Diver surrounded by manta rays in Australia: VIDEO

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Monday, September 16, 2019
Manta rays circle diver at Ningaloo Reef
Watch this diver get close attention from manta rays while snorkeling at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia.

NINGALOO REEF, Western Australia (KGO) -- A diver got up close and personal with some manta rays while snorkeling in Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia.

Videographer Scott Slawinski captured drone footage, where you can see diver Nush Freedman surrounded by the rays.

Slawinski posted video of the encounter to the Facebook page for his company, Base Imagery, saying the manta rays were "friendly."

National Geographic says manta rays use creative ways to gather their food, including following each other in a circle to create a "cyclone effect" to trap food.

It isn't known whether that's what the rays were trying to do in this video, but fortunately for Freedman, they're considered to be harmless to humans.