Day 10: Manta Rays

Today we started our day diving in search of manta rays. We got on our dive boat with John from Yap Divers and headed for Valley of the Rays with the plan that we would sit in the sand below one or two of the cleaning stations at this site in hopes one of the rays would come for a visit.


On our way to the site we were pleasantly surprised by a good-sized pod of dolphins who played at the bow of our boat while we all clicked away with our cameras, enjoying the moment. Then Mike Musto shared with us some of the history of the Yapese stone money. Apparently, back in time, the Yapese would take their outrigger canoes and travel over to Palau, which is a good distance away. There they would cut rock from the land and make it into large discs, the diameter of some as large as the height of a man. When they returned to Yap the value given to this money was based on the dangers they faced and conquered during their task. The money increased in value if a Yapese life was lost. Although the U.S. dollar is the currency used today, the stone money is still used for dowries, purchasing land, or even bailing someone out of jail for such things as poaching fish. Speaking of fish, let’s move on to diving.

On our first dive we were not successful in spotting any rays. We waited and waited, but when I got bored I spent most of my time on the reef across from the feeding stations shooting test shots, trying to figure out why my left strobe did not want to fire. Rod and I did find a couple long, thin nudis that we took a lot of pictures of while I played with lighting. That killed some time. Plus I had fun chasing a trumpet fish and puffers (my favorite). After nearly 70 minutes, we gave up and surfaced.

After being on the surface 40 minutes, we were getting ready to move the boat when John spotted a manta just below us. We all decided to give this site another shot and quickly donned our gear to get back in the water. It did not take long this time after reaching the cleaning station before a manta ray decided to pay us a visit. It kindly blessed us with 3 passes and then was gone. Fortunately I took some still photos on the first pass and captured it on video on another pass. Most of the rays here are known by the locals by the markings on their bellies and the names given to them are posted on a wall near the pool at Manta Ray Bay Hotel. I will have to compare my shots when I get a chance to figure out which one we saw, but no matter, it was still pretty awesome to watch. I was amazed at how slow they actually move past you.

That dive over, we headed back to the hotel. I enjoyed the view of the palm strewn coast dotted with the occasional beach, and every now and then a traditional bai (meeting house). We had an hour to clean up and then it was class time to go over some marketing tips Mike wanted us to learn. With some free time after class, Rod and I updated our blogs until it was time for dinner. Once again we ate on the Mnuw and enjoyed the company of our new friends. Now dinner is over, I am ready to just kick it in the room and review my class notes. HAVE A GOOD NIGHT!