Unusual spotted eagle ray behaviour

[MMM]

Sent out 2015 with a three-tank dive today, with perfect weather conditions.

On our first dive, at Punta Sur, I encountered behaviour by a spotted eagle ray that I have never seen before. We descended and right away saw a couple of sharks and two eagle rays pass by. After waiting a bit to see if anything more came along, we move up the reef.

I saw a single ray coming back to us, straight at me. I pulled up to a stop and waited to see what it would do. It pulled up too...stopped RIGHT beside me and we stayed together, parallel in the water, for several minutes, eyeballing one another. Literally, I could have reached out and touched it. Neither of us moved; we just hung together, stationary in the water at about 75-80 feet. Then it moved on and eventually so did we (the other divers were watching a bit further back behind some coral).

Further up the reef, it then came back AGAIN for another look at me and did exactly the same thing. Finally, another diver tried to approach us to take a photo and it left. But I have never been so close to an eagle ray for so long....twice. Maybe he was looking for a date for New Year's.

 

[deepsea21]

Sounds like a fantastic experience... The more we dive the more we experience such rare and special things.

 

[diverken374]

WOW!! Very special! Something that non divers would not appreciate and those that dive would love to experience. How do you explain your encounter!?

 

[MMM]

Simply, I can't. I asked the DM and he couldn't either. He said that it was a chance combination of MAYBE that particular animal on that day, on that site, with me, and maybe a good, general relaxed vibe with no one making quick movement. I suspect the latter more than anything else since as soon as someone came in for a photo on the second encounter, it left.

WOW!! Very special! Something that non divers would not appreciate and those that dive would love to experience. How do you explain your encounter!?

 

[Oldbear]

What a great life experience you had. I have not had any eagle rays do this, but I have had a 4' sting ray join me once. I was on the side of a sandy shelf, stationary, observing an OW class up on the self. The sting ray just pulled up next to me a few feet away and we spent the next ten minutes together watching the class. I also once was eating lunch while working on a ranch in Wyoming over looking a large valley when a golden eagle landed about 30' from me. I continued to eat my lunch and he, I suspect, was looking for his.

For me it is always so special when wildlife let us into their worlds.

 

[THRASH]

Very cool! I wish someone could've captured footage of this as we would have loved to seen it.

 

[MMM]

Very cool! I wish someone could've captured footage of this as we would have loved to seen it.

As I think about this some more, I wonder if the absence of flashes and cameras in his face is perhaps why he stayed buddied up with me...

 

[DM Gary]

On a solo dive at the Flower Gardens back in August, (in the Gulf of Mexico for those not familiar) I had an eagle ray approach me at about 90 feet at the top of the wall. It turned back when it saw me so I got negative and knelt down in a sandy patch and waited. Sure enough, it came back and made several passes around me and came within a few yards. It stayed close to the bottom the whole time foraging for food and didn't seem concerned with me at all. I think I might have spent five minutes watching it.
They evidently aren't normally seen in the FGs in the warm months and that was the first one I'd seen there in close to 100 dives so it was really cool...not as cool as your experience though. I'm glad you had such a memorable dive!

 

[tomfcrist]

I have seen them "ride" a divers back. I have also seen them "play" with divers...specifically by removing the divers reg...numerous times. Pretty cool to watch.

 

[kentmorrdave]

Behaviour. Damn Canadian spelling/words