Manta Swim

Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Sat 5 Sep 2015 22:57
Swimming with Manta Rays – a Human Zoo
 
 
 
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Nanuya Lady came by ‘island time’ to pick us up from Beez this morning. We had seen at advertisement for ‘swim with mantas’ last night at the meke. We thought this would be a good idea and one less rolly anchorage on our way south. The season is coming to an end and by the time we get to manta pass as it is known locally, we may be too late and the gentle giants would be way out to sea.
 
 
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Our driver took us over to the resort to pick up two couples and we were soon doing nearly thirty miles an hour using the twin 250hp engines. We settled, still maintaining our self-imposed isolation at the back of the boat. The scenery shot by and we smiled and had frequent salt water face washes from the constant spray. Note to selves, no hat, wind and sun will produce the Rudolph look.
 
 
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An hour after we set off we arrived in the pass to see several other tour operators with their ‘loads’ being directed as to where to follow the mantas. We were dropped some hundred feet from the crowd and the vicious current had us in the centre of the human melee within seconds. Deep below us was a lady in gentle flight. All around us were fifty or so keen tourists with a need to be above her at all cost. Bear was manhandled, I covered my arm across the glass of my mask and battled on. A female was intent on doing me damage so I pushed with all my might, not the gentle snorkel we had in the Galapagos.
 
 
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Not to get totally fed up, we took a detour to see if the coral had anything different to our lagoon.
 
 
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Some interesting bits and bobs but by now we had drifted a long way from the ‘madding crowd’. Nanuya Lady came to pick us up to repeat the earlier dropping us up current. Did we want to have another go??? Well, why not.
 
 
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Once more we joined the crowd. This time we had a clown with no camera deciding a closer look was in order. Trouble is when said person came up the jostling took on a whole new turn, so more did it. Time to regroup and return once more to our boat only to try again. The pictures are not up to much and we got home to Bear glowing like the entire Oxford Street Christmas lights, sore scalp and a nose that indeed bested Rudolph. After a light lunch we fell into bed for a couple of hours serious shut eye.
 
 
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ALL IN ALL NICE TO DO
                     SHAME ABOUT THE HUMANS