You've probably all seen this, but this video was posted today on scubaboard.com. Sorry if it's redundant, but I was enthralled by watching it.



http://scubadivingtube.com/play.php?vid=709

Looks like a Devil Ray. I have never seen one on bonaire so this is quite cool. They look a lot like a Manta but smaller and their anterior appendages are different.

Do a keyword search from the bottom of this thread and you will find a ton of discussions on this topic and various links to descriptive web sites.

Great find. Thanks. I bookmarked the video.

Devil Ray. Thanks for taking the time to set me straight. I wanna know! Glad you enjoyed the video anyway.

Too cool - looks like the start of a ray party!

I thought it looked like a southern stingray. Mantas have thesse huge openings for the water to go in.

Hi everyone.

I was the one that posted the video.

Deborah - The first ray in the video was a southern stingray. I was following it when the other one came out of the blue. (pun intended)

I am not convinced that it is an Atlantic Devil Ray that I have on film. There is some confusion resulting from a "common name" labeling standpoint. "The Atlantic devil ray is often confused with its larger family member, Manta birostris, and in many languages the common names appear interchangeable." taken from:
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/AtlanticDevilRay/AtlanticDevilRay.html

I was staying at the Wannadive Hut when I was there and showed it to Bart. He said Mantas are not common but are seen from time to time on in Bonaire waters. I am under the impression the Atlantic Devil Ray does not have a tiny dorsal fin towards the rear of its body and the Manta does. In my video you can see the little fin I am talking about.

Disclaimer: I could be totally mistaken. I attempted to research the physical characteristics of both online but did not get satisfactory results.

Ok, for what it's worth.... my wife and I have seen at least two Mantas on Bonaire.... once coming in from Playa Frans and another at Salt City.... I have an old photo of the one at Salt City.... you had me fooled at first watching the sting ray, I was thinking, oh oh too many amstels... but I'm pretty sure you got a Manta there... I'm not a fishologist and I don't play one on TV but, I think its a Manta... thanks for the film made me smile on this freaking cold day in the northeast... 42 more days til wheels up

Kevin and Peggy - After watching the vid really closely a few more times, I have no doubt that this is a true manta. The mobula (devil ray) has a bit smaller aspect ratio to the wings and the mouth is a little more "underneath" than your young ray (quite small for a manta). I've never seen a manta moving so fast, turning so sharply - related to its youth and small size, no doubt. The stingray's behavior is very cool too - looks like it's up to something. That looks like a really large southern sting ray - must be all that fried food and crawfish. Unique and enjoyable video - thanks.

Well, now I'm really confused. Where is Ned Deloach when we need him? Bill and Donna, for what it's worth, yesterday we saw what must have been the granddaddy of Kevin's southern ray on Red Slave. (He knows how to supersize those fried fish orders). Biggest one I've ever seen, truly!

Bill/Donna
Again for what it's worth the Manta we saw at Playa Frans.... swam right up to us... and over us... I ran my hand along it's underside and it did one of those quick flips... a total 360 and came back underneath us.... so if they need to... they are true short distance sprinters....

Thanks for the further info. It would be good for Jerry Ligon on Bonaire as one of the main naturalists to check out the ID. As a manta it would be a young one. I have seen neither a manta or devil ray so can not speak from personal experience - only from references.

I would love to see the mantas and devil rays on Bonaire sometime. Y'all are a few steps ahead of me.

If anyone's interested here's a video I took of an Eagle Ray at one of the southern sites...can't remember which one though.

http://www.scubadivingtube.com/play.php?vid=738

Kevin ... nice clip of a very calm eagle. Could that have been at Margate Bay? - just after Omar we saw one there every day usually followed by a large puddingwife like yours.

Puddingwife.... wow, 37 yrs on Bonaire and I haven't heard that one.. cool... so if you want to know why the ray was so calm.... go back and watch the video again and listen to the breathing... that was a very calm and relaxed diver... NICE JOB

I was going to say that, Bill L. The behavior of that ray said mountains about the diver. Good show, Kevin.

Yeah, those puddingwives. The big ones are spectacular in the color-detail department if you can get close enough to see it.

Great vid Kevin. Great videographer / diver.

Thanks for the compliments guys. Very nice to hear from other divers.

Again, I am happy you enjoyed the video. I enjoyed taking it. In fact, I just bought a used housing for a proper video camera. Those other ones were taken with a point & shoot with a video function. I hope you will all look forward to ones I will be posting after I go down there in September. I expect them to be of a higher quality.

So...what's a puddingwife??

Don't go there....

just kidding...Its' a wrasse. Here's Wikipedia's version...

The puddingwife wrasse (Halichoeres radiatus) is found in the southern reefs of the Gulf of Mexico. This fish is green with a pinkish top with many green lines along the face. The puddingwife is small and at most reaches three or four pounds. Due to its small size, it is not generally eaten. Fishing for a puddingwife often entails using spinning tackle with a small hook, and bits of shrimp as bait Another common name for this fish is Doncella.

Puddingwife - a fish in the wrasse family, usually solitary and almost always reticent to allow you a close approach, no matter how careful, slow and quiet you are. We've been seeing this one big puddingwife at Margate for 5ive years now and I have yet to get a close-up vid or still. Actually it did come up really close once - that's how we know how gorgeous they are up close - but he hung around for about 20 seconds and naturally the cameras were not on...

That's a similar (or the same) puddingwife following your ray during the first half of the video.

I see...thank you.

I may very well have been at Margate. Tori's is also another possibility. I can try and locate my notes from the trip to see if I wrote it down.

We saw a large manta jump completely out of the water 2x at Baby Pink Beach last summer. Once it stayed horizon and one jump it turned perpendicular. That was wild...

Yes, Kevin, great videos. I started the Manta thread on SB and was thrilled to see your video of the Manta...very, very nice. I'm going back in June, and have heard of other infrequent sightings at the bottom of that reef. I have to admit, I'm going to max out my NDL at the bottom of 1,000 steps one morning

Thanks again,

Kevin

Looks like a juvenile Manta Ray to me. Nice work capturing it!