The Spotted Eagle Ray

So I took my boat to Mandahl Pond as a safety precaution for Hurricane Earl. It is a wonderfully protected area that prevents the buildup of large waves, and is almost entirely surrounded by hills. You couldn't design a better, safer hurricane hole.

As there are no real storm threats out there right now, I decided it was time to move it back to Red Hook. So I headed down the hill from my house and out into the pond early Saturday morning. I began snorkeling the pond and enjoying the scenery as I picked up my anchors and prepared to move my boat back to its usual location.

I was pleasantly startled as I came face to face with an Eagle Ray. These are one of my favorite things in the world to see. They are incredibly graceful as they glide through the water, and their beauty is unmatched by other ray species. There was something different about this Eagle Ray, though: It was a baby. Now, I have been snorkeling in the Virgin Islands for twenty years- very frequently during that entire time- and this was the first time I had seen a baby. It was really neat, and it is not often I see a "first" while snorkeling or diving these days.

The reason I was blessed to see such a sight is that the pond serves as a nursery for young species of many varieties. It gives them a chance to grow in a safe environment where they won't be eaten by larger predators. The mangrove tree roots give them safe places to hide. Ample food sources grow in these waters for them. Just as I already stated, it is a nursery, and I was lucky enough to see one of the prize species of such a place.

I did try getting into my boat and getting a photo via my cell phone, but was unable to find it by the time I got back into my boat and dried myself enough to take a photo. But the attached photo will show you what they look like once they are grown.

SAVE MANDAHL BAY !!!!