Graceful ocean giants with wing spans reaching 12 to 23 feet, mantas have the appearance of birds soaring through the sea. They feed on plankton which they filter through rows of small plates in their mouths. They have the largest brain to body ratio of all fish and have been known to sometimes allow scuba divers to ride on their backs.

“Manta rays are super intelligent and super aware of you. When they look at you, you can tell the lights are on in there,” says photographer Thomas P. Peschak, who has been photographing mantas for the past decade.

Peschak’s introduction to manta rays began in 2008 when he accompanied scientist Guy Stevens on a trip to the Maldives, where Stevens was