#dive footage

[marinebioblr]

Oceanic manta rays are the largest species of ray in the world, with a wingspan of up to 26 feet. Despite their immense size, they are completely harmless to divers - they have no barbs to speak of, unlike stingrays, and spend their time filtering the water for plankton with the help of their cephalic lobes (the big paddles on each side of their mouths). Socorran mantas have grown very used to divers, and often seek out our bubble curtains seemingly because they feel good and may help clear away parasites!

[marinebioblr]

A short comp of my dive footage from a shark dive with Stuart's Cove in the Bahamas. These Caribbean reef sharks are immensely strong, and this vortex of them was literally pushing me back like a strong wind. This is prime ecotourism - sharks are extremely misunderstood, and this is a great way of introducing people to their true nature. I'm always conflicted when sharks are brought in with food incentive, but the reality is that each shark only receives a small amount of food, ensuring that they will still go out and fill their ecological niche.

[marinebioblr]

A Caribbean reef squid spotted during a night dive in the Bahamas. Their large eyes make them effective nocturnal predators, and their intelligence makes them highly inquisitive, as with other cephs!