Kite surfer shocked when ocean creature leaps from waves. Australia video shows near-miss
When you spend time on the ocean, it’s safe to assume the animals that call the sea home will stay in the water.
This wasn’t the case for an Australian kite surfer.
While catching the wind off the coast of western Australia, the surfer saw a glimpse of something dark moving under the water near his board.
As he gets closer, the outline of a large, dark ray appears under the surface, a TikTok video posted by jasonbater179 on March 8 shows.
Then the ray rushes toward the surface, explodes from the water and flaps its fins in the air, the video shows.
“Watch his tail,” the surfer wrote in the video caption.
As the surfer passes the flying ray, the end of its long tail gets dangerously close.
Then it lands back in the water, and the surfer and the ray both go on to enjoy the ocean.
“He (was) trying to show you up,” one person commented on TikTok.
“I”ll show you how to do it,” another said.
The ray is likely a mobula ray and not a stingray. They are known for leaping into the air and showing off their agility, according to the British Natural History Museum.
The behavior may be a way to communicate, a display during mating or way to hunt as a group, but no one knows for sure, the museum says.
