在科纳岛，与吴秀波一起遇见蝠鲼

在科纳岛，与吴秀波一起遇见蝠鲼

In November, we came to Kona Island, Hawaii with our WildAid Ambassador Wu Xiubo (Famous Artist in China).Not for the famous sunshine, beaches and palm trees in Hawaii, and not for the hot Hawaii girls wearing hula skirts and garlands, but for an extremely lively treasure this time— the manta ray.

11月，我们和担任WildAid公益大使的吴秀波一起来到夏威夷科纳岛。

不是为了夏威夷最出名的阳光、沙滩、棕榈树,也不是为了身穿草裙、头戴花环、热情洋溢的夏威夷女郎，我们的到来，是为了一件富有生命力的珍宝——蝠鲼。

Kona is an rich area with ocean resources; it's one of the most important conservation areas for Manta Ray around the world.科纳岛海洋资源丰富，是世界上重要的蝠鲼保护区之一。

Diving around Kona

It took just less than 40 minutes by Boeing jumbo from Honolulu to Kona.

This small volcanic island was not so crowded.Wu said, he fell in love with it from the fi rst time, for it was so tranquil and peaceful.There were nearly no foreign tourists, but every year, hundreds and thousands of scuba divers come here, just for the manta ray.

In diving circles, manta rays are a popular underwater creature.They are very smart and also quite friendly to humans.When they see divers, they often come close out of curiosity, waving their huge wings, just like giving you a stroke, or dancing around you.It's said that when manta rays get accidentally hooked by fi shing gear under the sea, they know how to seek help from humans.When they get free, they usually hover around their saviours, or even swim with the saviours together to the shore.

To visit manta ray, license for Open Water Diving and ability of night diving are must-haves.It was a totally strange fi eld for Wu Xiubo.For the fi rst time, he had been diving with a heavy oxygen cylinder.He tried to remember each rule of using the apparatus, learnt to control buoyancy and the oxygen mask and tried to adapt to a new way of moving and breathing.After 100 hours of exercise, the coach said, this diligent Chinese student was ready for the manta rays.

Later, I came to know that Wu was afraid of con fi ned spaces.If it were not for the shooting of a project intended to protect manta ray, he would not have taken the challenge to try this.

visit Manta Ray at night

7 P.M.to 9 P.M is just right time to visit manta ray.Many diving ships will stop near the shore and start night visits.

Manta ray, a kind of cartilaginous fish.Their pectoral fins can span 7 metres when stretched out.They can weigh up to 1.3 Tonnes.蝠鲼，软骨鱼，身体呈菱形，胸鳍像翅膀一样，展开有7米长，体重可以达到1.3吨。

The ocean is dark and has a sense of unknown mystery.When you are stirred into this deep blackness, every cell in your body is challenged.The beams from torches attracted a group of plankton, and without waiting too long, a tiny group of hungry manta rays showed up as well.They fl ew over the head of Wu, like huge birds.Gradually they got closer, dancing around him.Wu said, it seemed that his face was touched by their wings tenderly, and that was fascinating.Growing up in a city, he had never seen wild animals before, so when he dived deep into the ocean, he felt a real link with nature.For a long time, he just lay down at the bottom of the sea, watching the rays swimming by.He was excited, but then felt guilty.“Right as we speak, these amazing creatures are disappearing in another corner of the world, and this is all due to us humans.”

Kona Island is one of mere manta ray conservation districts.However, most manta rays all over the world are threatened by hunting.People rumour that using manta rays' gills to make soup has a healthy function for the body, so there are about 100 thousand manta rays dying for this every year.Some countries have forbidden manta ray hunting or banned the trade of manta ray, though the great need for them still makes people hunt illegally.Only without human consumption can manta ray be safe from hunting, and then they may have the possibility to survive.

After seeing the wonderful underwater world of the manta ray, Wu believed humans should do everything possible to protect these animals and their environment.Because, if one day this beauty and diversity do not exist any more, human beings would be so pathetic.

Manta Ray brings 4 million dollars every year to people in Kona as income through tourism, which is more profitable than selling gill, meat and leather.Developing ecotourism is a very important part of protecting Manta Rays.蝠鲼为科纳岛的居民带去每年400万美元的旅游收入，比捕杀贩卖蝠鲼高很多。每年有十万条左右的蝠鲼因捕杀贩卖消失，发展生态旅游是保护蝠鲼非常重要的一环。

潜水科纳岛

从火奴鲁鲁乘坐波音小型客机，不到40分钟，就降落到科纳岛。

这座火山喷发物沉积而成的小岛，人不多。吴秀波说，他一下飞机就爱上了这里，特别安逸、宁静。小岛上基本没有什么外来游客，但每年都有数以万计的潜水发烧友，为了蝠鲼而来。

在潜水圈，蝠鲼是特别受欢迎的海洋生物。它们特别聪明，也特别喜欢人。每当看见潜水者，它们就会好奇地凑上前，挥动着巨大的翅膀，好像在抚摸你，又像在围着你跳舞。据说，有时蝠鲼会被海里的鱼线或刺钩困住，它们懂得主动向人类求救。被解救之后，它们通常会徘徊在“恩人”身边，甚至还会陪着“恩人”游到岸边。

要约会蝠鲼，必须拥有公开水域潜水执照，以及能够夜潜，对吴秀波来说，这是完全陌生的领域。生平第一次背着重重的气瓶下到水里，他努力地记住各个潜水设备的使用规则，学习控制浮力和氧气面罩，适应用全新的方式来移动和呼吸。100个小时的练习后，教练说，这个认真的中国学生，可以去见蝠鲼了。

后来，我才知道，吴秀波不喜欢密闭空间，如果不是为了进行保护蝠鲼的拍摄，他不会选择在现在的年纪做这样的尝试和挑战。

The abundant volcanic ash in Kona provides sufficient nutrients for ocean creatures.科纳岛肥沃火山灰，为海洋生物提供了充足的养分。

夜访蝠鲼

晚上7点到9点，是探访蝠鲼的好时间。很多潜水船停在离岸不远的地方，开始夜潜。

夜幕下的大海充满了未知的神秘，一头扎进这样的墨黑里，对身体里的每一个细胞都是一种挑战。手电筒的光柱吸引了许多浮游生物来此聚集。一会儿工夫，一小群觅食的蝠鲼也出现了。它们从吴秀波的头顶“飞”过，好像巨大的鸟类。然后，它们慢慢靠过来，围着他跳舞。海浪轻轻地推过来，吴秀波说，像被蝠鲼温柔地用“翅膀”抚摸了脸，是一种特别不可思议的感觉。他说，自己从小在城市长大，没有见过野生动物，置身海底那一刻，真切地与自然连接。有一段时间，他就那么静静地躺在海底，看着蝠鲼从他身边游过，一开始很兴奋，但突然地又涌起内疚，“就在我们拍摄的这个时刻，这些可爱的家伙还在地球上的某一个地方减少——而这一切都是因为人的缘故”。

科纳岛是少数几个蝠鲼保护区之一，然而，世界上绝大多数的蝠鲼都在遭受过度的捕杀。人们传言用它们的腮耙炖汤有保健功效，每年有十万条左右的蝠鲼因此消失。虽然一些国家采取禁止或限制贸易的行动，但高度的需求仍会驱使人们偷捕和走私。只有拒绝消费，才能终止杀害，蝠鲼才有生存下去的希望。

目睹了蝠鲼所在的海底世界的奇妙美丽后，吴秀波说，他更加坚信，人类必须做一切力所能及的事情，来保护这些生物和它们的家园——海洋。

因为，如果有一天所有这些美丽和丰富不复存在，人类该是多么可悲。

MEET MANTA RAY IN KONA ISLAND

Text by Lucy &Lan Xiaojiang Translations by Bian Jiajin Photos by Shawn Heinrichs for WildAid&CFP

ABOUT WILDAID关于野生救援

While most wildlife conservation groups focus on protecting animals from poaching, WildAid works to reduce global consumption of wildlife products by persuading consumers and strengthening enforcement.WildAid's strategy for achieving this goal is to reduce demand for these products using our slogan: When the Buying Stops, the Killing Can Too.野生救援是非营利非政府国际公益组织。野生救援的工作是与国内外政商领袖、名人明星合作，宣传拒绝购买濒危野生动物制品，鼓励公众选择可持续的生活方式，从而达到保护濒危野生动物和保护环境的目的。自2004年在中国开展工作以来，野生救援已经逐渐成长为中国最具影响力的公益组织之一。