Right place, right time, chance to help a manta.

[NWDiver 42]

On a recent trip to Raja Ampat we happened to be at the right place at the right time, or so we like to think. Recording it was inconsequential.

 

Edited August 23, 2013 by NWDiver

[EricS 11]

It appears that the manta stopped on purpose to allow you to free her. Is that actually what you think, or does it just appear that way. Great work !!!!!

[NWDiver 42]

So hard to judge an animals actions. She did not bolt the second we came in contact. She did go deeper after the first cut of the rope, maybe to 40ft. Pulling the rope from around her lobe was very tough as it was cutting into her several inches. Not clear in the video is one part of the rope was cutting back into her eye. I was trying to make sure to remove the rope from the "front" in hopes of doing no more damage to it.

 

Was she staying in place to be helped or due to being in shock from pain of removing the rope? We don't know. We did watch her after all the rope was gone and she swam with good motion. Regardless, it was one of those moments you were so involved in that you forget to raise the camera.

Edited August 23, 2013 by NWDiver

[ehanauer 41]

Good work. I hope the good karma comes back to you.

[NWDiver 42]

Thanks Eric, how to say this...over all the years we have had great experiences with mantas this was our good karma; our chance to do some small thing for one of them.

Edited August 24, 2013 by NWDiver

[MikeVeitch 0]

Good job! Sad to see it in that way but glad you were able to help

[DiverPam 13]

Thanks for sharing this encounter. Right place...right time. I agree with you..you paid back the karma of 30 years of diving.

 

DiverPam

[peterbkk 110]

Well done.

 

Last year, near Layang Layang, another group on our dive boat, the MV White Manta, had a very similar experience. They were on scuba. The manta came up and stopped moving while the divemaster, Mike Thomas, cut loose the entangling rope. Then swam around them before disappearing. Almost as if it knew they could help it. Unfortunately I was not there to capture the moment on video.

[expatdiver 0]

Good work and thanks for sharing.

[NWDiver 42]

Thanks all, again we are so happy we could do this small act. From the start the goal was to keep her in sight. We had to get the panga to come over, get a knife, dump my camera...The whole time Julie keeping her in sight. I am no free diver so on the second round she went to depth I was not sure I could even reach. Julie was so concerned she forgot to film the dive down, realizing as I started up, lol. She is a great dive buddy and really credit to her for catching what she did. Not bad for a girl who was not sure she wanted to ever dive and at first fought packing a camera. 1000 dives later I can't peel it out of her hands.

[asmigel 0]

Thank you so much for sharing!

[NWDiver 42]

Appreciate the comments. Just booked a return trip on the Damai,