Divers Free Ray and Receive Heartfelt Response

Quick Smiles:

• Divers bravely rescued an entangled mobula ray despite circling sharks.
• The freed ray returned to circle its rescuers in a remarkable show of gratitude.
• The entire event was carefully documented off the coast of Baja California, Mexico.

A team of underwater photographers and free divers united to save a mobula ray trapped over 30 feet underwater, wrapped in a rope from a shark fisherman’s buoy.

Displaying teamwork and courage, seven divers worked in shifts, cutting away the tangled line while keeping calm despite the presence of three large silky sharks nearby.

Mobula rays, also called flying or eagle rays, are smaller and more diverse than the giant manta rays, with about 12 living species.

Underwater photographer Andre Smits was part of the group that found the distressed animal, describing the situation as urgent when their guide first saw the entangled ray.

“Our guide jumped in to check the line, popped his head up right away, and said, ‘guys, I need your help. There’s something stuck in the line,’” Smits recalled.

A free-diving trainer skillfully descended to cut the rope below the ray, allowing the team to gently bring the animal closer to the surface for the rescue.

“It was completely entangled. The rope was going around almost every part of the ray,” Smits said. “The animal was in freak mode, starting to swim around to try to get free, but then it understood that it was stuck.”

The divers made sure the rescue happened cautiously to avoid injury to both themselves and the ray, especially with sharks nearby and the risk of blood in the water.

Thanks to their careful coordination, the mobula ray was freed and survived its ordeal with only minor injuries.

“The beautiful thing was we cut her free, we released her, and she swam away about 30 meters and then it felt like she decided to come back,” Smits shared.

“She really swam back to us and did a ‘thank you’ circle. She came right between us to our faces, almost giving us a grateful hug.”

This inspiring rescue is a wonderful reminder of the positive impact teamwork and compassion have on the world around us.

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