Surfrider Foundation to host Maui premiere of manta ray documentary ‘The Last Dive’

The Maui Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation will host the Maui premiere of “The Last Dive,” a documentary about a decades-long bond between a Baja, California, veteran and a giant oceanic manta ray, on July 24 at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea.

Doors open at 5 p.m., with the film starting at 6 p.m. The event is free, though organizers are asking attendees to RSVP in advance to secure a seat. Drinks, snacks and chance-to-win items will be available, the chapter said.

The documentary follows Terry, described by organizers as a well-known figure in Baja, California, Mexico, who is an American veteran and has spent decades living on and in the water there. According to the film’s synopsis, Terry’s life was shaped by an unusual friendship with Willy, a 22-foot oceanic manta ray, who for nearly two decades would slap his wings against the hull of Terry’s sailboat to signal the start of their dives. The relationship, the synopsis states, turned Terry into a conservationist.

Now in his 80s, Terry sets out on what the film describes as a final journey to a remote island in hopes of reuniting with Willy, seeking what organizers call peace and closure.

“The Last Dive” was directed by Cody Sheehy and produced by Mark Monroe.

A Q&A session will follow the screening, featuring three panelists:

• Cody Sheehy, the film’s director;
• Mark Deakos, president and chief scientist of the Hawaiʻi Association for Marine Education and Research and a manta ray researcher;
• Barbara Wiedner, marine debris removal program co-coordinator for the Surfrider Foundation’s Kauaʻi Chapter.

More information and RSVP details are available through the Surfrider Foundation Maui Chapter.