bubbleinsights (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

It's sad to see people touch everything they can underwater. I think the responsibility should ultimately lie with the dive operators - they should ensure that nobody touches either the wildlife or the coral! They should be reported and fined alongside the trespassers.

wongcpa8 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Thanks for the comment & your dedication to the manta research. Now we know of their names. Warmest Regards.

KKumli (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

First manta's Daniel, 2nd one's Terry and we've never seen Terry's dorsal surface till now, great shots of those white epaulets without any markings at all it seems - do you have stills of the dorsal? Great gill shot, the remora looks tiny and streamlined. Wish the other would let go of the wingtip!

wongcpa8 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Manta ray can be up to over 20 ft wide. The Manta's barb [actually just a tail] is not venomous any more due to the lact of natural enemies & use of it for generations. We can safely say all rays have venomous barb except manta.

unccrazy333 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

awesome video fun to watch and informative!!!! can manta rays sting???????????

Xiph1980 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Wow, it's enormous! Never saw one with a diver so close to it. Gives their size a bit more perspective. They are gorgeous though :)

zingtea (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

You're right, they don't need to touch the manta, I wouldn't.

Pulv (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

yes thats true.. but do they have to touch the manta, when they want to play with him? and you got a big point on getting SCUBA very easy.. thats very sad and im very glad to have a good diving education, which contains e.g. the respect for everything

zingtea (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

But I still think the border between playful interaction and harassment is not very clear. E.g, that manta definitely wasn't trying to get away, and I've seen what they look like when they do.

zingtea (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Yes, unfortunately diver does not = naturalist, which is increasingly the case with it getting easier to get SCUBA certified.