Picture and text:  Rudolf Svensen

There is something strange moving in the water! I am watching it as I stand in the bow of one of the local diving boats from Sharm El Sheik to the nearby diving sites “The Temple”.

“Manta!” Our captain is shouting it out and only a few seconds later one off the two diving guides are diving into the blue with only his swimsuit and diving mask on.
BUT, I would also like to swim with this friendly creature. I ask the other diving guide, but she is not so keen on letting me into the water. Her is a bit of our conversation:

Diving guide: “You probably get better pictures of the Manta from the boat.”
Me: “No I would not! My camera is in the under water housing.”
Diving guide: “You will never catch up with the manta. It will swim away from you.”
Me: “I do don’t think so. I am a very good swimmer.”
Diving guide: “You don’t have a chance.”
Me: “Yes I have. Please let me try.”
Diving guide: “OK then……….”

Ten seconds later Leif is handing me the camera from the boat. The Manta swims away from the diving guide in the water, but luckily I have my fins on. A minute of hard swimming and I can see a large shadow in the blue i front of me. The ray turns around and swims directly towards me! What a thrill! I start shooting with my camera while the large fish glides around me. I dive down and swim under it to get some images of its white belly against the surface. Three remoras are hanging under it.

When I return to the surface to catch my breath, the manta dives. I am afraid to loose it and follow after it. I have to equalize to or three times. It’s getting deep and I am afraid that I am loosing it when it suddenly loops and glides under me, only centimetres away. It shows me its belly and I can swear that it smiles to me. Maybe it wants to play?

The next minutes are a fantastic experience. Both the manta and I return to the surface. While I mostly stay still in the water trying to capture some images with my camera, the manta dances around me.