This study, the first of its kind in oceanic and Caribbean manta rays, highlights that regulations and the use of best practices are vital for achieving longer and less disturbing encounters for both manta rays and divers. The existence of additional stressors such as both traffic in Banderas Bay could be causing the mantas in this site to respond more frequently to active divers. The increased food availability for Isla Contoy manta rays could be the reason for the reduced response toward divers in this site. Changes in manta ray behavior were similar for both sites, but mantas in Banderas Bay transitioned to evasion more with active divers. At freediving sites, manta rays from Isla Contoy displayed evasion less frequently than at Banderas Bay. Manta rays responded similarly in both sites to active divers. Manta rays in Banderas Bay and Revillagigedo displayed a higher frequency of erratic behaviors than at Isla Contoy, while Banderas Bay manta rays transitioned to evasion behaviors more often. Our models accounted for passive and active diver behavior when modeling the changes in manta behavior. We modeled the sequence of behaviors exhibited by manta rays via first order Markov chains. We described 16 behaviors and grouped them into four behavioral states: Directional, erratic, attraction and evasion to divers. Diver activities were grouped into passive and active categories. We analyzed the behavior of manta rays using video data collected by local researchers and tourism operators to determine how diver behaviors and techniques (SCUBA and free diving) affect them. birostris) around Isla Contoy National Park in the Caribbean. birostris) in The Revillagigedo Archipelago and Banderas Bay in the Pacific. Manta rays aggregate at three sites in Mexico: Oceanic manta rays ( M. Nevertheless, the effects of tourism over these highly social animals remains unknown. Tourism has been supported as a sustainable alternative for the conservation of the species, and a potential source of economic spillover to local populations. birostris, and Mobula alfredi), the largest mobulid rays, are subjected to exploitation and overfishing in certain parts of the world. 8Laboratorio de Ecología Marina, Centro de Investigaciones Costeras, Centro Universitario de la Costa, Universidad de Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.7Laboratorio de Ecología, Tecnológico Nacional de México/IT Bahía de Banderas, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Mexico.6Proyecto Manta Pacific Mexico, Bahía de Banderas, Mexico.5School of the Environment, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.4Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.3The Manta Trust, Dorchester, United Kingdom.
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