This is a Vulnerable species according to the IUCN
I was incredibly lucky to have been able to take this photo. Jill and I were snorkeling off the coast of the island of Hawai’i. What was particularly interesting about this snorkel is that it was in the dark. The boat that we were on left from the dock at Keauhou Harbor as the sun was setting. The goal was to taxi the boat out about 400 yards so that we would be in front of the Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa. This area is known for being a great site to spot reef manta rays. The boat tour agency, Fair Wind Snorkel Cruises, was running the trip that we were on. We liked their setup so much, that we took a day trip with them later in the week.
Once we had arrived at our mooring buoy for the evening, we received a quick overview and safety briefing about the reef manta rays that we would be encountering. The biggest item that they kept reiterating was, don’t touch the rays. I was glad to hear them reinforce this again and again throughout the evening, as this is a Vulnerable species according to the IUCN. They had us in the water within ten minutes of being at the mooring buoy, and we were instructed to grab on to a surfboard like structure that was floating at the surface of the water. On the underside of these boards were lights that were shining into the darkness of the water. They had us put pool noodles under our feet so that we were as shallow in the water as possible.
Within just a minute or two, we had one of these graceful and magnificent reef manta rays swimming underneath us. They are attracted to the light because they know that plankton are attracted to the light, and they can come here to feast. In order to eat the plankton, they filter them through their gill plates. They will swim with their cephalic fins in an “O” shape in order to divert the plankton over their gill plates. The cephalic fins are the two that are in front of their mouths.
They would swim straight to the surface under the boards that we were holding. Right before they made it to the surface, they would go upside down so that they were as close to the lights as possible. This meant that they would graze against your body if they made a stroke with their fins as they swam past. This was an other-worldly experience indeed!
The largest reef manta ray is about 18 feet!
Did you know?
- Reef manta rays can grow to be a maximum of 18 feet! The largest we saw on this trip was about 14 feet.
- They can swim away from predators at a speed of about 15 miles per hour.
- The scientific name for the reef manta ray is Mobula alfredi.
- This is the second largest species of ray. Only the giant oceanic manta ray is larger.
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