Technicolour Dreams

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

Maldives | Thursday, August 25, 2011 | 5 photos

I held my breath as a large manta ray glided through the water. Strange and alien-like, its mouth was open wide as it headed straight towards me. In one smooth movement, it executed two perfect somersaults underwater, before moving to join the rest of the group. I adjusted my mask and took a deep breath through my regulator as I surveyed the scene around me. Dozens of manta rays were feeding on plankton, and performing some kind of an underwater ballet in the sea. Dark grey on the top and white below, they looked like fighter jets, flying in formation with their long fins resembling wings.

Out of the blue, a large dark shape floated towards me. A whale shark! It was also feeding, its wide, flat mouth open wide as it slowly swam towards the centre of the action. I stared at in disbelief, as I realized it was bigger than the boat we had arrived in! Other divers converged towards it, clicking photos with their underwater cameras, and trying unsuccessfully to capture its entire body in the frame.

So where is this place, where you can experience this storm in a fishbowl?

This is Hanifaru Bay. Every year between May and October, this amazing feeding frenzy takes place in the Maldives, in the middle of the Indian ocean. This small, shallow atoll turns into a giant aquarium, where you can swim with manta rays and whale sharks. Because of these encounters, it has turned into one of the most popular dive spots in the world.

I hung weightless in the vast blue waters as the mantas swooped and twirled around me, performing their graceful dance. Watching these mystical, giant creatures in this ethereal aquatic setting filled me with a sense of calm. For a while, it was like visiting another world, or someone else’s dream.

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