These volcanic islands, particularly San Benedicto, are world-renowned for the up-close and personal encounters divers experience with the giant Pacific manta ray. Isla San Benedicto, Mexicoįirmly located in liveaboard territory where David Valencia snapped this remarkable photo, Isla San Benedicto is one of four of the Socorro Islands off the west coast of Mexico in the eastern Pacific Ocean. If you dream of sharing your scuba bubbles with a manta ray, diving the right place at the right time of year will certainly help increase the chances of making your dream a reality.Įxplore a few of the top locations to mingle with one (or many) of these incredible animals. But mantas are also found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world, making diving with this majestic creature more accessible than you may think.
This occurred non-stop for the entirety of our dive.” – David Valenciaĭavid Valencia recounts his incredible encounter with the giant Pacific manta in the remote waters of Socorro. As the manta soaked up the bubbles, I could look into its eye and see it processing our interaction. 5 meters/16 feet from wingtip to wingtip) was gliding over me to get to my bubbles. During this dive while we were playing with the mantas, my dive buddy, Adil, happened to be filming as a black manta slowly squeezed between us. It’s an amazing sight to see and it also provides divers with a unique insight into their behavior. To the delight of divers, mantas enjoy bubbles on their bellies and they will soak up the bubbles as long as there are divers. It’s not just the sighting of mantas that can make dives with them special, but also the type of interaction. In Mexico’s Socorro Islands, located some 250 miles SE of Cabo San Lucas, interactions with mantas are magnificent. In certain parts of the world, these mantas are becoming increasingly rare as they face persistent fishing pressure. However, mantas are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species. It’s no wonder divers fly all over the world to see these gentle giants. “Giant Pacific Mantas are graceful in every turn.
Giant Pacific Manta and Diver by David Valencia