• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Janice Beetle Books

Writing, editing, book development, and publishing help

  • Home
  • About
    • My Books
    • Clients’ Books
    • Privacy Policy
  • Services
    • Creative Writing Review/Coaching
    • Book Development /Writing
      • Book Development Sampler
    • Book Editing
    • Copy Editing
    • Book Design
    • Publishing Guidance
  • Blog
  • Poem Pods
  • Shop
  • Contact
  • Order My Book
You are here: Home / Adventures / Swimming with a Manta Ray

Swimming with a Manta Ray

December 30, 2016 by Janice Beetle Leave a Comment

Note: This is the fifth of fourteen parts. Click here to read from the beginning.

As they are in many places across the globe, the coral reefs are dying here in Hawaii, but there are many places to snorkel and take in incredible sights.

In our first days here, after a visit to Pu’uhonua O Honaunau—a national park that pays tribute to an ancient refuge I will write about later—we snorkeled at an area called Two Step, aptly named because you enter via two steps made of volcanic rock.

Poor Guy loaned me his wet suit so I was warm and toasty as I swam among the Tang and Angel Fish.

I find snorkeling to be the most relaxing experience. I swim hard to find creatures, and then stop and float above them, taking in the unusual world of rock ledges and caves and corals. I get as close as I can, studying live, spiny, sharp sea urchins and fish feeding on the coral.

I love the sound of the snap and pop I assume is the coral itself and also the rhythmic sound of my own breathing through the snorkel.

I inevitably must quit when I get cold, even with the wetsuit, but I leave unwillingly.

Molly has recently been certified as a scuba diver, and she has spent some time here trying to find someone to dive with, without luck. But she is satisfied to snorkel with me. She dives deep down as if she was diving and has gotten great images with her new GoPro camera.

Our best trip so far has been in a small cove near the Captain Cook monument. We hiked in there on Christmas Day and could clearly see from shore that there was great snorkeling to be had. Yellow Tang were nestled in large and feisty schools only a few feet away.

A few days later we rented a tandem kayak and paddled about a half hour or more over near the monument. The very strict rule is that you cannot pull the kayak on land. You must stay in the water. So we jumped overboard and became one with the reef, which was a work of art over there.

We snorkeled for hours, in several sessions, even swimming for about 20 minutes with a giant manta ray, who seemed to find us amusing.

We spotted it at first from the surface after seeing people point at it and then jump in with their gear on. After they re-boarded their boat, we jumped in to play.

I was nervous at first to approach the ray, but after swimming behind it for about five minutes and watching it feed on the plankton with little interest in me, I got close enough to touch it. But I didn’t.

The ray was graceful and sleek, gliding effortlessly about with two gently articulating fins. I had a side view and struggled unsuccessfully to see its face. Its gills, on its underside, were massive and pronounced, looking almost like protruding ribs.

We could have followed the ray around all day, but thought we should leave well enough alone. It must tire of humans gawking at it while it is simply trying to take in a meal.

We also saw many other interesting creatures in this bay, such as Convict Tang, Needle Fish and red and black urchins bigger than our heads.

The deep peace under the sea almost makes me long for gills.

 

Click here to read the next blog in this series. Make sure you don’t miss it; sign up to follow this blog on the Home page, in the sidebar.

← Previous Post
Next Post →

Filed Under: Adventures, All Tagged With: adventure, coral reefs, fish, Hawaii, manta ray, snorkling

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe

Please enter your email address to receive blog posts by email.

Categories

Recent Posts

  • Larceny in the Aisles is Hot Off the Press!
  • Ten Tips for the Travel Writer-Wannabe
  • Thrilled to Meet My Client From London

Archives

  • October 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • October 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • September 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • November 2012

Footer

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

© 2023 Janice Beetle Books · Privacy Policy
Content by Janice Beetle Books · Site by Turn Signal Media