Page 15 - Fiji Traveller Issue 4
P. 15

Reef  vs Oceanic Mantas




                   The mantas that roam Fiji’s oceans are of two types. Reef mantas, the smaller of the two cousins, usually
                 grow up to four metres between wingtips, and inhabit shallower waters fringing coastal areas. Oceanic
                 mantas, on the other hand, can acquire a wingspan of up to seven metres, and are more pelagic in nature.
                 They mostly navigate open waters, but occasionally also venture closer to shore in search of food and visits
                 to cleaning stations, where resident parasitic species pick away all the filth and grime the animals gather
                 during their time out at sea.
                   Apart from their size, the two types of manta rays can be told apart by the markings they carry on their
                 dark dorsal (top) sides. Reef mantas have two light grey strokes dominating the area on top of its head,
                 forming a ‘Y’ shape between them. In oceanic mantas, the strokes are brighter and more contrasted to their
                 skin colour, and the shape formed between them is more of a ‘T’.
                   Interestingly, the ventral (bottom) side of manta rays have spotted markings that are unique to each
                 creature, much like fingerprints. If you happen to snap a picture of a manta clearly showing its belly,
                 you might want to forward it to the folks at Manta Trust, who could then use your image to identify and
                 monitor the movement of manta rays in Fijian waters. The best part: if you manage to click a previously
                 undocumented animal, you even get to name it!












       the world). All in all, it’s a regular day in the water at best, not   the sun from above me. With my camera rolling away, I follow the
       unenjoyable, but nowhere close to what I really came here for.  creature for some time, mesmerised by its elegance and poise
         The scheduled 25 minutes are soon over. Our air supplies are   as it effortlessly glides through the water.
       still looking good, so we ponder over whether or not to rise to   Then, having obliged me with my long-awaited sighting, the
       12 metres and advance for another 10 minutes, just in case we   creature  suddenly  picks  up  speed  and  disappears  into  the
       luck out. In my mind, however, the reality of not having seen a   darkness once again. The entire episode feels like a lifetime, but
       manta ray on yet another dive has already begun to settle in.   my watch tells me it was no longer than two minutes.
       I agree, almost half-heartedly, to the extended push, not really   We  promptly  turn  the  dive  around,  and  head  back  towards
       caring about the end result.                         the boat after completing a safety stop en route. I pop my head
         And then it happens.                               out  of  the  water,  still  reeling  from  all  the  adrenaline  rushing
         A dark silhouette, almost of alien proportions, slowly rises from   through my veins, a beatific smile pasted semi-permanently on
       the chasm below us, its kite-shaped profile becoming clearer as   my face. "Congratulations," the boatman yells at me from the
       it gracefully approaches us from the distance. We divert from   deck, needing no more evidence to guess I had finally broken
       our own course and inch closer to its glide path, all the while   my manta jinx. "Thanks," I yell back mechanically, lost for any
       respecting the distance that must be kept between humans and   more words amidst all the excitement.
       wildlife. Some 10 metres away, the manta ray comes into our   Deeper in my mind, the experience leaves me with the indelible
       clear  view  for  the  first  time.  It’s  huge,  about  3.5  metres  from   impression  of  one  of  the  ocean’s  most  sublime  encounters.
       one wingtip to the other, its feeding lobes coiled like a funnel in   Powerful and poignant, its vision still pleasantly haunts me in my
       front, its tail stretched behind like the dazzling trail of a prophetic   sleep, and has me in its irresistible grasp even to this day. I have
       comet blazing through the night sky.                 seen many manta rays in Fijian waters since, but nothing beats
         I quickly fire up my camera and turn on my dive lights to add   the sheer thrill of the very first time.
       some illumination for the purpose of filming a quick video. Like   For those of you who are yet to come under the witching spell
       a sentient creature reacting to an unfamiliar stimulus, I notice   of this beautiful animal, I highly recommend you try it, whether on
       the manta ray veer from its own path and come towards me, as   a dive or a snorkel safari. After all, there’s no place in the world
       if to take a closer look. As it slowly glides past, less than three   better than Fijian waters to do so. And who knows, your story
       metres overhead, its giant wings sweep out to briefly block out   might just be more amazing than mine.







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