Jessica and Nova

Jessica and I began conducting casual surveys of Florida's mantas in 2016. Over the 5 subsequent years, Jessica has grown the Florida Manta Project into a full time research effort, made significant contributions to their conservation, and published the first dedicated study on Florida's mantas. In this image Jessica uses her go pro to capture an ID.

Preparing for Launch

Jessica Pate, founder of the Florida Manta Project and research scientist with the Marine Megafauna Foundation, prepares to launch a drone during a coastal survey.

SKY the Manta

This might be my personal favorite manta photo to date. I "accidentally" found this perspective while attempting to capture an up close image of this mantas mouth. I was swimming above the ray holding my camera in front of me, pointed down and back when I took the image. The ray was relaxed and unbothered by my presence throughout. I was trying to capture an image of the mouth to investigate what appears to be green freshwater algae stuck in the mantas tooth-band. Where he picked it up is a mystery, but the Florida Manta Project's work is continuing to learn more about the habitat use and inshore forays of the juvenile South Florida population, and it is possible he picked up this algae in an inshore waterway. This image has proved quite popular and has been featured in multiple publications including on the cover of Marine Giants Issue 1, The Marine Megafauna Foundations Quarterly Magazine.

Mantas and Development

In this image, condominiums and construction tower over a juvenile manta ray. Florida's manta habitat shares a coast with developed urban environments that cause impacts including nutrient pollution, turbidity, boat traffic, fishing gear entanglement, and solid waste pollution.

Aerial Manta in Shallow Water

Skinny Water Manta Ray

A juvenile manta swims in water no more than a meter deep.

Just offshore

Jessica Pate, capturing images of a juvenile manta during research.

Portrait of Rikki

Manta Rays have the largest brain to body size ratio of any fish. This is commonly thought to be a mark of intelligence. Most mantas we encounter in our research efforts want nothing to do with us, but some seem curious. On this occasion, while we respectfully swam with her, Rikki (as she was named by a volunteer), repeatedly approached us as if to investigate what we clumsy humans were on about.

Moving Down the Coast

I filmed and photographed this manta engaged in traveling behavior with a drone. Why they choose to swim in such shallow water is still a mystery. It could be to avoid predators, enjoy the warmth of the water and sun, or take advantage of coastal current. I have had few chances to collect aerial media in such good conditions. My hands still shake with nerves when offered such opportunities.

The Urban Manta Ray

As featured by National Geographic! Incredibly, given their size, Florida’s manta rays often go unnoticed! They definitely notice us though, and Jessica Pate’s Florida Manta Project is revealing that a significant number of local mantas are struck by boats and entangled in fishing line. These are just a couple of the threats that mantas face globally, all of which resulted in their being listed on the Endangered Species Act last year. Too often, “nature” is viewed as something as distinct and distant from human development. With this image of a manta swimming in a “hardened” inlet, within the bounds of human development, I am hoping to convey a sense a proximity, and increase awareness of our impacts. In this area specifically, mantas (and human safety) would benefit from boaters keeping a better lookout and proceeding at safer speeds. Fisherman should also avoid allowing mantas to swim near their lines and should not cast on these rays, which are protected. Creating this image was challenge. This is the only time in four years of assisting with manta studies that I have seen a photographable manta in this area. To make the image I had to lay on the lip of the sea wall, extend my camera down as far as I could reach and carefully balance so as not to fall into the ripping current. I shot blindly, taking as many as 900 frames to get a good combination of manta below, and structure above. I used my canon rebel SL1, Tokina fisheye, and Ikelite housing to make the image. My camera was on manual, f11 and 1/320th. I used auto ISO, but would prefer to underexpose using a lower ISO if given another chance.

Portrait of Nova

Just Like Rikki, Nova is another inquisitive ray, who seems interested in spending time with us. She approached close and hung out for quite a while on this occasion. Nova is missing the tip of her right pectoral fin, as evidenced in the frame bottom left, possibly from a boat propellor impact.