwhile Amy, Andrew, David and I chatted with Frank from Tahina who'd come over enjoying a relaxing morning. Before lunch I went off to snorkel the nearby reef – not much to see on it, nice to be in the water swimming.

Late afternoon, coinciding with today's high tide – the best time for the mantas – Frank and Karen popped over to wait with us for any action. Just as we were about to give up I spotted a local boat with the guides pointing into the water and then a big splash which could mean one thing. Mantas! We piled into Frank's dinghy so fast it was a record. Screaming over to the site we slipped on fins and prepared mask and snorkel. Andrew was first in then David and I close behind hoping to get a glimpse before the inevitable swarm of tourist boats arrived.

The first manta swept into view, a black and grey one without a tail, and the second, an all black, possibly juvenile, one. We stayed with them for an hour as they swept in on the current scooping up the plankton. We found the best place to wait was with the large schools of sergeant majors and what I think were long jawed mackerel lying with mouths open into the current. We've seen mantas before but they are such graceful and regal creatures one never tires of them.