The day we swam with manta rays in Nusa Penida

Before leaving Nusa Penida for Gili Trawangan, one of the most special experiences of the whole trip was still ahead of us — and we didn't even know it until it actually happened.

We left our luggage at the accommodation's reception (most offer storage for guests) and headed out early to several snorkel spots along the coast depending on that day's sea conditions. The star moment came at Manta Point: suddenly, beneath us, a shadow appeared and started growing and growing.

We realized it was a manta ray several meters wide passing calmly underwater, and for a few seconds we even forgot how to breathe through the snorkel.

You don't need to know how to dive — snorkeling is enough, always following the guide's instructions and keeping a respectful distance at all times. Nobody guaranteed us a sighting before we set out, since these are wild animals that come and go as they please, but Nusa Penida has a reputation as one of the most reliable spots in Bali to try, and that morning the reputation held up more than well.

We checked in advance that the excursion's schedule fit with our fast boat to Gili, leaving a good margin between the two — with good reason, because boat schedules in Bali are rarely exact.

We got on the boat to Gili Trawangan still talking about what we'd just seen underwater, unable to think about anything else.