By This visit to Reethi Beach Resort redefined the Maldivian resort experience in more ways than one. What had started out as an adrenaline-filled adventure became one of the most revelatory and humbling experiences of a lifetime.
On the very first day itself, we had decidedly marched ourselves past the lush outdoor pool and gone a little ways beyond the stunning “floating” Moodhu Bar to reach the Ocean Fanatics base. We were greeted by busy but friendly staff just coming out of an Open Water Dive and were told that Manta snorkeling was taking place daily and that the exact time will be revealed once the team locates the schools.
The very next day, right as we were about to head on to an early lunch, the Watsapp group from a number given the previous day binged with the beckoning call of a Manta sighting and we were asked to report to the OF base. Excitement swelled as everyone gathered and got to know each other. Most of the snorkelers appeared as if they had known the island and its staff their whole lives – a specialty of Reethi Beach Resort.
“We learned the strict rules of conduct for snorkeling and learned that the Mantas were well-protected inside the legendary Hanifaru Bay where about 30 Mantas had already begun their dance”
While some of the more seasoned aficionados gathered their gear and dry bags, the OF team quickly built up the confidence of any novices in the group with their easygoing humor and instructions which felt more like tips from a close friend. We were informed of the strict rules of conduct for snorkeling and learned that these creatures were well-protected inside the legendary Hanifaru Bay where about 30 Mantas had already begun their dance for the day.
We hadn’t even been aboard our small speedboat for 20 minutes when it slowed and came to an abrupt halt atop an azure lagoon. There were maybe two other small vessels in the area with some of them already surrounded by the telltale splash of snorkelers.
One-by-one, the more seasoned divers slid off the vessel and into the fold while we were once again offered assistance and floating devices personally by the OF staff. With the excitement of precipice building up, we made our way into the water: only to be greeted by a stunning display of beauty. To be in the water alongside the mantas is the only way to truly understand why they are called “Gentle Giants”.
“To be in the water alongside the mantas is the only way to truly understand why they are called “Gentle Giants””
Though each manta was the size of a fully grown man, there was barely a ripple or movement under the water as they gracefully turned and twirled around without a care for the snorkelers that just joined their lunch. Sunlight danced and twinkled teasingly through little particles in the water before they were scooped up by these majestic creatures. They glide in an array of dizzying patterns and cyclonic paths during a feeding frenzy of tiny planktonicorganisms by “swallowing” and filtering out large amounts of ocean water.
“To be in the center of mantas as they form a spiral around you with their dance, you feel a sense of connection, protectiveness and respect for them with each breath”
What humbles most during this experience is the ferocity of nature and how these creatures carry on with their feeding with visitors alongside them. They are there one second, flipping their fins and doing enormous somersaults right in front of you and the next, they have suddenly moved on to another spot to dance another dance. To be in the center of these gentle giants as they form a spiral around you is to feel a sense of connection, protectiveness and respect for them with each breath.