Oh! Wow! It is a manta ray! Just amazing! It was taken this morning, during our Zodiac ride along Punta Vicente Roca. Our driver, Sebastian, spotted the creature from quite a distance. Our drivers, or "pangueros" as we call them on the Polaris, have all eagle eyes. The guests in my Zodiac got very excited and urged us to reach the ray as fast as possible. Binoculars and cameras were all pointed at the manta that, without any hurry or fear, continued gently swimming.
We called Lynn Fowler, our Expedition leader, and Kelvin Hughes, Lindblad's video expert. They immediately joined us and jumped into the water with their snorkel equipment on. In my Zodiac we were watching the ray from above, while Lynn and Kevin watched it from below. And here you can see the results of their efforts! Kelvin obtained wonderful underwater footage and this evening he shared it with every one on board.
A majestic creature of the sea, a cartilaginous fish of at least 12 feet across, was dancing in the deep blue ocean for all of us. The water was a bit murky, but still, the size of this splendid monster overcame the poor visibility. We could see the manta's large mouth from the Zodiac. The mouth is found on the leading edge of the head and has conspicuous, movable, scoop-like fins on either side. We spent several minutes with Manta hamiltoni swimming around the panga. It was an encounter none of us will ever forget.
