Attacked by a Manta Ray? My husband froze while this magnificent creature did somersaults beneath him. Ironically it was the Manta Ray that was in danger.

Josh and I were the first divers in the water. We shined our dive lights down, attracting plankton and consequently a large Manta Ray. It kept somersaulting underneath us, so close we were afraid to kick our fins. (Touching the Manta Ray can disrupt its protective covering which makes it more prone to infection.)

Once underwater the scene before us was like something out of a science fiction film. There were huge underwater spotlights set up in the middle of a circle of scuba divers. Before the dive, we were all instructed to point our dive lights up once we were seated. Nine Manta Rays made an appearance, swooping through the beams of light which pulsated with thousands of tiny plankton and small fish. It was an unforgettable, amazing experience.

I was slightly dissappointed the Fred did not show up for the occasion. Fred is a moray eel that occasionally makes a guest appearance on the Manta Ray dive. He is supposedly very friendly and known to get up close and personal with the divers, sometimes perching himself upon their shoulders. (When one of the dive masters was sharing this information, one of the women divers did not look too impressed by this possibility. Her eyes were basically popping out of their sockets.) Though they look intimidating, (maybe it is the large pointy teeth), I knew that there would be no danger as long as I didn’t stick my hand in it’s mouth.

I was surprised at the strength of the surge underneath the water. When we were warned about this, I thought they must be exagerating. I have gone diving before in “less than calm” conditions and it always seemed to be fine once I got underneath the water. This situation is unique since everyone basically sits around in a circle. It’s a lot harder to stay in one place than it is to go with the flow. My husband and I brought our own “shorties”, but they would not have been adequate for this excursion. I was very glad that we decided to go with the full suit as recommended. (Otherwise, our legs would have definitely gotten scratched up). I myself was tossed around quite a bit until the dive master placed a rock on my lap to anchor me down. Once negative buoyancy was established it was a much more relaxing experience.

Weeks after returning from Hawaii there was an article in the news about a woman in Marathon, Florida, who was killed by a stingray. Predictably, my mother brought this to my attention. She does not approve of my adventurous nature, she does not understand why I have such a passion for activities that she considers to be dangerous. Always the teacher and scientist, I tried to explain to her that Manta Rays don’t have the poisonous spine on their tails but that didn’t make a difference to her. “Why can’t you just leave them be in their own habitat”, she said to me. In the incident in the Flordia Keys, the woman was sun bathing on a boat when the Spotted Eagle Ray leaped onto the boat and struck her. So, when my mom was telling me this story and expressing her displeasure, I flippantly replied; “this woman would have been safer if she was in the water”.  :)