Hunt for Giant Manta Rays in the Maldives

Maldives

Manta Ray Passing.

When we decided to try swimming with Manta Rays, we didn’t really know what to expect. At this point we had tried to find the whale sharks twice with no luck and figured Manta Rays would at least give us a chance to see something. By the time we went on our manta ray excursion we had successfully found the whale shark but that’s another story.

In the Indian Ocean.

We booked the Manta Ray excursion through the resort which meant we went on the house boat and not the speed boat used by water sports. The house boat is nice because it has plenty of inside covered seating as well as a nice roof top balcony to get some sun. The also provide towels, cold water, clean your mask with the defogger and give you fresh juice after you finish snorkeling.

Wanta Manta!

House Boat.

Our guides Sappe and Aank were the best! They sang and danced the “Wanta Manta” song to send out the good energy for our search. Sappe did an informative presentation about Manta Rays as we headed out to find them so we all would know what to expect. Very important not to touch Manta Rays even though they get very close at times. In the middle of the presentation Aank started spotting Mantas and it was a mad dash down the ladder to grab fins and snorkels to jump in the ocean.

Jess and Sappe!

Gliding Through the Water.

Adrenaline is for sure pumping during the time between spotting the Mantas and getting in the water. It’s like a fire drill, people jumping off the sides of the boat everywhere. We all jumped in the water quite quickly but the Manta Rays were swimming much faster than us. We all loaded back onto the boat and headed out a little closer. It was then time to Jump in the water again. This time was perfect after a short amount a swimming a huge Manta Ray was headed straight towards us.

Headed Straight Towards Us.

We Saw Manta Rays From Every Angle.

Top View, Swimming Deeper!

It’s a bit intimidating when they swim towards you because they are HUGE but they turn and dance in the water and switch their direction often. They truly are amazing creatures.

Jess Loved the Manta Rays!

Elise Loved Them Too!

We were fortunate enough to spend some time along with the Manta Ray before other boats started appearing and dropping their people in the water around us. We were also the group that stayed in the water the longest so we got lots of one on one time. The Manta Rays swim in long back and forth patterns which makes it easier to stay in one place and see them a couple times.

Here He Comes!

Gorgeous Animal.

So Close But Don’t Touch!

The Maldives in 24 Frames! You can see all about that here.

Not a Bad Place to Relax!

We got so excited by the Manta Rays that it took us a little bit of time before we realized we were in open ocean. The bottom was nowhere in site. It was nice to be here and not be scared at all.

Open Water.

Swimming Over Deep Water.

Swimming Over a Reef.

By the time it was time to get back in the boat we hadn’t even noticed we had been in the water for almost an hour! We were having so much fun and were just shocked with how close we were able to the Manta Rays and how fearless they are.