For the first time ever, a giant stingray has been captured on video! You can watch the clip right here, or you might have been lucky enought to catch it on BBC Two broadcast of ‘Andrea: Queen of the Mantas‘.

Growing up to 2.2m the smalleye is the biggest stingray and is extremely rare.  The only live smalleyes ever seen have been in the waters surrounding Tofo Beach, Moçambique.

Dr Andrea Marshall has discovered that manta rays roam up to 1,100 km from their home base, criss-crossing international borders. Which explains how these giants have been caught by fishermen as far afield as the Indo-Pacific Oceans of the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia and even the Indian Ocean.

Big Wave productions were quick enough to catch this giant on camera, while working on the manta ray feature for the BBC Natural World documentary series in Moçambique.

Dr Marshall’s response when asked why she chose to study manta rays: “They engage you as a diver, approach you, interact with you – it’s a pleasure to work with them.”

Sources: BBC News & New Scientist

Fancy your chances of photographing the 1st live giant manta ray in the Indo-Pacific Ocean?  Why not try 1 of the following spots: Koh Bon in Thailand, Komodo in Indonesia, the North Coral Sea in Australia, the Maldives, Black Rock in Myanmar, or Kadavu in Fiji.

Contact Dive The World for more information on diving with manta rays at +66 (0)94 582 7973 / (0)83 505 7794 or you could send us an email.