[MantaReport] Monday March 19, 2018, Thirty Mantas at Garden Eel Cove.

[Keller Laros]

Monday March 19, 2018, Thirty Mantas at Garden Eel Cove. 
I only saw one manta on the afternoon dive. 
On the dive I saw Bertha. Shirley. Renata. Mango. Who Ray. Koie. Melaineh. Gaby. Winona. Peg. Linda. Vicky. Vallaray. Emma. Kailey. Conae. Regan. FinsUp. Orion. Sugar. KaiZed. Jordan. Mike. Nick. Tanquaray. Eli. Leon. Vinny. Scar and Timbuktu. There were probably more. 

Though we removed lots of fishing line from Kailey on Sunday night she still has a hook and bait snagged on her head.  She was too freaked out for me to approach her.  Hopefully was can get this off her soon.  

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There were lots of boats including JDL x 2. BID x 3. KDC HO AK and Iruku. 

There?s been an increasing practice of boats motoring and idling around the dive site while towing lit surfboards.  It almost goes without saying that this is an extremely bad idea. The lit boards are intended to attract manta rays.  The spinning propellers can injure or kill a manta ray.  A state study identified a propeller strike as being the most dangerous thing that could happen at this dive site. Please encourage captains to not make way with lit boards.  
I called and spoke to one of the operators that was doing this last night.  I?m not sure if they understood me. He said he?d talk to his captain about it.  
Hopefully we can work together to make the Manta Ray snorkel and dive safe and sustainable attraction. 




Sincerely,
Keller Laros