A couple of days ago, my wife and I arrived at our usual snorkeling spot and, when we got out of the car, she spotted fins in the water. Fins generally belong to dolphins, sharks or rays. Each has a different look and these had the look of manta ray wingtips. We could see that there were at least two mantas in the bay. Sometimes, especially with dolphins, the fins will be on the move as the bearers move along the coast. These mantas did not seem in a hurry to go anywhere, but were just puttering around the bay. We hustled down to the water and swam off in the general direction of where we’d seen activity.

We were swimming along when I saw the first manta heading towards me. I stopped and started taking photos. It came fairly close before veering away and heading back the way it came. Then it turned, came back past us and continued on its way.

When it became clear it wasn’t coming back we continued on our way. A little farther along we saw the second manta. It was doing barrel rolls and then came our way. Again, we stopped and watched. This one was more curious, passing by quite close and then looping around several times. Sometimes it went a fair distance away and we’d pop up and follow its progress when it was close to the surface.

Eventually, it seemed to head off in the general direction of the other manta. We lost track of it and popped up in the water to decide what to do next. When I ducked under the water again and turned around I saw the manta again. It made a couple more passes before heading out towards deeper water.

Yesterday, my wife and I hadn’t been in the water long when we saw large shapes ahead. There were two manta rays in fairly shallow water that was a bit churned up and cloudy. I took photos, but wasn’t optimistic they’d turn out in the conditions. The mantas swam away and we followed at a distance. There’s no point chasing mantas. Like most things in the water, they can put on a burst of speed that would leave us far behind.

The mantas didn’t go far before they curled around and came back towards us. The water was clearer in this area and sunlight illuminated them as they headed our way. The lead manta was quite a bit bigger than the other one, probably around a 14-foot wingspan. They passed close beneath us, then turned again, looped around and headed back. They did this back and forth three times before finally moving on.

Later, when I was coming back, I saw the big manta again. It was in deeper water that was more cloudy so I didn’t get photos, but I watched as it did a couple of loop de loops and some sharp banking and turning. It just seemed to be having a fun day in the ocean and in doing so, made it a fun day for us, too.

It’s been quite a while since I last saw a Manta Ray while snorkeling, so I was thrilled a few days ago when I saw a familiar shape heading towards me. It was low down in the water and when it saw me it veered away a bit, carrying on at a good clip despite swimming into the current running that day.

The manta was big, with a 10 to 12 foot wingspan, and a lot of pale markings on top. It seemed in good shape though its left wingtip appeared to be permanently curled up. I hoped it might slow down or turn, but that was not to be and it soon disappeared to the south.

My most recent manta ray encounter happened a few days ago. I was swimming along and saw a familiar shape in front of me. It was a manta ray heading in the same direction. I tracked it for a while, hoping to catch up, but knowing that doing so was entirely up to the manta. Eventually I did draw level for a short while. Then the manta pulled away again.

As it disappeared, I thought at first I was seeing some kind of weird reflection in the water. Then I realized it was a second manta swimming toward me. As it approached the first manta turned and followed behind. Both were pretty large and up near the water’s surface, creating reflections.

They passed by, and receded in the direction I’d come from. I hung around for a while hoping they’d reverse course again and, sure enough, a few moments later the two of them came back toward me. On this pass, I could see that one had a badly damaged cephalic flap. It looked like an old wound and didn’t seem to trouble the manta much, but I don’t know how it would affect it when it came to feeding since they use the flaps to funnel plankton into their mouths.

Eventually, the mantas headed away and out into deeper water. I stayed out for a while on the off chance that they’d return, but wasn’t surprised when they didn’t. Still, it had been another wonderful encounter and I headed back toward shore in a very good mood.