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On the island Pulua Weh, local advice had directed
me to a beach to see manta rays, which came into the
bay each afternoon to feed. Expectantly scanning the surface
for over an hour I saw a flash of white at the surface. Guessing
it to be the belly of a manta ray, I didn't know why it was
thrashing at the surface, about 100 yards away.
Putting on my mask and snorkel, I jumped into the water and
swam out to intercept it. The visibility was about 20 feet
then quickly receded to darkness. With some anxiety I swam
towards where I thought the manta ray to be as I'd never confronted
a large sea creature before now. Suddenly, emerging from the
dark distance a manta ray swam at me from the side in an arced
sweeping turn from below. A good-sized manta ray with a wingspan
about 8ft, its graceful, languid flapping did not betray its
speed through the water as it moved quickly out of sight.
Reeling with shock and excitement, I had actually seen a manta
ray at close quarters. The manta ray had appeared suddenly
from a distance and disappeared as quickly. Now I swam blindly
in the direction I saw it swimming. The visibility was murky,
I was in deep water and couldn't see the bottom; there were
no rocks or other fish for orientation. I swam in limbo in
a greenish grey void, anxiously anticipating another sighting.
The manta ray would more likely find me than vice versa.
Out of this watery void it returned, this time in front of
and below me, swimming directly towards me. It appeared too
suddenly for me to be shocked, but I had stopped swimming,
frozen on the spot. The manta ray's wide mouth was agape,
this large filtering machine coming to swallow me up. As the
manta arced up towards me, my vision became the growing white
of its underbelly. Within an arm's length of impact, the ray
completed its arc in a backflip. Although no physical contacted
was made, it was like being hit in the chest by a shotgun
blast. The manta ray swam three backwards loops around me.
Still frozen in my place I realised this was the technique
for capturing plankton. Detecting a patch, it looped with
mouth open wide taking in its fill, paying no attention to
me in the middle. Then the ray was off again.
One last time it came from my right side with a sweeping 90
degree back turn, straightened out and began another series
of three backward loops.
I was thrilled with my three close encounters with a manta
ray in as many minutes. Pulsing streams of adrenaline coursed
through my body, I was elated. Returning to my bamboo hut
I was floating high on a natural wonder which lasted throughout
the evening and to bed.
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Travel Writers: Close Encounters with a Manta Ray
by Dana Church
Globe
Trekker : 
