Where do manta rays live in the Great Barrier Reef?

Swim with manta rays on the Southern Great Barrier Reef So much so, Lady Elliot Island is referred to as the home of the manta ray. You'll see them throughout the year, but mantas are particularly prevalent in large numbers during the cooler months of May - August.



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An aerial survey supported by GSL Aviation located our manta ray among the coral reefs off Cairns, then radioed a boat-based research team which travelled to the reef to send up a drone pinpointing the position of the manta.

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Swim with manta rays on the Southern Great Barrier Reef So much so, Lady Elliot Island is referred to as the home of the manta ray. You'll see them throughout the year, but mantas are particularly prevalent in large numbers during the cooler months of May - August.

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Indonesia on Friday instituted the world's biggest manta ray sanctuary covering millions of square kilometers as it seeks to protect the huge winged fish and draw more tourists to the sprawling archipelago.

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Giant oceanic manta rays are pretty rare; any diver or snorkelers who gets to witness one is a lucky person. Giant mantas are also known as oceanic manta rays, pelagic manta rays – or by their Latin name, mobula birostris.

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Now, manta rays are not like most animals. Manta rays are friendly. They may approach you and often allow you to get reasonably close to them (which is why snorkeling with manta rays is such a breathtaking experience). But because they allow you to get close to them does not mean you should touch them.

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Found in tropical, subtropical, and temperate oceans worldwide, manta rays are filter feeders that feast on the large amounts of zooplankton and coral spawn found along the Great Barrier Reef.

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The natural predators of manta rays are a few types of sharks, killer whales and false killer whales. Occasionally you may see a manta with the characteristic 'half-moon' shark bite on it's wing. But the real danger to these sea creatures is, as always, humans and their activities.

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The long and short of it is that snorkeling with manta rays is amazing. If you're scared of the water and being on the open ocean, this activity is NOT for you. While you're never too far off the coast of the Big Island, the darkness of being at sea after sunset can be frightening for some.

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Every year, approximately 100 million sharks and 5,000 manta rays are killed.

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