Mantas are sporadically seen throughout the atoll. The largest ones, with a wingspan of 6m or more, are usually seen cruising along the seaward reef. Smaller ones, but still often quite large, are more common in some lagoon sites. The island of Ebwaj (Shell Island) is a good place to see them coming into the shallow reef to be serviced by cleaner wrasses.
Mantas at Kwaj may have white undersides with a few patches of gray or black, or black undersides with small patches of white. We are treating them all the same here, but it has been suggested that the white-bellies and black-bellies could be different species.
The one right below had lost most of its tail.
Created 1 October 2013