Video Contest – April 2022

Description: It's scary to see something completely black when you're alone in the sea... This something was moving towards me at an incredibly high speed and there was only a blue sea around, and only my camera was in my hands. Of course, running is not an option, and I began to shoot. What was my surprise when I realized that it was a manta ray. Very young and just like me - shy, but very curious. We found each other and watched each other with curiosity and apprehension. But curiosity was stronger and my first sea devil turned out to be amazingly friendly. The manta danced underwater for me, showing its unique pattern on its belly, it is unique and is a kind of fingerprint. According to the photo of the drawing on the belly of the manta, each individual is recorded and tracked. Circle manta is RS0270B and the 268th manta in the database MantaTrust. This is a new sighting in the database and is a juvenile female. This is indeed a rare sighting - only about 2-2.5% of the Red Sea manta population are estimated to be black melanistic morphs. Based on the sightings reports I get, juvenile manta rays start showing up around Ras Umm Sid/Tower in mid-April each year. We swim together from the Temple dive site to Ras Um Sid, Sharm el sheik, Egypt. My first sea devil will forever remain in my memory and I hope to meet again.