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
 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.
   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.
    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.
 Not to get totally fed up, we took a
detour to see if the coral had anything different to
our lagoon.
   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.
 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.
      ALL IN ALL NICE TO
DO
SHAME ABOUT THE
HUMANS |