The Manta-ray who wanted to swim with us; dogs and all!

What a wonderful gift from mother nature!

Puppy followed the friendly Manta-Ray for over half an hour!

What started as a walk (with fishing rods of course), to wear off our big lunch, turned into one of those most amazing days.  You know the one's, that you will remember for the rest of your life, when nature touches your soul and slightly changes you.

Our first thoughts when we saw the huge Manta-Ray swimming close to shore; cast lure's at it, see if there are any other big fish swimming with it.  For our non-fishing friends, we would never try to hook it, that would just be a waste of tackle, no harm done to the powerful creature, just a loss of all our line.  Usually, sometimes, big Trevalley swim with the Manta-Rays.  A few cast later, we couldn't see any fish around it, and it swam out deep, so we continued to work the small schools of bait fish that had turned up.

Not long after, I noticed the Manta-Ray closer to shore further down the beach.  About the same time Puppy did.  Notice the picture above, the Manta-Ray is the large black shadow, Pup run up and down the beach for some time barking at it.  When I noticed the Manta-Ray coming even closer to shore, I had to run and try to get some photos.  We never go to the beach without our GoPro's on our heads, and thankfully this afternoon I also had the G1X in the back pack.  I unloaded everything above the high tide line, including fishing rod, and run with Pup along the shore to see how close the beauty would come in.

I've never been so close, and as big as I'd imagined them to be, nothing prepared me for the size of this slow moving mass coming towards me.  I was sure there must be two, then I thought perhaps a dolphin was swimming with it.  I recognised the lifting of it's wings, like normal sting-rays do.  But this creature was rolling, diving, like a dolphin.  They even have a little fin type thing on their backs.  It was only because the huge dark back was followed by a long skinny 'ray' tail, that I knew I was still looking at the same creature, not two swimming together.

Puppy had to get closer.

It was all too much for Puppy, he couldn't hold back, and ended up swimming out to the Manta-Ray.  I was at first scared for Puppy, due to the size of the ray, but then worried that Pup would scare it off, and I wasn't ready for it to leave us.  Once I realised that this peaceful animal was, one, not going to hurt Pup, or Pup hurt it, and two, wasn't going anywhere, not scared off at all by Pup swimming up to it.  I then couldn't hold back either!  Into the water I went.  As it swam past me, I tried to record underwater footage of it, and take photos above water at the same time.  Neither worked out very well, but the memory of this huge Manta-Ray swimming up to Puppy and I, will be with me for ever!  No video needed for that to stay fresh in my mind and heart.

Finally Johnno realised what was happening and run down to join us.  Straight away the Manta-Ray swum up to him, and under him.  We didn't have any goggles or snorkel gear with us, we were just going for a walk/fish along the beach remember.  So we couldn't see under water as it swum up to us, but Johnno did manage to get some very quick, but very cool footage on his GoPro.

I've made a short YouTube clip, to try and share the moment with you all, and I'm sure I will love looking back on this clip for years to come:  Manta-Ray at Willie Creek

Puppy standing in the water, walking on his back legs,
 trying to get a better look, while also getting closer.

Mantra-Ray swimming past Johnno and the dogs, not scared at all.

Manta-Ray swimming up close to me and the dogs.

Two very tired dogs now!