Ironically, consumption of manta ray gill plates has risen due in part to a decrease in the availability of shark fins. The manta rays are being fished because of the trade in gill plates (opens in new tab-warning graphic content) which are used in soup. Other reasons include over-fishing for, unbelievably, Chinese medicine. Manta rays are vulnerable and their population is decreasing due to a multitude of reasons including the fact they reproduce infrequently ( every 2 to 5 years) You could never say with 100% certainty that it is safe to swim with manta rays.
#Snorkeling with manta rays plus#
However, the water was very deep and deep water and strong currents plus wave action can cause harm in weak swimmers. We felt very safe swimming and snorkelling with mantas, even with children. However, they are huge creatures and could potentially harm you, particularly if they are jumping out of the water. They are filter feeders so cannot really bite you either. Manta rays are fairly safe to swim with as they lack the stingers found in their cousins, the stingrays. They are harmless gentle giants and swimming with them is considered pretty safe. No, unlike their close relatives, stingrays, who sadly saw off Steve Irwin not far from where we live in Port Douglas Australia, manta rays do not sting, nor do they have a stinger of any sort. They have a skeleton made of cartilage, as all sharks and rays do, and they give birth to live young.
These big fish can have a wingspan of about 22 feet and the largest ones can weigh 3000 pounds or 1360 Kilograms and eats people – I mean plankton.
The giant manta ray is the larger of the two. It is thought that there is another type of manta called the Atlantic manta ray but that may just be another name for the giant manta. They are known as mobulid rays along with the devil ray. There are 2 types of manta ray, the giant manta ray and the reef manta ray. The word manta comes from the Spanish word for mantle.
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