A rare giant manta some five metres wide has
been spotted near Ta Chai Island in Similan Islands National Park, Phang
Nga province, according to Somporn Kaewmaneechote, a diving instructor
with Sea Turtle Diver Co Ltd.
Somporn said the ray was spotted on the morning
of Sunday (November 10) while he was taking a group of divers to explore
the underwater scenery near Ta Chai Island at a depth of 26 meters.
“When we were coming back up to the depth of 18 metres, we saw a giant
manta ray about four or five metres wide passing in front of us, giving
us an opportunity to snap a photo of it.”
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“We rarely see manta rays of this size around here, and I’m so glad to have seen one,” he added.
Ruamsin Manajongprasert, Head of Similan Islands National Park, revealed
that Ta Chai Island had been closed to tourists since 2016 to
rehabilitate the ecosystem after the high volume of tourist boats had
damaged the coral reef around the island. “The reef has now begun to
heal itself,” he said. “Also, local citizens have been cleaning the
beach, which helps reduce the deaths of sea animals caused by eating
marine debris.”
Ta Chai Island was reopened earlier this year, and there have been
report of rare sea animal sightings including dolphins, whale sharks,
shark rays and manta rays.
Source - The Nation
