We welcome you to come meet Hope, our giant manta ray in the Atlantis Ruins lagoon. Watching her glide through the water is something you just have to see. As one of only two aquariums in the Western Hemisphere to care for and study giant mantas, Atlantis is proud to have Hope in residence.

The giant manta is the largest species of ray, but you probably could have guessed that by the name. But did you know they can live up to 50 years old, and grow to 29 feet wide? That’s one giant manta. Though these rays are large in size, they’re still vulnerable due to overfishing and a slow reproductive cycle. So it’s our duty to help protect them so they can thrive in the wild.

If you want to get an up close and personal with our giant manta Hope, while helping fund ocean conservation, we’ve got some great news for you. The Atlantis marine team is excited to offer our Snorkel the Ruins program, where you can swim alongside Hope and many other underwater creatures in our protected lagoon. And to make it an even more meaningful experience, part of the program cost goes directly to the Atlantis Blue Project Foundation—a non-profit dedicated to protecting our ocean and its inhabitants.