I am ashamed to admit that it took me nearly 7 years from when I first touched down in Indonesia, to visit the Gilis - the three pint sized islands located just off the coast of Lombok. I promised myself that I would not complete this year’s trip to Indonesia without taking a few days off to see the islands and going on diving adventures with turtles. I stayed true to my intentions. It was a four day experience I will never forget!

The sight of these magnificent ‘underwater spaceships’ with a wingspan of up to 29 ft. (8.8 meters) just left me completely in awe .. and even a bit teary eyed. They are playful, curious and gentle giants. Unlike much of the other marine life, mantas are interested in you and will once in a while swim up and engage in an underwater dance of sorts, hovering above you and ever so gently, voluntarily brushing up against your body.