Giant manta ray congratulates newlyweds after cancelling honeymoon trip abroad

Giant manta ray congratulates newlyweds after cancelling honeymoon trip abroad

A giant manta ray enjoying a swim around Hanari Island, located off Aharen Beach, Tokashiki Village, on December 27, 2020 (photographed by Yuriko Nishiura).


January 7, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Hideaki Yoneda

At around 2 p.m. on December 27, Yuriko Nishiura, manager of the dive shop Shima Ashibi in Tokashiki Village, successfully photographed a giant manta ray swimming at a depth of about four meters around Hanari Island, an uninhabited island located about one kilometer from Aharen Beach in Tokashiki.
　
Nishiura was guiding a couple on a diving tour at Hanari Island; the couple visited Tokashiki Village after having to cancel their overseas honeymoon trip due to the novel coronavirus. The group encountered a manta ray that was about five meters long and enjoyed its elegance as the sea creature swam leisurely alongside the boat for the entire tour duration.

Nishiura, who has been diving in Tokashiki for 23 years, said, “We rarely see giant manta rays while diving around Tokashiki Island, but this is my first time seeing one around Hanari Island. It was as if it was congratulating the newlyweds. I hope to see more manta rays near Hanari Island.”

(English translation by T&CT and Monica Shingaki)

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