Reef Manta Ray
Mobula alfredi
Sighting evidence at Matemo Island Wall, Quirimbas Archipelago
Photo: Luis P. B. · CC BY-NC
Matemo Wall is the best manta ray site in the Quirimbas Archipelago, with reef manta rays encountered on nearly every dive from April through November as they use the current-swept wall as a feeding corridor for the copepod-rich water streaming through the Mozambique Channel. Aggregations of 8 to 12 mantas are recorded regularly during peak season, with individuals displaying the distinctive barrel-roll feeding behaviour that indicates exceptionally high plankton density in the water column. The wall's length means that patient divers can drift with the same individuals for 20 minutes or more, one of the most extended manta encounters available anywhere in East Africa.
Evidence at this site
No confirmed records on file at this site
Reef Manta Ray is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.