Manta Revisited

So, Manta Reef re-opened...

We got up very early to ensure we were the first boat there, the first divers to visit the reef in a month, and what can I say?? It was amazing!! Four Manta sightings, of which 3 were distinct different Mantas. The reef was teeming with life, and on the second dive we even saw a Bow-mouth Guitarfish.

Since then we've had more Manta sightings on Manta Reef and XTC, so we're pleased to say that the Manta Coast is still living up to it's name.

Water temperatures have stayed a balmy 26-27 degrees celsius, and the water has cleared up beautifully, which led us to find not one, but two whale sharks on an ocean safari on Saturday. Not to mention one of our best dolphin sightings ever! We spent around 10 minutes with a 50-strong pod, bow-surfing the boat and playing up for the cameras.

This week also saw Rufus get her 15 minutes of fame, with a quirky interview for South Africa's biggest online dive magazine - The Dive Site.

We got a very rare sighting of the usually nocturnal, spotted snake-eel, free-swimming on the house reef, which is why this week's fish of the week is...

Spotted Snake-eel (Myrinchthys Maculosus)

A nocturnal predator, the spotted snake-eel is very rarely observed during daylight hours on the reefs of the Indo-Pacific. Snake-eels usually spend their days burrowed in protective holes, which they dig with their stiff tails and then back in to, leaving only the head poking out. They can grow up to a metre in length and closely mimic venomous sea kraits (snakes), although the snake-eels themselves are harmless to humans and in no way venomous. They feed on small crustaceans and bottom-dwelling fish, and find their prey by using their acute sense of smell. Our recent sighting was of an adult species, slithering along the substrate, presumably sniffing out a tasty daytime snack!

We've been lucky enough to have some old friends return in the last 7 days. Thank you to Jesse and Sanna, old pals from Malaysia, for making their way out to Moz, and to Duncan & Jess for making their annual trip from Londolozi.

Congratulations to Megan, the latest team member to successfully go through our GoPro program and who graduated as a Divemaster on Saturday evening. She'll never look at a snorkel the same way again!

And welcome to Kajsa, our newest recruit, who has joined us for two months as an intern from sunny Stockholm.

That's it for another week, if you have any questions for the dive team, or you'd like to know more about a particular species or dive site, please let us know.

Happy Diving!

Jeff's Dive Team

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