Oceanic Manta Ray

Photo: Programa Marino del Golfo de California · CC BY-NC

Oceanic manta rays visit Kehpara's summit reef during the dry season months, approaching the cleaning stations established on the shallowest coral heads where wrasse and angelfish pick parasites from their cephalic fins and gill plates. These animals, which can reach wing spans exceeding 5 meters, travel enormous distances across open Micronesian waters and use isolated offshore pinnacles like Kehpara as reliable service points in their circuits. Their visits are typically in the early morning before wind chop builds, rewarding divers who make the first boat of the day.