Manta rays are beautiful and majestic animals that have a life-changing effect on people who meet them. I want to protect them so humans can experience their transformational power for generations to come! My goal is to inspire people so they take action to protect the mantas' ecosystem and oceans all around the world.
Not a myth: manta rays can fly!
|
Manta rays will often (unexpectedly) jump out of the water, "fly" in the air for a couple of seconds, and then come back down with a loud "flop". This phenomenon is called breaching.
Years ago, when Youtube had just started, I found a video of a manta breaching and thought, "it would be cool to see that myself".
The very next night, I was preparing to film a group of divers kicking from the boat to the dive site. In the distance, I could see the glow of the underwater "campfire". After all the years, I had this familiar excitement, knowing I would be capturing fantastic footage of the mantas for folks to take home with them.
While getting closer, I noticed Cara Ray (a 12-foot female) passing by me, also swimming towards the campfire, and in a very sudden move, rocketed towards the surface and BREACHED!
Luckily I was at about 10-15 feet of depth and not on the surface because I did not want a 1,000 lbs manta dropping right on top of me. Seeing Cara's speed and agility and witnessing the splash from below was absolutely spectacular.
I could not believe that I had wished for this to happen just a few hours prior, and here I was with a manta flying out of the water.
My only regret? I wasn't able to get it on video because it happened too suddenly, and it was too dark to capture.
However, I did collect a number of (almost as spectacular) videos of manta rays breaching to share with you - as well as some speculation on the reason why they might be jumping out of the water (no one really knows at this point).
Click here to read and watch - and enjoy!
|
Aloha, Martina |
Follow Manta Ray Advocates on |
Martina Wing
Manta rays are beautiful and majestic animals that have a life-changing effect on people who meet them. I want to protect them so humans can experience their transformational power for generations to come! My goal is to inspire people so they take action to protect the mantas' ecosystem and oceans all around the world.
Aloha Reader, Today, I'd like to take a sidestep from writing about saving manta rays and ocean conservation... and ask you to join in a personal celebration. 1998- 25 years ago was the best and the worst year of my life. I had just lost my husband at a young age and was going through a deep grieving period. I started traveling with the destination Hawaii... and after my first dive with the manta rays, everything changed. The deep transformation that washed over me made me realize there was...
Aloha Reader, Q: Are manta rays mammals? A: No, they're not - they are most definitely fish. Q: Ah, so they lay eggs? A: Yes... but it's not what you think... This is one of the most frequently asked questions at our Manta Ray Moonlight Swim - and one I love to answer as it opens up a fun conversation about this magnificent fish. And then, there is this one word I usually avoid when talking about the mantas' reproduction, even though it’s an important part of what they are: “ovoviviparous”....
Aloha Reader, After the devastating wildfires in Maui and the destruction of Lahaina on 08/08, I needed a few days to regain my emotional balance. A smaller fire also occurred on the Mauna Kea Beach hotel's grounds, so all together, it hit very close to home. I've received many heartfelt messages from around the world, and I want to thank everyone who thought of us here in Hawaii. We are doing well. I'm not one for sending emails for the sake of sending emails, but the last couple of weeks...