Overdue - Manta video from Maldives

[TwilightZone]

Thanks to KTHAN for giving ideas where I can upload videos (I suah ku loh...)

These are 2 videos I took last February when I was in Maldives. It was one of the best moment I have experienced. 1 full hour doing nothing but watching probably 40 of these beautiful creatures cruising by.


http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ent=bomber.flv
In this one, the mantas came in a bomber formation.

http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ent=circle.flv
Close encounter with the curious one.

Hope you folks will enjoy it!

[ice_princess]

That was close! U must be so shocked to have it so near you

[kthan]

Originally Posted by TwilightZone These are 2 videos I took last February when I was in Maldives. It was one of the best moment I have experienced. 1 full hour doing nothing but watching probably 40 of these beautiful creatures cruising by.

Hey, 8 same mantas cruising past 5 times does not equate to 40 mantas!!!!




ok i admit i am jealous. guess some people have all the luck. I saw 8 and i thought i was in heaven. Lucky you!

[TwilightZone]

Originally Posted by ice_princess That was close! U must be so shocked to have it so near you

More like thrilled actually. It is the first time I saw mantas and it came so close and personal.


I wonder what that manta was thinking about when it kept circling around me and came so close...

[TwilightZone]

Originally Posted by kthan Hey, 8 same mantas cruising past 5 times does not equate to 40 mantas!!!! ok i admit i am jealous. guess some people have all the luck. I saw 8 and i thought i was in heaven. Lucky you!

The dive started grim because of very poor visibility and no sight of mantas for the first 10 mins. Then we hit the cleaning station and all hell broke loose. I checked the time stamp on the first and last manta shot and they were 1 hour apart. Needless to say, we overstayed during this dive.

ok lah, maybe some mantas came back more than once so perhaps it was lesser than 40. feeling better?

On the same day, we saw another group of smaller mantas (after sighting 2 whalesharks... )



It is no wonder I vow to go back Maldives again after that day

[1Ds]

Originally Posted by TwilightZone The dive started grim because of very poor visibility and no sight of mantas for the first 10 mins. Then we hit the cleaning station and all hell broke loose. I checked the time stamp on the first and last manta shot and they were 1 hour apart. Needless to say, we overstayed during this dive. ok lah, maybe some mantas came back more than once so perhaps it was lesser than 40. feeling better? On the same day, we saw another group of smaller mantas (after sighting 2 whalesharks... ) It is no wonder I vow to go back Maldives again after that day

Very interesting

[kthan]

ok, which dive site, which boat and on which day....

i wanna go

[TwilightZone]

Originally Posted by kthan ok, which dive site, which boat and on which day.... i wanna go

You serious bo?...

Anyway, the sighting was at Rangali Kandu-Madiravu at South Ari Atoll in Feb-05 (2 months after the Tsunami). We were on a very new boat call Handhu Falhi (means half moon) by Radiant Heat Travels. Website is : http://www.radheattravel.com/safari_main.html

I have heard of other boat operators whom guarantee Whaleshark and Manta sightings! You like?

[Photosmart]

Time to get a proper video cam and housing.

[David]

Thanks twilightzone for sharing! Cool, I never knew diving is so fun!

Are the mantras dangerous in anyway? think the one circling you likes u!

[TwilightZone]

Photosmart: "Time to get a proper video cam and housing."

Then I need to invent an underwater trolley to put dowm the camera and video cam rigs arh!

I still like to take stills.


David: " Thanks twilightzone for sharing! Cool, I never knew diving is so fun!

Are the mantras dangerous in anyway? think the one circling you likes u!"

Diving is a lot of fun and I am sure everyone here can swear by it. You enter into a different habitat and try to be part of it while observing all these beautiful creatures.

Mantas are one of the most gentle and graceful creature you can see underwater.

Maybe I look like a manta without the wings arh (imagine... dark wetsuit, dark mask. both hands sticking out like their flaps....)

[kthan]

Originally Posted by TwilightZone You serious bo?... Anyway, the sighting was at Rangali Kandu-Madiravu at South Ari Atoll in Feb-05 (2 months after the Tsunami). We were on a very new boat call Handhu Falhi (means half moon) by Radiant Heat Travels. Website is : http://www.radheattravel.com/safari_main.html I have heard of other boat operators whom guarantee Whaleshark and Manta sightings! You like?

was on the same boat but we didn't go to south Ari Atoll. Actually had a 1-1 voucher from them....

[TwilightZone]

Originally Posted by kthan was on the same boat but we didn't go to south Ari Atoll. Actually had a 1-1 voucher from them....

How to get 1-1 voucher huh? I also want..

I guess we were really lucky because our dive guide, Chakku also said that there were more Mantas in that dive that he would usually see.

When did you make your trip? Between May-Oct?

[kthan]

went in Nov last year. Got the 1-1 voucher becos the boat didn't travel anywhere further than 3 hrs from the airport, north or south. So just in the Male atolls.......they couldn't fill up the boat so we keep having to go airport to pick up divers. Terrible if u ask me...

was there in Nov.

[TwilightZone]

Originally Posted by kthan went in Nov last year. Got the 1-1 voucher becos the boat didn't travel anywhere further than 3 hrs from the airport, north or south. So just in the Male atolls.......they couldn't fill up the boat so we keep having to go airport to pick up divers. Terrible if u ask me... was there in Nov.

My oh my.... sorry to hear about the bad experience.

I guess I should consider myself really lucky because they travelled with 6 of us on boat. The crew actually outnumbered the guests... After the Tsunami, they had to sail-off to at least cover some of the fixed costs...

The boat was good because it is new compared to some of the other boats and with a max of 12 guests, it is never too crowded on boat or underwater.

It will be a great boat to charter if we can find 12 divers...