It Was A Manta Fest

Full house on Nai’a! 

Welcome back Denise after 10 years: welcome back King Tutu (Ralph) after 5 days; and welcome on board Mr. Rob Barrel, Cat, Parri and Malia!

Family vacation, woohoo! 

Welcome as well to the Nai’a family Sozia, Yuan&Jieming, Livio, James, Gary, Melanie&Michael, Kat&CC, and Jamie&Cheryl!

You guys are all such a joy to be around and dive with! 

“Cat’s Meow has been my favorite dive yet! I can’t believe how many different fish can reside on just the top of that bommie!”- Michael 

Amazing hardcoral and anthias shot ~ Ralph

Happy birthday to Jimmy on our second day! He wanted to pass by unnoticed. Not a chance! 

Incredibly colorful shot ~ Ralph

Jamie's shot of coral and their fish

And on the same morning Sozia did her 300th dive and she made a new friend; this little remora decided to hitchhike on her for this special occasion! 

Melanie was coming out of the dives looking a bit like the Joker… she couldn't stop smiling. 

We went shopping in China Shop and got us a giant unhappy looking snapper, hiding under an even bigger coral head. We also were in the market for marble shrimps, decorator crabs, white banded shrimps, and a bunch of “hug” crabs. Unfortunately, all purchases at the shop had to be left underwater. 

Blue lined fangblenny ~ Sozia ~ and Michael proudly can tell the story about how he was attacked by one of these smiling and territorial creatures! 

Blue eyed hermit crab ~ Sozia ~ has anyone seen Game of Thrones? He is one of the Nightking's hermits

Pipefish to boot! We were trying to get the magenta dotty back in focus and got distracted by around eight pipefish all around! 

Flailing juvenile back snapper tugged at all our heart strings. 

Fiji clown blennies at almost every cranny. 

Fiji clown blenny ~ Sozia

A beauty of a juvenile Morrison’s dragonet just roaming around and displaying his little wings. (Cameras were not around!!! So frustrating.)

And for those who wanted action, here it goes: sharks, barracudas, schooling snappers and bannerfish, even a bunch of spadefish who came into everyone’s personal space. 

Grey reef shark ~ Jamie

Curious spadefish at Schoolhouse with Livio enjoying himself in the background ~ Jamie

Grand Central Station the first time around was just sharks sharks sharks hunting up and down and a crazy amount of dogtooth tuna with them and around us; absolutely fantastic bombastic! 

“There were too many sharks!” - Kat (Schoolhouse)

Denise’s faces underwater are so comical; we found such a funny red-streaked blenny bobbing his head up and down as we hung on Dori’s home for dear life. 

She almost flooded her mask laughing at the scene! 

This is the guilty creature in question! Isn't he adorable? Redspotted blenny ~ Sozia

At the Kava Party we got to celebrate Peni’s birthday (chief engineer) who really wanted no one to know! In the end he enjoyed the attention and Ralph's special wig! 

From left to right ~ Engineer Mogee, Engineer and birthday boy Peni, and King Tutu

Poke your light into holes everyone; wonders hidden in all little crevices. Sexy shrimps, mantis shrimps, all kinds of blennies with their cute faces and eyelashes. 

“I had the most amazing time just searching every single hole!” - Zosia (Kansas)

Unique perspective of singularia roots at Kansas ~ Ralph

Massive moray getting a teeth appointment with a banded coral shrimp ~ Jamie

Some divers got to enjoy orange finned anemonefish eggs in the sunlight; they are beautiful little jewels!

Mr. Rob Barrel pokes his head, still in a soaking wetsuit, just to tell me: “I saw a hammerhead and two silver tips… “

“Ti ricordi ti chiesto dai silver tips? I sono!” - Livio (Do you remember I asked you about Silver tips? They are here!) 

And at least 2 divers vouch for the sighting of a thresher shark! 

Simply stated, Namena had an amazing time!

Branch coral housing juvenile golden damselfish ~ Jamie

And at Wakaya, wishes were made, and granted!

“Every dive I do I say; that was my new favorite dive!” - Gary

Coral and fish shot by Ralph ~ all pink

Amazing composition with a double ringed flabellina as the main character ~ Sozia

Yellow coral at Mellow Yellow ~ Ralph

We had not only mantas during the three dives but also turtles, hammer head sharks, marbled stingrays, splendid garden eels, barracudas and manicure stations with the cleaner shrimps. 

Pavona ~ Jamie

“It was a manta fest!” - Michael. No better way to describe the show!

Mantanomi ~ Jamie

Dorothy ~ Rob Barrel

Torantino, Shirley, Nai’a Blue, Gaeta, and Mickey Manta were present from all the mantas that we personally know. 

Pavona, Mantanomi, Johnny, Geo, and Dorothy were all new to us in Wakaya (us the cruise directors, not Wakaya per say)!! It was very very exciting. 

10 individuals!!! 

Different shot from Pavona ~ Rob Barrel

After all that action we enjoyed such a beautiful afternoon/evening on Makogai Island; dancing and incredible sunset!

CC and Chris ~ Kat

Dancers at Makogai ~ Kat

Ending this lovely charter with sea mount E6 and two spectacular last dives at Vatu-I-Ra with fish, miniature boxfish, crinoid clingfish, and schools al around!

Crinoid clingfish ~ Sozia ~ only fish with a neck and he can turn it around!

Orangutan crab on Bubble coral ~ Melanie

Vinaka vakalevu everyone!

Hope to "sea" you again!

PS thanks to Sozia for the aggressive taco gat goat cheese pizza gorilla narwhal groundhog game!