Finally the water is warming up (currently 75-77 degrees) and the seas are calming down. Summer is just around the corner (my favorite time)! Yesterday for the first time this season we saw a manta ray on the Breakers Pier reef. Every spring it seems they come in there to feed on the plankton; what a sight. The largest specimen recorded was more than 25 feet across (wing span). Its weight was aprox. 5100 lbs! They have the largest brain to body ratio of the sharks and rays. Mantas are filter feeders, feeding on plankton, fish larvae, etc. Large sharks and in some circumstances orcas, are mantas main predators. Mantas display curiosity around humans and will swim among divers and snorkelers. The best interaction you can have with them is to swim slowly and let them come to you. They can swim up to 7 miles per hour. So get your cameras ready and join us in our search for these giants. Capt. Gary
Manta Rays
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