Bank Holiday Question Time anyone?

David Aiketgate wrote: They are amazing animals, ..., Indonesia has recently declared them a protected species and outlawed their capture in all their waters. :broon:

Well done Indonesia! :yesnod:

I would be interested to see a video or two, the Manta Ray has fascinated me since I was about 3 years old when I saw a photo similar to this one...



It is such a majestic, peaceful giant, I am very happy to hear that they are getting some protection.

Here's a short video for you.

I've got to get out to Indonesia.

Have you ever witnessed them leaping out of the water?

edit: Incidentally, Indonesia has recently declared them a protected species and outlawed their capture in all their waters. :broon:

Nice that they have declared them a protected species but it will be very difficult to police; we did stingray city in Grand Cayman a few years back; very heavily regulated and commercialised but good fun. During the feeding frenzy one guy was bitten on the arm by one of the small males; it looked like he had been given a love bite or what the others in the dive party called a hickey (american) which turned out to be quite a bad bruise by the next day.

My sister has witnessed them jumping but she lives over there and is a professional dive instructor.
I'm fortunate to be able to dive with my sister's operation when I visit and it is strictly no touch/no feed/ no interfere policy.

It means that the animals know that divers are not going to bother them and so continue to act normally when divers are about. To see animals in their normal environment acting naturally has got to be better than circus performances.

The trouble is that anything aimed at the American market seems to require the animals to "perform". Feeding animals to get them to do tricks is ultimately damaging to the animals. I took part in a Shark feeding dive in the Bahamas many moons ago and was very uneasy at the idea of big sharks associating divers with food. I also went to Sea World in Miami on the same holiday - BIG mistake!

Same feelings about the cage diving with Great Whites, Chumming the area to attract the sharks to the divers is courting disaster, in my opinion.

Superb species, an abiding memory from some years ago is flying out from Key West to the Dry Tortugas and seeing Manta Rays just under the ocean surface.

Have to say I am all in favour of chumming... for a slightly different reason, bringing in seabirds,,,well as long as I am not down wind of the broth!
I was on a pelagic out of Bodega Bay, California headed for the Cordell Bank and beyond, and it was an incredible trip both for the birds we encountered and the marine life. Highlights included a pod Pacific white sided Dolphins riding the bows waves of the boat, plenty of seabirds including the first documented Light mantled Sooty Albatross north of the equator, but the absolute highlight was a pod of feeding Orca's including quite a small calf. It was quite emotional to be so close to the pod and in the presence of such superb creatures

David Aiketgate wrote: Beth,
as a long time Scuba Diver, a student of Marine Biology, and a retired member of the water industry, all things fishy have a strong attraction for me!

Ah, I supposed I should have realised from your avatar.

I grew up on the coast and we often saw porpoise and dolphins following our boat, I would always much rather see creatures left to their own devices.
I took my son to Chester zoo once against my better judgement, we left after we saw the orangutans surrounded by walls of glass and trying to hide under hessian sacks and straw. They looked utterly miserable.

Excellent pictures and videos. Thanks.