In what seemed like no time at all I was almost back at the southern tip where I had begun my circumnavigation. There was a group of about 6 paddlers just ahead of me, and I could see they were all taking turns Eskimo rolling their kayaks. I assumed they were cooling off.
As I got closer, I could also see they were surrounded by moving sections of turbulent, splashing water. One of the paddlers began to cruise over to me. “I saw your ski, had to see who you were,” she said. I asked her what the splashing was; she said it was 100’s of feeding mobula rays, and that they are totally friendly. After introducing ourselves… Ginni Callahan is a sea kayak guide and instructor on the Sea of Cortes by winter and the Oregon coast by summer… I paddled into the middle of one of the feeding frenzies. I was too afraid to take my feet out of my ski, so with my paddle in one hand and camera in the other, I tried to take pictures as the mantas flew under my boat, some bumping right into it at mach speed. The pictures didn’t come out, but it sure was fun!
As I sat mesmerized, another paddler from the group came over: Norm Nielson – a paddler we know from W.A.K.E (Whatcom Association of Kayak Enthusiasts) in Bellingham!
By the time I made it back to the beach I was bursting with tales from my paddle. And Brandon was right, I ended up taking the full three hours.

Heather returning from Isla Danzante

Brandon repeated the trip the next day and returned with stories of a school of flying fish being chased by a hungry, leaping barracuda!

Brandon heading out on a paddle