Munk's devil rays are small relatives of the mantas that form spectacular, tightly-packed schools — sometimes tens of thousands of animals — in the Sea of Cortez between May and July. The aggregations occur in shallow water near La Paz and off Espíritu Santo island. The rays frequently leap clear of the water in unison, a behaviour associated with courtship, parasite shedding, or communication that is still not fully understood. Encounters are snorkel (the rays are surface-active) and photography-driven; the visual density of a mobula school in full flow is unlike anything else in the ocean.
The year at a glance
Global aggregated reliability — at any given month, how reliably can you find this species somewhere in the world?
Where to see them in April
Sorted by April reliability and species status.
- 01
3/5
Full season breakdown
Peak Present Rare