Winged Goliaths of Raja Ampat

Mantas are often at the top of peoples list when we ask what animals they hope to see, and fortunately Raja Ampat is a great place to witness these majestic beings. We often get to see them at cleaning stations or passing by in the blue while diving in Raja. It always adds to an already great trip when we are graced with their presence. However, sometimes our encounters are more than we could have ever imagined, and this trip was by far one of these experiences.

Hooked in we embraced the current, letting ourselves float like a kite suspended above a reef we know Mantas frequent. We wait, looking into the distance eagerly, hoping to see one of these winged goliaths. Then out of nowhere, two large Mantas swooped over us, gliding into frame. Frolicking in the current, they sawed above us mere inches from our heads. Before we knew it, the time had come to surface and say farewell to our new friends.

As if this encounter hadn’t been enough, a few days later, we were spoiled once again. Not one, not two, but five individual Manta Rays graced us with their presence as we dived at the amazing Yilliet Kecil. Putting on a display of agility and grace, they pirouetted and barrel-rolled around one another as though dancing in the water. They congregated at a cleaning station and would take turns soaring over to hover above it before swooping upwards and rolling away to allow the next to glide on in. We were most certainly spoiled for choice when
it came to Manta encounters on this trip.

Aaron Sanders

MV Mermaid II Sorong-Raja Ampat-Sorong
December 13-22, 2023