Facts on Scuba Diving With the Manta Ray

Scuba diving with a Manta Ray is a great experience when underwater. These majestic creatures slowly gliding through the water are both awe inspiring and humbling.

Bruce IliffPosted on Mar 13, 2010
Scuba Diving With Manta Ray is a Unique Experience - R. CampbellA scuba diver experiencing a Manta Ray will almost always result in the lucky diver poking their head above the water at the end of the dive ecstatic at having the chance to swim with these majestic marvels.

Features of the Manta Ray

The Manta Ray is the largest of the ray family (Myliobatidae). It has huge wings that it uses to swim. And like all rays, such as the Numb Ray, it appears to ‘fly’ through the water like a bird.

The Manta Ray has large flippers that protrude from the front of the body, just in front of its mouth. These feeding flippers appear like horns, giving the Manta Ray its other name of Devil Ray.

The front flippers are used to scoop plankton on the surface of the water into its mouth.

Manta Rays average around 4.3 metres (14 feet) across the wings, but have been known to grow up to 6.7 metres. They can weigh up to 1,400 kilogram, but the average weight is about 750 kilograms (1,650 pounds).

They are a dark blue-black colour on top, with a pure white underside. This colouring is obviously a defence mechanism as the white underbelly will appear to blend in with the light of the surface of the water when viewed from below. This is especially important as the Manta Ray is a surface feeder, with the main predator being the larger of the reef sharks, such as the tiger shark.

Manta Rays are found in warm tropical waters around the world, which places them in the region between 35 degrees north and 35 degrees south latitude. Being surface feeders, they are common on reefs such as Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Observing Manta Rays on the Surface

One of the unique features of the Manta Ray is that they will occasionally launch themselves from the water and crash back on the surface with a huge slap and a shower of spray. This action is thought to be either socialising or a way to avoid predators. Another theory is that this has something to do with removing parasites from its skin.

When Manta Rays are feeding on the surface, occasionally the wing tips break the surface and appear like two shark fins.

Scuba Diving With Manta Rays

It appears that Manta Rays are quite curious creatures. They are known to approach scuba divers, either enjoying the interaction or simply wanting to see what is happening.

Manta Rays don’t appear too concerned with underwater flash photography, or with the sound of the scuba gear bubbling away. In fact, some divers theorise that Manta Rays like the feel of the bubbles on their underbelly and seek out scuba divers for the experience.

The best advice for scuba divers wanting to get up close to Manta Rays is to:

•Find a common cleaning station where the Manta Rays come to get the parasites cleaned from their skin. The local divemaster may know the best spot.
•Don’t make sudden movements. Generally a scuba diver should stay in the one spot and simply observe. The Manta Ray will come as close as they want.
•Don’t attempt to touch the ray, as the protective mucous on the skin could be rubbed off by a dive glove, leaving the animal possibly susceptible to infection.
•Manta Rays should never be ridden.
The less action a scuba diver takes to scare a Manta Ray, the more likely it will be that the ray stays around and provides the scuba diver a great experience.