About 20 metres under the Red Sea a few miles off the coast of Egypt I finally saw one – a manta ray.
Having completed my beginner’s scuba diving qualification in the warm waters of Koh Tao in Thailand, before adding the advanced certification on the tropical island of Utila in Honduras, I had been desperate to lock eyes with some big sea life.
I learned to dive surrounded by barracuda, moon wrasse and batfish in the Gulf of Thailand and was lucky enough to encounter a lengthy remora fish sleeping upside down on a night dive to a wreck in the Caribbean – not to mention that dancing blue reef octopus.
But after getting comfortable sinking 30m below land I felt the urge to see the truly giant kings and queens of the sea just going about their daily life.
Sure, you may have seen a shark in an aquarium but have you shared the same water as one?
Maybe that is exaggerating my confidence just a bit, but when I set off on the five-hour 30-minute direct flight from London to Hurghada it was with the aim of getting close to a shark in mind.
It was less than five days later that I ended up chasing a giant manta ray – my largest underwater sighting to date – for what felt like a whole morning.
Manta birostris is the scientific name for the giant oceanic manta ray my dive buddy Stuart and I tried to keep up with alongside our stunned divemaster.
Perhaps he was living up to the ‘Funny Divers’ name of his scuba school when he told us only once before in these waters during 17 years had he seen such a beast.
But honestly it couldn’t possibly matter, as I’d seen a species of manta ray that can reach up to seven metres (23 feet) in width.
I’d be lying if I told you it was that long, how could I know for sure? The best way I can describe it is that it looked like the same size as a car bonnet.
And as you can see from the photograph below, I did get fairly close to it…
With someone else’s footage of the manta secured I enjoyed the rest of my week in Hurghada, which included some nice downtime on shore with Stuart and a few lagers in the sunshine.
I won’t be forgetting my brush with this ‘devilfish’ – known as such for their horn-shaped cephalic fins which some think give them an evil appearance.
On another dive we came across a bluespotted ribbontail ray, a much smaller fish better referred to as a stingray.
Lying peacefully on the floor of the Red Sea, this chaps venomous tail spine could have done us some damage but the truth is they are shy guys who prefer to flee if threatened.
Our annoying tourist behaviour didn’t seem to be particularly upsetting and we soon moved on out of its way.
A shallower dive saw us get really close and personal with a few green sea turtles.
Whilst a fellow diver struggled to stay afloat I tried to befriend the turtle, who was either squeaking back at us in fury or friendship.
Their huge shell provides such security they needn’t worry about us humans, and the turtle glided off happy to let us follow in pursuit.
Initially found chilling beside some coral, these guys are such a great sight that despite lacking the rarity of a manta ray they still provided great company.
After every morning day we sat back and enjoyed a hearty lunch on the sundeck of the boat, as I pondered how my return to London life would go once the week was over.
Just before the coronavirus pandemic hit, myself nor my comrades on board had any idea what was in store for us – but at least the majestic creatures underwater were given a break from all the touristy intruders over the following few years.
