Reef Manta Ray

Photo: Luis P. B. · CC BY-NC

Reef mantas are reliably encountered at cleaning stations off Bequia's north coast, where they hover motionless for minutes at a time as wrasse and butterflyfish remove parasites from their gill plates and skin. Individual mantas are identifiable by their unique spot patterns on their white ventral surfaces, and long-term monitoring has documented a resident population of at least 15 named individuals. Their aggregations peak during the cooler months when plankton blooms are most intense and cleaning station activity is highest.