Flying Manta Rays in the Sea of Cortez during mating season.

[DFW]

23. Mantas are awesome creatures

While my younger daughter was at her school in Hawaii, one one trip, she suggested we go on a night dive in the ocean to see them. I was a little nervous about a night dive due to the sharks, but she said no one had ever been attacked where they go, so I said OK. Just before sunset, they take you out to a spot where someone installed some huge lights on the ocean floor, about half a mile off shore. Then a scuba diver goes down and turns them on. I am not scuba certified, so I had to remain on the surface with a snorkel.

The lights attract plankton, which in turn attracts the mantas. These huge fish then come "flying" in and put on an incredible show. Some of them were performing underwater somersaults right in front of our noses. It was one of the most unforgettable things I have ever experienced.

This video may seem staged, but I promise you, it's exactly what you see.