“How do you define friendship?”

How indeed! 

83-year-old Terry Kennedy is a US Navy veteran.  He’s an ex- Hell’s Angel who spent time in prison for an accidental death. Given that he was also quite a hunk in his youth he also enjoyed a stint as a fashion model for a while. 

Terry Kennedy and Joyce Clinton by San Benedicto Island 

His fascination with the ocean started as a child, so when he grew up, he joined the navy. This led to him being on the USS Ticaderoga (CV-14) the Essex-class aircraft carrier that played a major role in the Vietnam war, particularly, during the controversial 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Incident.  This was a naval confrontation off the coast of North Vietnam between the carrier and some North Vietnamese naval vessels that led to the USA engaging directly in the Vietnam war.   There were a lot of discussions relative to the reports of the incident and Terry, rightly insists he still cannot talk about it. After leaving the navy, he joined a band of Hell’s Angels which he followed around for a while, living fast & furious in typical late 1960s mould. But Terry was no easy rider, he was a man who took too many risks and paid for it. 

His reputation followed him around until, eventually, he got so sick of the violence that he saw on the streets that he sold his motorbike, bought a boat, went to Mexico and rest is history. He liked to cruise (that is actually live on his boat), not just sail in it and in that water world of the Sea of Cortés, he was to find the inner peace that had eluded him his whole life.

Terry Kennedy became a renowned diver, initially as a hunter, spearing whatever creature he could, until one day, diving in the Revillagigedo Archipelago area, he met an Oceanic Giant manta ray that changed his life. It was the most beautiful creature he had seen, with a wingspan of 20 ft across tip-to-tip as it flew through the ocean.  Giant Manta rays are gentle, massive and intelligent cartilaginous fish. Filter feeders, they are easily identifiable by their unique wing-like pectoral fins and the horn-like cephalic fins on their heads. It’s because of their shape, which resembles a large blanket drifting effortlessly through the water, that they got  their name ‘manta’ which, in Spanish, means ‘cloak.’

In the early days, mariners were known to kill them out of fear, despite these beautiful creatures only feeding on plankton. Their gymnastic abilities are unique and they’re known to have unusually large brains, the largest among fishes. They are able to pick up vibrations and electric signals and maybe this Manta Ray recognized Terrys vibes, as they have a huge cerebellum. They even have a warm circulation system to heat the brain, and it has been shown that, like many animals (elephants, chimps and other animals), they can recognize themselves in a mirrored image!

Terry named it Willywow (Willy for short), and they soon developed such a strong bond that the manta ray would knock the side of his boat to wake him in the morning, so that Terry would go down and play in the water.  Not far different from a dog that wants to go walkies!  

This amazing giant manta ray would allow Terry to ride on his back and he would take him for extended trips as long as 15- 20 minutes. Notably, Willy always returned him to the boat, and never left him in the lurch. To Terry, it seemed that their connection was so close it was actually telepathic. When, for instance, Terry would think he might like to see something on the left, Willy would turn in that direction as if he had read his thoughts. 

 For 19 years, Terry regularly returned to the island and every time Willy recognized him and they would reconnect like old friends.  It’s believed Terry was the first person to ever ride a Manta Ray.   Terry was also to discover that their intelligence is remarkable. On one occasion, Willy led Terry to dangerous netting which they then removed, remaining the area, hovering around until it had all been taken away. On another, he shielded Terry from a predatory 18ft shark. 

Thanks to Willy: “I fell in love with life and could not kill fish anymore.”

This relationship totally changed Kennedy’s attitude to life. He stopped hunting and became a firm believer in the preservation and protection of Oceanic life, leading to becoming a renowned activist to protect the mantas. 

He met his lifelong partner Joyce Clinton in the same Sea of Cortés where she was also cruising. They shared so many interests that it turned out to be another powerful relationship in his life. Joyce and Terry spent years diving together and befriending other Manta Rays. They gave them names and became extremely fond of them. None, however, was ever as huge as Willy nor gifted with such a distinct personality.     

A major incident took place that was to affect both Terry and Joyce very deeply. 

One morning, in 1994, Joyce and Terry were on their own by San Benedicto Island when two tuna-fishing type vessels arrived. They began to indiscriminately slaughter multiple manta rays, including some the couple had been swimming with only the day before. These mantas were brutally attacked and slashed with hooks and spears. The men were hacking off their huge pectoral fins with machetes, without any attempt to kill them first, merely because they wanted bait to capture sharks. 

Joyce and Terry wept, yelled and screamed at them to stop, in vain. What could only two persons do against 20 or more men on the larger boats. Helplessly they had to watch, aware that, as witnesses, they were in danger themselves. Fortunately, they managed to film the massacre, after which, for days, they kept finding a myriad of slaughtered creature on the sea bed, including large numbers of the ‘wrong’ sharks, killed in vain and dumped.

These videos turned out to be  of crucial importance.  

Terry riding Willy

Terry used the shocking footage to ignite an international outcry that spread around the world like wildfire. It reached Europe, even appearing in German newspapers. The effect on all who saw the videos was so powerful and immediate, that it finally provoked the Mexican government (who had never taken up any environmental issues) to outlaw hunting the species on the spot and later establish the Revillagigedo Archipelago as a protected marine reserve in 2017. 

Terry Kennedy had brought manta rays into the light and inspired the first scientific studies into the Giant Oceanic Manta Ray that began with an initial grant given to Robert Rubin. 

When director Cody Sheehy heard this moving history, it led to him making this documentary by taking Terry and Joyce on one last visit to San Benedicto Island. There, they spent 10 days diving and search for Willy who they had not seen since 2007. They had seen him after the massacre, but since then nothing.  Had he also been killed, or had he just moved away?

The director, Cody Sheehy aimed to recreate the experience of the dives for the viewers. With the help of the superb underwater photography of Johnny Friday and Chance Falkner, they captured the magic of being lost in that meditative blue universe during a dive to full effect.

“If you are not looking, someone is looking at you”

We are immersed in the colours and sounds as if we were taking part ourselves.   A lot of thought has gone into the sound landscape and the results are mesmerizing.   It is particularly poignant  for Terry that he may not have another chance to return to these wonderful waters/

When Terry reviewed the old footage of him with his giant friend, he was so overwhelmed with deep love and emotion that he became very tearful, needing comfort and especially from Joyce. During those magical 10 days searching around the island of San Benedicto, Terry and Joyce found some old friends, but would they find Willy?

This is  a wonderful, mesmerizing documentary that should not be missed.

THE LAST DIVE (2025) directed by Cody Sheehy 

 at the Raindance 2026 Film Festival

Editor: Lauren Brinkman / Producers: Mark Monroe, Randy Gebhardt & Christopher Gebhardt, Jana Edelbaum and Rachel Cohen/ DOP: Chance Falkner / Underwater photography: Johnny Friday / Music: Paul Leonard-Morgan/ Sound Designer & Supervising Sound Editor: Kim B. Christensen/

Cast: Boat owner: Dan Fitzgerald/ Captain: Julio Ochoa / Filming of Island Johnny Friday/ source material: Terry Kennedy and Mike McGettigan/ other contributors: Robert Rubin and Dawn Wilson

Manta Trust: www.swimwithmantas.org