Mantaray Island Fiji 3rd Immersion

The next video from our Mantaray Island, Fiji series. This one has some great Titan Triggerfish moments, and ends with a very cool shot of a slingjaw wrasse demonstrating why he was named slingjaw. I still can't believe a fish could do that!
Video: Fran and Gary Nesmith
Music: Samudra Visions

[@mariashaffer-gordon3561]

In addition to the amazing footage of the slingjaw wrasse, I was also impressed by the titan triggerfish tearing up part of the reef. It did a significant amount of damage in a very short amount of time. Hell hath no fury like a hungry titan triggerfish!

[@nezmoproductions]

I'm very proud of that slingjaw wrasse shot. I heard about them and wondered why it was called a slingjaw, then I saw that and thought, never mind! They change their colors in a flash from their brilliantly colored pattern to this blackish gray color you see in that shot. I shot that the first day, then spent the next 2 weeks trying to catch one with that feeding tube-like extension out while in the gorgeous colors phase. I got close a couple of times, but they withdrew before I could frame it properly. Maybe you can nail that perfect shot with you camera. The Titans were another fascinating fish. The part of the reef closest to the shore is out of the water at low tide for a few hours every cycle. There are no soft corals in this zone since they couldn't survive. When the tide comes back in, the titans move in and start ripping out that hard coral and moving it around to find something tasty. I don't think they actually destroy the coral as much as re-arrange it, it's mostly rock-like to survive out of the water. This is a very interesting zone right after you enter the water, and has it's own group of species that hang out there. Those long ropy sea cucumbers were right these also.

[@bohamadbohamad]

Nice place for dive and photo

[@nezmoproductions]

This was our favorite resort for video and snorkeling. Everything we wanted was there.

[@mariashaffer-gordon3561]

Another breathtaking video! Having watched the first 2 immersion videos, I couldn't believe that there could be more amazing fish on that reef that you hadn't already shown us, but you found them! Here's a list of the fish I saw in more or less order of appearance: parrotfish or wrasse & sailfin tang Moorish idol & yellowbar parrotfish barred rabbitfish sailfin tang speckled butterflyfish Fiji fangblenny? saddled butterflyfish green snout parrotfish? soldierfish & orange-lined triggerfish squirrelfish - epaulette? bigscale? & a spotfin? a beautiful mostly green wrasse with distinctive facial markings -- what is this fish? pennant & humphead bannerfish black-backed butterflyfish Moorsih idol & staghorn damsel squaretail coral grouper rockmover wrasse & lagoon triggerfish porcupinefish titan triggerfish & threespot wrasses? Bleeker's parrotfish & speckled butterflyfish titan triggerfish Bleeker's parrotfish & butterflyfish titan triggerfish & threespot wrasse masked banditfish humbug dascyllus Bleeker's parrotfish longnose filefish Bleeker's parrotfish jewel damsel? blue-spot butterflyfish blackeye thicklip & that beautiful mostly green wrasse with distinctive facial markings black-banded snapper staghorn damsel & blackeye thicklips oriental sweetlips Pacific double-saddle butterflyfish sixbar wrasse Pacific double-saddle butterflyfish a beautiful boxfish -- what is this fish? teardrop & redfin butterflyfish bird wrasse gold saddle goatfish & Bleeker's parrotfish Bleeker's parrotfish & yellowbar parrotfish? teardrop butterflyfish spotfin squirrelfish? blackspotted puffer yellowfin soldierfish? & other soldierfish & squirrelfish yellowmargin triggerfish? humphead bannerfish & soldierfish & tangs longspot or blackspot snapper slingjaw wrasse (absolutely jaw-dropping, or rather jaw-extending footage!) fivestripe wrasse chevroned butterflyfish

[@mariashaffer-gordon3561]

I looked at that boxfish again. I don't see horns in front or in the middle of the back, but the color pattern matches that of the roundbelly cowfish better than any of the other boxfish.

[@nezmoproductions]

I believe that wrasse you asked about is a Richmond's wrasse. It is a small wrasse, the one in this video was only about 3-4 inches and very slender. I've only seen them in Fiji, and they were rather rare on the reef. We shot over 100 hours between the 2 of us, there is much more to show if I get the time. This place was very special to us, and I call it Nirvana for snorkelers. It's interesting in the Yasawas. There are over 30 resorts on these islands and there is a ferry that goes to all of them in a day. Many people stay at several for only a day or two, then jump on the ferry to go to another, hitting several resorts over the entire vacation. Some are more primitive, and some are very luxurious, like Turtle Island, or the famous Blue Lagoon where they shot the movie. I researched all this thoroughly, and decided we would go directly to Mantaray, and stay there for the entire trip. Over the 2 weeks, people came and went everyday, we were the only long-haul fanatics that stayed at one resort. It was the right decision. This was exactly what we dreamed about as a perfect snorkeling destination. I spoke to people that visited other resorts before coming to us, and they all said the same thing. There is the same beautiful coral in many of these resorts, but no fish. Everyone marveled at the density and variety of fish at Mantaray. Their house reef has been a protected sanctuary for over 30 years. No one is allowed to fish here, so it's as nature intended!

[@mariashaffer-gordon3561]

I like your decision to stay in one place. You really got to explore and know the reef, and probably saw more marine creatures than people who island hopped. Thank you for having done your research. I was originally thinking about going to Taveuni or Ono (the latter is close to Kadavu), but I think that Mantaray is really what we're looking for and appears to be easier to get to as well. I was also impressed by Mantaray's ecologically sensitive practices, especially regarding the use of gray water.

[@mariashaffer-gordon3561]

Now that I look at the field markings, I believe you're right about that wrasse being a Richmond's wrasse. the yellow base of the pectoral fin and the markings on the tail match those on my fish ID book. The variability in color among different individuals in a species means that sometimes what you see isn't exactly the same as the one picture in an ID book even though it's the same species. With wrasses, the differences between juveniles, initial phase, and terminal phase complicates the matter even further (which is one of the reasons why your transformations videos are so great).

[@mariashaffer-gordon3561]

I saw some other person's video of a guided snorkel at Mantaray, and this person went so quickly and rarely stopped to get a better look at anything. My husband and I would never snorkel like that as we think one misses too much by doing that.