"But something is different about the horizon this year. Something neither Jim nor I have ever seen before. And I grew up on the Gulf of Mexico. Something exciting, strange and awesome."
Part 2: As we headed out towards Coronado Island, about 20 minutes out, we would spot surface eruptions all across the horizon where water met sky. A flickering flash of light accompanied each such eruption. Still miles away from where the eruptions were starting, neither Jim nor I could make out what it was. It was way too early in the morning for sailfish to be breeching, and whales are easy to identify. So I looked back at Chencho, at the rear steering pod, and asked him in Mexi-glish (that's English with a Mexican accent so they'll understand us without translation) what the splashes were. His answer was "Ray-es". Jim and I translated that to mean "rays", but neither of us had ever seen this phenominon before. But now I remembered watching something on TV about it. These were giant Manta Rays!! As we got closer to the area where they were erupting from the surface, we were able to start discerning the size of them, which ranged from 4 feet tip to tip, to, I would guess, 10-12 feet. Most were in the 6 foot catagory, but there were so many jumping that it was impossible to spot them all, as tell-tale crashes and disturbed water were only the aftermath of a spectacular jump. Why do I say "Spectular"? Because there should be an olympic event for Manta Ray jumping! They don't just breech and slap like other jumpers. The do fantastic gainers and somersaults and cartwheels. Sometimes they re-enter the water with hardly a splash, other times a belly or back-flop would generate a resounding crash of water heard at a great distance. Some would just clear the surface and do a gainer. Others would make prodigeous 10 foot leaps, making 4 or 5 backflips or gainers before crashing down. These were the ones we were spotting from so far away. As they launched from the water, the morning sunlight flashed off of their wet 'skin', and as they did flips, that light would flash, accompanied by the light flashing off the splash of re-entry. I sat in awe at the amazing sight as we motored along towards the dorado 'grounds'. I tried to get photographs, but the jumps, numbering in the many dozens, were occurring now 360 degrees around us and it was impossible to predict where a jump would occur to be ready to capture it. So we just enjoyed and committed it to memory. But now we began seeing the mantas floating near the surface, their wing tips folded upward like carrier jets, sticking up out of the water. It looked like two shark-fins, side by side, 6 feet or so apart. Mosttimes there were only two tips, but sometimes a pod of mantas would be together, looking like a band of sharks from a distance. They were very relaxed as we approached and would only dart away as we came along side them at short distances. So we got some good looks at them on a few occasions. What a trip!!! I love seeing new stuff, and the Sea of Cortez is always ready to show something new. We got very close to sea turtles, sea lions, whales, dolphins, and the mantas. But what about Dorado fishing? Stay tuned for part 3. DonO
