Golden Ray

Photo: Billy Bensted-Smith · CC BY-NC

Massive aggregations of golden cownose rays sometimes number in the thousands at Punta Mangle during the warm season, filling the water column in an undulating golden curtain that is one of the great spectacles of Eastern Pacific marine life. These aggregations are migratory and not predictable every year, but when they occur they are overwhelming — divers report the sound of thousands of rays' wings beating in the water and the sensation of being surrounded in every direction by golden forms. Even small groups of a few dozen individuals make for extraordinary photography in the clear, calm conditions of the sheltered bay.