Incredible epic pod of flying manta rays

I saw this video on another site and was just in awe. An absolutely huge pod of manta rays breaching the water and flying.

Very cool! I wonder why they jump like that. It looks like they're just having fun. I can't think of any other reason.

originally posted by: graceunderpressure
Very cool! I wonder why they jump like that. It looks like they're just having fun. I can't think of any other reason.

It looks like they are trying to fly. Is this how birds evolved?

a reply to: alienjuggalo

Never seen that before, that was very cool! I just wouldn't call it flying, they do make great meat missiles however, more like a projectile.

Cheers - Dave

Watched this on mute and all I could think about was So long and thanks for all the fish from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

a reply to: alienjuggalo

Looks to me like they are trying to escape from the sea and as they hit the different medium (air) they find that their best swimming efforts don't work there any longer, only to plunge back into the sea whence they came...

originally posted by: alienjuggalo

originally posted by: graceunderpressure
Very cool! I wonder why they jump like that. It looks like they're just having fun. I can't think of any other reason.

It looks like they are trying to fly. Is this how birds evolved?

They say birds came from dinosaurs.

a reply to: alienjuggalo

God I love nature. So cool to see...Isn't that the type of Manta that killed Steve Irwin?
Man that's a dangerous job filming underwater with so many of them all around you.
Do they fly out of the water because of the shear numbers of them stacked on top of each other?
Or are they consciously coming out of the water for some reason?

Anyone else get an ominous feeling when watching 10's of thousands of rays come together out of no where and for seemingly no reason? I feel like they know something I don't, which bothers me.

That is very cool. Nature is so amazing.... and yet I kept wincing at the "belly flops", thinking ouch! that must hurt.

originally posted by: alienjuggalo

originally posted by: graceunderpressure
Very cool! I wonder why they jump like that. It looks like they're just having fun. I can't think of any other reason.

Is this how birds evolved?

Ok...my time on ATS is over. I don't even...

a reply to: alienjuggalo

Never seen this before........breathtakingly beautiful!!!
Nature is just amazing.......

Thanks for sharing!!

Great moment *&F for you! Loving it just makes me want to jump in & join in with them woo hoo….
Amazing, so many together. I worked as a scuba instructor & dive boat captain and have seen small groups of Manta but never this many wow. Once on a charter over in the Bahamas we came across one of these beautiful creatures struggling in very shallow water. They love to go around in loops in the deep water. This one had got caught up in a fishing line & had it tangled many times over from head to tail. It allowed us (poor thing) to approach it snorkeling and cut away all the line. It is a moment I look back on with warmth freeing the giant. Just kidding about jumping in with them frolicking like that, they are really large and a person if landed on would be hurt.
Some picks for size:

sfoceanfilm.blogspot.com...

www.pinterest.com...

metro.co.uk...

Manta Rays will sometimes jump out of the water to try to remove parasites.