Blue XT Sea

[Christi]

Guess what?

I was just talking to Christi on the phone. She said a school of 42 eagle rays swam right past her this morning while she was taking pictures of a big sponge. One of the rays was 7 feet long!
I told her to make sure she feeds them so that they stay around so my wife and I can see them when we go in April! That's doable, right?

Haha! It's like a cartoon! Our backs are turned to the most amazing vision and we're focused on a barrell sponge and anemone...haha! April is a little late for these guys to still be hanging around...you never know though!

 

[CALI68]

Guess what?

I was just talking to Christi on the phone. She said a school of 42 eagle rays swam right past her this morning while she was taking pictures of a big sponge. One of the rays was 7 feet long!

That was actually painful to read. I can't wait!! Darn! 4 months away!

 

[Photocoz]

Guess what?

I was just talking to Christi on the phone. She said a school of 42 eagle rays swam right past her this morning while she was taking pictures of a big sponge. One of the rays was 7 feet long!
I told her to make sure she feeds them so that they stay around so my wife and I can see them when we go in April! That's doable, right?

Since Christie is not chiming in here - you have to know the WHOLE story - it was just like a cartoon !!!!
I was with Christie & the group, we were down about 20 - 22 minutes and not a single eagle ray.We had the feeling they might be a no show, so being kind of bored, and Christie wanting me to help her with her photography, we found a beautiful huge barrel sponge with an anemone and decided to work on some skills. We finished shooting the sponge, continued heading north, and then there he was - a huge 7 foot wing span eagle ray - I went for him & shot like crazy, somewhere along the way it dawned on me - this is only the scout!!!!!! As I turned to look at Christie (who had decided not worth the burn up of air to go get this guy out over the wall) she is frantically pointing to the north and then back to her camera!! As I look north here is a squadron of 17 coming right at me - how great!! I rushed over to make sure Christie was well set for shooting - she takes off & starts shooting I shoot them -it was awesome - life was great!!!! Christie & I were so excited!!!! We were doing the happy dance u/w, and squealing when we surfaced! It was not until we got back on the boat we find out that while we were shooting our all important sponge - is when the first pack passed right behind us!!! The rest of the group saw them, and shot them (Mike from Oregon got an AMAZING shot!!!!) all while Christie & I were looking the other way! Because tank bangers and shakers scare them off- they couldn't signal us. I really wish someone would have been able to get a shot of us shooting the sponge with 14 eagle rays right behind us - that would have been a classic! So THE GROUP saw 42, while Christie & I "only" saw 17!!!
Christie DID end up with (she doesn't even know this yet!!) with one really super nice shot of the rays, and you will all be glad to know her spnge and anemone are just wonderful too!!!!
On a side note I just have to say - although Christie & I have been friends and refer clients to each other, I had never been out on her boat "Shamu" before - what a simply delightful experience!!! Pedro(DM) & Mago (the captain) were fantastic, thorough, informative, professional & fun! But one of my favorite things (and I did not know this) Christie gets up every morning and bakes fresh muffins for everyone to have on the surface interval! That is truly going the extra mile! What I also enjoyed was talking to everyone on the boat and hearing nothing but praise for Christie & her operation - of which I read on this board and hear all the time anyway, but actually experiencing it I can now definitely see why!!!!

 

[Rick Inman]

Since Christie is not chiming in here - you have to know the WHOLE story - it was just like a cartoon !!!!
I was with Christie & the group, we were down about 20 - 22 minutes ...

Wow! After all that, you'd better not deny us a look at the pictures!

 

[Christi]

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[Christi]

 

[Christi]

 

[Christi]

 

[Christi]

So he took a couple of minutes of my attention. This is the first decent shot I have EVER gotten of something light against the sand...I can't reveal the tip though...that's privileged instructor/student information

 

[pilot fish]

I think I want to shoot myself. I saw 1 lone eagle ray at the Palancar Horshoe and it might have been the scout for a squadron of eagle rays that would follow, like 42 of them?????????? Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo :11: