Scuba diver finds herself surrounded by giant manta rays in the Maldives

For many scuba divers, manta rays are the most beautiful and sought after of all the sights in the ocean. They are majestic animals that glide through the water with a magnificence and grace that is unrivaled. This reef in the Maldives is a favourite location for the mantas to come and hover in the current. They seek the help of the smaller fish that clean parasites off the mantas.
These locations are referred to as cleaning stations. Many species of smaller fish wait here and the larger fish come in on the current for their assistance. The scuba divers know that this is also their opportunity to swim among these great beasts. The divers fix themselves to a rock or section of dead coral with a small reef hook and a rope. This allows them to hover above the bottom in one place. Because they are still, the mantas quickly become comfortable with the divers' presence. They drift past and over the divers curiously as they position themselves at the cleaning stations.
Manta rays are highly intelligent, self aware, and capable of impressive feats of memory and reasoning. Studies show that they understand their own reflections and that they study themselves in a mirror if they are given the opportunity. These mantas understand that the small scuba divers represent no threat to them. They swim around with no concern. One of them skims directly over the head of the videographer, so close that she could have reached up and touched it. Such a close encounter with one of nature's most beautiful creatures is an experience that will never be forgotten.