Marine biologist Dawn Murray sits down with Martina Wing for two hours of conversation about manta rays. Martina shares 27 years of experience with Hawaii's reef manta rays, from identifying individuals by their belly patterns to navigating the current challenges of sustainable manta tourism. Dawn asks the questions a marine educator wants answered, and Martina provides insights from nearly three decades above and below.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

What we know (and don't know) about manta ray reproduction
Manta rays movement ranges and individual behaviors
The gracious and acrobatic manta ray feeding patterns
Martina’s mission to make manta tours safer and more sustainable
The "superpower" of manta rays: pushing trauma forward for healing

You’ll get to know the individual mantas Martina’s gotten to know and love, hear about civilians and scientists who’ve helped uncover some of the mysteries surrounding the gentle giants of the ocean, along with some manta ray mythbusting.

Key moments:

(1:46) Martina's origin story: from deep grief to manta rays
(8:13) Evolution from underwater videographer to shore-based tour operator
(13:48) How do we identify and track individual manta rays?
(28:22) The birth and early development of manta rays
(46:15) Manta ray filter-feeding behavior and patterns
(52:57) Dangers and threats to manta rays in Hawaii and globally
(59:14) Why is manta ray tourism such a controversial topic right now?
(01:05:00) Stories of manta ray courtship and pregnancy
(01:10:55) Mythbusting: manta rays don’t turn off their brains to swim
(01:11:13) Manta ray predators and why mantas are hard to catch
(01:14:16) Movement range and the Pavlov effect, continued at (1:25:53)
(01:20:12) Does the moon affect manta ray movement patterns? Continued at (01:21:32)
(01:20:30) The third species of manta rays, officially recognized last summer (2025)
(01:23:47) Do manta rays eat jellyfish?
(01:29:41) The partnership with Jim, speaking up about safety and manta tour regulations
(01:51:48) Sharing the magical experience of swimming with manta rays

This episode is for anyone who wants to understand manta ray behavior and cares about sustainable ocean tourism and conservation.

Episode page and resources: https://oceanwingspodcast.com/episode/dawn-martina-manta-deep-dive

Get Martina’s emails: https://oceanwingspodcast.com/newsletter

More about manta rays on mantarayadvocates.com