Page 13 - Fiji Traveller Issue 4

two kinds of divers on earth," a veteran scuba professional once
told me while sipping tea in between dives. "Those that have
met a manta, and those that will die searching for one." So with
all of my guide’s optimism stacked on the one hand, and the
stoic acceptance of a likely fruitless dive balanced on the other,
we run through our buddy check and leap off the stern of the
boat, before quickly descending along the reef walls in search of
what may well be the most elusive creature roaming the planet’s
oceans.
The reefs of Fiji are home to some of the most compelling
underwater sceneries ever known to humans. An oft-recurring
element is the ‘bottomless wall’; shoulders of steep undersea
mountains that fringe the coast and form extensive barrier reef
systems around the islands. Carpeted with exuberant coral
colonies, interspersed with hillocks that carve shallow habitats
into the precipices, and nourished by strong ocean currents
promising rich plankton supplies, the reefs boast thriving
ecosystems that are visited by pelagic animals in search of food,
shelter and a spot of salon time in cleaning stations.
This has unsurprisingly resulted in a few hotspots across
the islands that promise awesome encounters with oceanic
creatures — including the manta ray. Over the years, Drawaqa
island in the Yasawas has become legendary among travellers
for the matchless thrill of being able to snorkel with manta rays.
Buliya island, in the far east of the Kadavu group, has also gained
reputation as a manta sanctuary, while mangrove-lined Laucala
Bay — hemming the southeastern coast of Viti Levu island —
has recently been identified as a haven for giant oceanic manta
rays, with sightings often reported by kayakers on day outings.
But Manta Point is a slightly different ball game. The terrain
Maybe it’s your lucky day after all, eh?’" he chuckles. here is savage, moody, unpredictable. Nothing is guaranteed,
I certainly hope so, I tell myself quietly, as I assemble my dive nothing goes to script, nothing is cast in stone. So dropping
kit and go through my pre-dive checklist. I have waited a very gradually down to about 18 metres, we slowly push our way into
long time for this encounter. Through my years of roaming the a moderately strong current, with no firm thoughts in mind other
oceans, I have encountered numerous fantastic beasts at close than our basic dive plan of venturing along the reef wall for 25
range — sharks, seals, dolphins, turtles, even the odd humpback minutes, before turning around and heading back to the boat.
whale. But never a manta ray. In my search for the winged dweller To our right, as we fin our way forward, the reef wall sparkles
of the deep, all I have come across so far are other people’s with vibrant heaps of hard coral, with playful reef sharks darting
accounts of crossing paths with the creature; engrossing tales through staghorn-draped bommies and giant crayfish nesting in
told with rapturous gusto that have only ratcheted my desire to rock crevices. To our left, and below us, the eerie void of the
meet a manta ray in its wild habitat. ocean descends into a sunless abyss. The water is mucky with
But even on a favourable day like today, I know that the actual plankton, but visibility is surprisingly over 15 metres (mediocre
odds of me sighting a manta remains ever so slight. "There are by Fijian standards but exceptional in many other oceans of

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