On this particular day the young boy in red shorts had gone to the steps to feed and play with his lovable manta ray friend. The huge fish swam right up to where the kid was standing and greeted him as affectionately as a giant manta ray possibly can! It hovered near the surface close to the boy while he gently pet it and never once did it make any move that could be perceived as threatening or questionable. In fact, the creature was so calm and accustomed to the boy that it even ate the food he offered right out of his hands. That’s pretty impressive and shows a certain level of trust and familiarity that only develops over time. At one moment in the clip the boy splashed the surface of the water and seconds later the ray came in super close. It looks just like how you’d call over a dog and perhaps this boy has taught his giant ray friend a few cool tricks!

As unbelievable and odd as this pairing may seem to be, stingrays are actually quite friendly and curious creatures. They are intelligent and only will attack or sting when they are either defending themselves or something suddenly scares them, which is totally normal. When you watch the interaction in the video just think how cool and neat this would be if it happened to you. And while most people would probably be a little freaked out by such a giant fish swimming right up to them, this kid loves it and knows he’s safe. In the end, nature always finds a way to surprise us and make us smile, and this young boy and his stingray friend will do just that!