Both gentle and graceful, they have become a favorite attraction for divers. Their range is circumtropical, with sightings in the Atlantic from as far north as New England and south to Brazil. Mantas prefer plankton-rich waters and are regular visitors to a few select locations. In the winter, mantas visit San Benedicto Island, south of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Here, they glide past a pinnacle called The Boiler hoping to take advantage of the resident cleaner fish.
Mantas also hang out in Yap, Micronesia at Manta Ridge, another cleaning station.
From March through July, mantas visit the island of Tobago, feeding in the rich waters fed by the Orinoco estuary in South America. On Hawaii s Kona Coast, mantas are drawn each evening to the lights of a large hotel. Night divers watch as the mantas feed on the plankton that is attracted by the lights. Mantas eat plankton and small schooling fish found near the surface, and they have been seen leaping free of the water like breaching whales, possibly in pursuit of their food source. Relatives Few underwater sights are as compelling and mysterious as the silent sweep of a squadron of rays surveying their undersea domain.