A squadron of Stingrays

After the day’s drive up into the mountains we were ready for lunch. Juli and Steve jumped into the water for a quick cool down and Jean and I started making the meal. While the kids were snorkeling around the boat we ate and talked about our afternoon plans. All of a sudden Juli was screaming “Manta Rays" “Rays, Hundreds of Rays". We all scrambled into our bathing suits, grabbed our fins and masks and jumped in. To my amazement beneath us a mere 10 feet was a school of stingray nearly 100 strong.

Rays in the Galapagos

All sizes and colors swimming in a tight formation around the stern of the Omarsea. Never have I seen so many rays at once. We swam with them watching carefully from above as they swept across the mooring field. For nearly 30 minutes we kept pace with them. If the kids dove down the rays scattered like leaves in the wind. Once we surfaced they re-collected into a tight school again. The older rays drove the smaller rays like cowboys herding cattle. Wheeling them left and then right. They even dropped back to pick up stragglers. The school stayed close to the bottom most of the time. Once and a while a young ray would be forced too close to the sand and would shoot straight upward through the rest of the animals. One ray did this and nearly hit Jean. They moved with grace and ease. A flick of their fins was all they needed.  Gently gliding over the rock strewn bottom. After a time they grew wary of our attention and outpaced us into some murky waters. We were left to swim happily back to the boat. This is one of the moments we look forward to on this cruise. Something that we may never see again but also an event we will not ever forget.

 

Fair Winds