Devil Rays Surfing

[bulldurham]

At first I thought I was crazy but it seems these little guys do this a lot...they surf from about 200 feet out right up to the shoreline then wing their way back 200 feet and do it again, and again, and again. They're like little kids on belly boards.

 

[dannylightning]

awesome, great catch for sure. I never have much luck getting good pics of things under the water.

 

[Hunter58]

Very nice shot. Were you on a pier?

 

[weepete]

Wow, that's awesome!

 

[TreeofLifeStairs]

Very nice shot. Were you on a pier?

This was my first thought too.

 

[bulldurham]

I was on a pier. I had my Nikon AW100 P&S with me but was unsure of the sting status of these guys, so a venture into the water with thirty of them prancing about was not a comfortable thought. This shot is more representative of the size as the body is about 36" across, thus the tail closer to 36", both measurements give or take 6". These were shot well after the sun had set so the clarity isn't what I would have liked. I am going to try again today if the pod is still lingering.

 

[TreeofLifeStairs]

That's so cool. Where is this at?

 

[KenC]

They are strange animals for sure. Seeing the ripples of sand under the water really makes this one work.

 

[Gary A.]

Mantas typically feed at night. They're filter feeders and eat most whatever they can filter from the water. This is an interesting behavior as I wouldn't think a sandy bottom offered an abundance of food. The Mantas were probably using the wave action to minimise their energy requirement for passing water across their feeding filters and gills. Mantas tend to feed in a straight line. Nice shot.

 

[bulldurham]

Panama City Beach, FL Google Maps 30.130895, -85.743876

 

[bulldurham]

30.130895, -85.743876 Do a Google Maps on Satellite.

 

[Cat & Mike]

Thanks for sharing this moment with us with such a sharp capture in tough conditions.