Ocean Rafting has had its most successful Manta Ray research season yet! On one of our Reef Protection Initiative days, our crew successfully photographed 4 Manta Rays that have never been identified along the East Coast of Australia before! To top that off, we have recently reviewed footage from a snorkel dating back to 2019 where we’ve achieved another 2 IDs!
![](https://oceanrafting.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/1578_ID-1024x864.png)
We are thrilled to introduce you to 5 of our 6 identified Manta Rays!
![](https://oceanrafting.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/new1576-F-20230813-Whitsundays_SaddlebackIs-Heath_EcoRafting-2-1024x825.png)
![](https://oceanrafting.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/new1577-M-20230813-Whitsundays_SaddlebackIs-Callum_EcoRafting-3m.png)
![](https://oceanrafting.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/1578_ID-1-1024x864.png)
![](https://oceanrafting.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/new1579-UN-20230813-Whitsundays_SaddlebackIs-James_EcoRafting-2.5-3m-683x1024.jpg)
![](https://oceanrafting.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/new1580-F-20190625-Whitsundays_LuncheonBay-JamesUnsworth-1.png)
![](https://oceanrafting.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/new1581-M-20190625-Whitsundays_LuncheonBay-JamesUnsworth-1.png)
# 1576 Laele Ellen, # 1577 NautiCal, # 1579 Midha – pronounced Mid-the, which is the aboriginal Ngaro word for “dark” named by Robbie, a Traditional owner in the Whitsundays. #1580 Cosmo Skye, #1581 Martyn.
The 6th Manta Ray (#1578) is to be named by Cannonvale State School as part of a naming contest amongst the students, with the winner to be picked in the first week of Term 4!
Mantas have their own unique markings on their bellies which act as a universal ID, providing a non-invasive way to identify and track individuals. We send off our photographs to the Project Manta database, and if the individual is successfully identified it is assigned a catalogue number and then gets to be named!
Watch this space to see what Manta #1578 will be called, and who the winner is!