Is it ok to ride Manta Rays?
No wild animal is benefited by being ridden., and Mantas are no exception. Riding a Manta increases its swimming effort — using up calories that might have been better used growing, reproducing, escaping predators, or healing wounds — and may stress the animal unduly. While riding Mantas, people have scraped their skin, gone too deep, risen too fast, or fallen off and been injured accidentally. Simply touching a Manta may remove some of the mucus coating that protects the animal from marine infections. Last, but not least, some Mantas clearly do not like being touched and may speed away, ending the encounter by sheer distance. For all these reasons, touching or riding Mantas is to be avoided.
