Despite their size, manta rays are usually graceful and tend to be tolerant with divers. These horns turned out to be ingenuous scoopers which, when unfurled, guide plankton into the manta s mouth. Manta wingspans can reach up to 20 feet, and they glide though the water like birds. 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.