A video of a woman's surprisingly close encounter with a "huge" manta ray in Indonesian waters has gone viral on TikTok.
The clip was shared by @travelwithsahan and has garnered 5.5 million views since it was posted on July 4. The moment was captured in Nusa Penida, an Indonesian island off the coast of Bali, according to a later comment from the poster.
A message overlaid on the video reads: "It was all cute & games until..." The footage shows a woman in snorkeling gear floating on her back in bouncy turquoise waters near a boat.
Moments later, what appears to be a manta ray is seen gliding toward the unsuspecting woman. As the manta ray appears to go past her arm, the woman suddenly jolts forward, frantically attempting to swim away.
A caption shared with the post says, "I was not expecting the manta ray to be this close to me, I was just trying to take a cute video."
Are Manta Rays Dangerous?
As understandably startled as the woman in the clip may have been, manta rays are harmless. Any that are encountered are just looking for zooplankton—tiny marine animals that drift in the water—to feed on, says an April 2022 article from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries' website.
With a wingspan of up to 26 feet, giant manta rays are the world's largest rays. "Although the giant manta ray tends to be solitary, they aggregate at cleaning sites and to feed and mate," NOAA Fisheries says.
"During feeding, giant manta rays may be found aggregating in shallow waters at depths less than 10 meters. However, tagging studies have also shown that the species conducts dives of up to 200 to 450 meters and is capable of diving to depths exceeding 1,000 meters," NOAA Fisheries says.
A stock image shows a woman snorkeling near manta rays. A video of a woman being startled by a manta ray while snorkeling in Indonesia has gone viral on TikTok.A stock image shows a woman snorkeling near manta rays. A video of a woman being startled by a manta ray while snorkeling in Indonesia has gone viral on TikTok.iStock / Getty Images PlusThe giant manta ray has been listed as threatened since 2018 under the Endangered Species Act. The main threat is commercial fishing.
"They are highly mobile—they move quite a bit and need protection in areas both where they travel and where they live," NOAA Fisheries says.
'A Dream'
Many TikTok users were not concerned by the clip of the manta ray encounter.
Zoe commented: "Manta Ray is like hello," while NATE said, "Lol they don't bite."
BeeDubs3317 wrote: "Literally a dream of mine," and AjaTheGoat said, "Lmao the manta ray just swimming."
But some were alarmed, such as BethyGeeeee, who wrote: "o m g. huge!!!"
Zammy K agreed, saying, "That thang was HUGE."
Said @solanabraxton: "This is exactly why I don't do dark waters. If I can't see clearly through it, I ain't stepping foot in it,"
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok and email. The video has not been independently verified.
Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured in Newsweek.
