As a last Fijian hurrah, I headed to the south end of the Yasawa Islands in search of one thing…vai (Fijian for manta ray)!!

Naviti Island

View from the beach!

The channel between Drawaqu Island and Naviti Island is a popular feeding ground for manta rays, who can consume as many as 15 kilos (33 lbs) of plankton per day! Snorkeling trips only go out when the Mantas have been spotted at high tide. With only one night in the Yasawas, I was taking a risk…but it paid off!!

Ready to go!

We headed into the channel, scowling at the approaching rain clouds, and then all of a sudden the boat driver said, “Go!” A bit confused, the six of us on the boat gave him a sideways look. “Go! No Fiji Time! Go!” (Side note: “Fiji time” is a country-wide phenomena involving extreme apathy towards the notion of hurrying, promptness, or productivity in general.) So, everyone just started launching themselves off the side of the boat. I gave it my best backwards SCUBA entry and thus began my new love affair with vai!

Mantas cruise up and down the channel, feeding and stopping at “cleaning stations” (symbiotic relationship with fish species that free the mantas’ skin of bacteria and debris). Within just a few minutes, there they were!

Underside of a manta ray with three remora.

They were so amazing! Just peacefully cruising along with their small remora friends. The five or six fin-wearing kicks I got right in the mask were so worth the sight below.

The yellow fin in the upper left corner became friends with my mask on a very intimate level, on many occasions.

There are actually two in this picture (upper right corner).

So huge!!

I burned through my 27-exposure disposable underwater camera in a matter of minutes. Had I known what was to come, I wouldn’t have been so trigger-happy. Words and mental-pictures will have to suffice in terms of documenting the 15 minutes of my life that followed.

About half an hour after starting, we all jumped in the boat again to motor up-current a bit and set ourselves up for easier swimming. Upon getting the “Go” word, everyone jumped in the water again…except me. I was busy fumbling with my equipment, spitting in my mask, etc. What I was really doing was stalling so I could create a safe distance from the group and take a much needed ocean-pee. When I felt the group was far enough away that they wouldn’t see what I was up to, I jumped in. The whole time I was stalling, I was also talking to the boat driver, making jokes and what not, even whilst bobbing in the water…just being my normal charming self! He suddenly yelled out, “Go” and I said to myself (because I thought he knew I was attempting to pee): Ummm…yeah…I’m trying, but the cold water and your constant chatting are giving me stage fright.

“Go!” He yelled again, and I realized I just looked like an idiot tourist floating there. “No Fiji Time swimming. To the right, to the right.” So instead of heading for the group, I made a bee-line directly out from the boat. I stopped after a few strokes and looked back. He waved me on and yelled, “Go! Swim! Swim!” I got going, concentrating hard on using the valuable assets between my elbows and shoulders to haul me against the current. I was so fixated on scanning below me for a manta that I didn’t see the massive black creature headed right for me, only a foot below the surface. Since the manta was so close to the surface, the driver could see him from the boat and sent me on a direct path of intersection.

I’m not gonna lie. I let out a huge underwater scream…as well as some of that full bladder I still had. I knew he couldn’t hurt me, but he sure scared the hell out of me. He was so close…and SO huge! Still ahead of the group, I turned and let the current carry me behind this amazingly majestic animal. He was at least 12 feet across and I was about four feet behind him. He was just cruising, so close to the surface that every time he flapped his wings, two streams of bubbles floated past me. I just coasted behind him. He was a flawless black color and really looked like a bird, just gliding through the water.  It was so amazing, I can’t even explain it. I kept saying to myself: remember this moment, remember this feeling, it’s going to end so quickly.

I’m guessing it was about 3 minutes of heaven before the rest of the snorkelers caught up. And just as quickly as it started, our special moment was over. When the crowd got too big, he dove down and swam out of sight, probably in search of some peace and quiet. Even our guide – who does this every day – said, “Wow! That was a huge one!”

I don’t even know what to say. I rode back to the beach in silence, soaking up my last few minutes of Fiji.