Last week at one of our favourite dive sites, Manta Point, Maldivian Dive Master Shakeeb along with one very lucky guest encountered a true spectacle of nature! We are very lucky at Gili Lankanfushi to see Mobula Rays on a regular basis. These are close relatives of the Manta Rays, and the most common species here is the Short-fin Devil Ray (Mobula kuhlii), however what these fortunate divers witnessed was like something out of National Geographic.
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| Mobula kuhlii school captured by the Manta Trust’s Guy Stevens |
As all experienced guides can attest, we can almost feel when something special is around. Shakeeb reported that during the dive some unusual currents were present and he knew “something” was close by. He extended the dive and continued to face these peculiar currents, until “a large black cloud blocked out the sun.” This large black cloud was nothing but a school of Mobula Rays. With such vast numbers, both divers found it hard to put a number to the flight; but both agreed that there was a congregation of well over one hundred! Was it an aggregation, a migration or just chance? Little is known of these ocean wanderers, which makes encounters like these absolutely priceless!
Jon – Dive Centre Base Leader