Big Animals – Mobula Rays, Mexico

Schools of hundreds of mobula rays can be seen in the Sea of Cortez. Closely related to manta rays, mobulas are slightly smaller. Keep an eye out for mobula rays that are breaching or jumping up to six feet out of the water.

SEA OF CORTEZ, LA PAZ, MEXICO

Boats usually come across the schools of mobula rays by either seeing jumping rays, or while in transit going between dive sites or looking for other marine life. Make sure to keep your kit ready to jump in at a moment’s notice.

Recommended Operators

Fun Baja

When to Dive

The spring months are prime for catching the mobulas in action, with February giving the most sightings.

Pro Tips

You can dive with the mobulas at night, very close to the beach at Espiritu Santo Island, but you have to stay on a camping site for the night. Only one operator can take you there since it’s a natural protected area.

The mobulas will be attracted by an artificial beam light suspended from the boat, and they will probably stay with you for your whole dive! So there’s no need to rush the shots, instead look for a particular angle, composition, or special moment or behavior when the mobula will look its best.

You can either use the available artificial light from the boat or use your own strobes—or a combination of both. This will give you a wide range of opportunities to use many different lighting techniques creating a broad range of moods in your images.—Christian Vizl

OTHER LOCATIONS

One of the few other destinations to spot schooling mobula rays is the Adaman Islands, off the coast of Thailand and Myanmar (formerly Burma) at a site called Tower Rock. Go with the Aggressor Fleet.

Featured Photographer

David Hall

Expert Photographer

David Hall began diving in the 1960s and has been photographing underwater professionally since 1980. Motivated initially by scientific curiosity and a love of animals, the focus of his photography evolved to encompass both...