Watch as giant manta rays tour an old shipwreck off South Carolina’s coast
The giant manta ray moves slowly as schools of fish part to get out of its way as the creature descends to the Goldfinch Reef shipwreck, almost 20 miles out from Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.
Video shows as large fish swim alongside, dwarfed by the ray.
Giant manta rays are not a common sight off South Carolina, but a professional scuba diver and photographer caught the video last week.
Andrew Raak with Scuba Express said there were four or five giant manta rays on the site last week.
He said some fisherman had reported seeing the rays out at sea so far this year, and this is the second year in a row Raak has seen them while taking out scuba tours.
Manta rays are the largest rays in the world and can grow to have a wing span of 29 feet, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They live for up to 40 years, NOAA said.
The species is listed as threatened, according to NOAA, and lives throughout the oceans in areas with warmer water.
This story was originally published July 1, 2019 at 12:43 PM with the headline "Watch as giant manta rays tour an old shipwreck off South Carolina’s coast."
