Black Diamond Ray

Black Diamond is a beautiful male manta ray that Kerstin Windberg saw for the first time on June 26, 2019 at Kauna’oa Bay. . He was a pup measuring around 3 feet, and has since grown to about 7 feet.

He is not shy, but rather trusting and often comes close to the surface to feed, which brings him very close to people in the water. His claspers are visible and extend past the pelvic fins, indicating he is now almost a mature male. He is gorgeous.

SPECIES

Mobula Alfredi (reef)

GENDER

Male

WINGSPAN

7 feet

MARKINGS

6 diamond-shaped spots

IDENTIFICATION DATE

06/26/2019

Black Diamond Ray'S MARKINGS

Black Diamond has a much darker dorsal side than the other mantas we know plus 6x "diamond" shaped spots in his ID marking.

Black Diamond Ray's Injuries/scarring

Black Diamond experienced several minor injuries over the years. ** On July 8th, 2023, he showed up at Kauna'oa Bay with a hook in his left cephalic fin and at least 30 feet of fishing line trailing behind him. Martina managed to cut off a good part, but not all; removing the hook completely could have caused more harm or longer-lasting injuries. Over the following years, he showed up with a little less line each time and eventually, algae even started to grow on the hook. On May 4th, 2025, the hook fell of as he was feeding at the manta viewing site - and while we were guiding a group of snorkelers to meet the mantas! When we looked at our video footage from that night, one clip showed that the hook was still attached - and by the next time he passed us, it was gone. A closer look at the footage shows the clips were taken ONE MINUTE apart. ** Black Diamond also sustained injuries in March 2025, when he showed up with long cuts down his ventral and dorsal sides, and a chunk of his right wing missing. ** Check out the image slider below!

IMAGES OF Black Diamond Ray

07-08-2023-fishing-line-around-mouth

Black Diamond with fishing line around his mouth
DATE: 08 July 2023
LOCATION: Kauna‘oa Bay
Copyright/image courtesy of Martina Wing

07-08-2023 Black Diamond with fishing line around his mouth

07-08-2023 Black Diamond with fishing line trailing from his cephalic fin

07-08-2023 Black Diamond with a hook in his left cephalic fin

07-21-2023 Black Diamond with a hook in his left cephalic fin

09-05-2023 Black Diamond with a hook in his left cephalic fin

09-15-2023 Black Diamond with a hook in his left cephalic fin

10-25-2023 Black Diamond with a hook in his left cephalic fin up close

10-31-2023 Black Diamond with a hook in his left cephalic fin

11-11-2023 Black Diamond with a hook in his left cephalic fin

12-06-2023 Black Diamond with a hook in his left cephalic fin

04-06-2024 Black Diamond with a hook in his left cephalic fin

11-08-2024 Black Diamond with a hook in his left cephalic fin

03-17-2025 Black Diamond with a hook in his left cephalic fin

03-17-2025 Black Diamond with long cut down his stomach

03-17-2025 Black Diamond with long cut down his dorsal side

04-08-2025 Black Diamond with a hook in his left cephalic fin

05-01-2025 Black Diamond with a hook in his left cephalic fin

05-04-2025 Black Diamond with a hook in his left cephalic fin

05-04-2025 Black Diamond without his hook!

Have you met Black Diamond Ray? Share your story!

2 Comments

Alicia on August 15, 2023 at 1:45 pm

We went on a tour in April where Black Diamond was caught on a dive line. We just wanted to check back and see if he was ok and has been spotted since April 23???!
Reply
- Martina Wing on August 16, 2023 at 5:39 pm
  
  Hi, thanks for checking on Black Diamond. We saw them in April 2023, and then again in July twice. One 07/08, he had a fishing hook in his cephalic fins with line trailing. On 07/21, he was spotted again and still had the hook, but the fishing line was cut off. Not sure who removed it. The hook will eventually rust out, but it is always concerning of what any fishing gear does to the animals. We know that mantas feel pain: https://mantarayadvocates.com/do-mantas-feel-pain/
  Reply