Search for the Rays: Part III

Right when I say them, my brain snapped into action. I furiously looked around for this ray, I knew it was a Manta. Even though it would have been there prematurely (they were supposed to come during the night for easy plankton feeding), I knew it was.
I looked all around, throwing my head side to side, free-diving to 20 plus feet, even taking off my mask to get a better view above the water because they could see it pretty obviously from the boat. I didn't see anything.
I was about to give up my search but I decided to take one last look before going into the boat. I glimpse to my left, nothing, I glimpse to my right, nothi -- thrashing. Thrashing around on the top of the water, must at least be something interesting.
My dad and I venture out, intrepid explorers on a mission. We find exactly what we were looking for. A baby Manta playing on the top of the water. We cautiously go over and he senses us (he can't see too well but knows we are there) and starts moving towards us.
When an animal that weighs about a ton makes a bee-line for you, you move out of the way.
I make a short free dive and even in the midst of all this excitement, remember to blow out during my ascent, careful not to pop a lung.
After that, the Manta swam away. My heart was pounding at three thousand beats a second, I couldn't even comprehend what had just happened to me. I had just seen a Manta ray less than three feet away from me, if only I knew that this little encounter was really only foreplay to the events that would happen that night.