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Mantas used to be called devil rays; because these fins look like demonic horns.
蝠魟过去被称为魔鬼魟，因为它的这些鳍看起来像恶魔的角。
As it turns out, they are actually used for feeding, by helping to funnel more water into the mantas mouth as it swims.
事实证明，它们实际上是用来进食的，帮助蝠魟在游泳时让更多的水注入嘴里。
So how did the mantas learn to feed in the light of divers?
那么蝠魟是如何学会在潜水员的光下进食的呢？
It all started back in the late 1970s at a nearby oceanfront hotel.
这一切都是从上世纪70年代末在附近的海滨酒店开始的。
The hotel has lights to illuminate the ocean for the guests.
这家旅馆有为客人照亮大海的灯光。
With lights shining on the water for many years, and plankton accumulating under them every night, eventually manta rays discovered this nightly hotspot for feeding.
由于灯光多年来一直照射在水面上，浮游生物每晚都在水下聚集，最终蝠魟发现了这个夜间觅食的好地方。
Soon people realized that mantas regularly visited the site and scuba divers started going out to see them.
很快，人们意识到蝠魟经常造访这个地方，潜水者开始下水去找它们。
The first manta ray to be documented at the site was a female with a damaged left cephalic lobe.
在这个地点记录到的第一只蝠魟是雌性的，它的左头叶受损。
She may have been attracted to the light because her damaged fin makes it harder for her to catch enough food on her own.
它可能是受到光线的吸引，因为它那受损的鳍使它更难捕捉到足够的食物。
She was affectionately named Lefty by the divers.
她被潜水员亲切地称为左撇子。
Now, over 30 years later, there are over 200 individual mantas known to frequent the sites.
现在，30多年后，有200多只蝠魟经常出现在这些地点。
And guess who comes over to pay me a visit?
猜猜是谁来看我了？
Lefty herself!
左撇子！
She does a close pass over my bright video lights and then comes around again.
它在我明亮的手灯前近距离地穿越，然后又回来了。
This goes on for the entire dive!
整个潜水过程都是这样！
Nobody is quite sure how long mantas live, but Lefty has to be at least 34 years old, since she was first seen in 1979!
没人确切地知道蝠魟能活多久，但自从人们在1979年第一次见到左撇子以来，它至少有34岁！
I'm starting to feel a little bad about hogging all the mantas because my video lights are much brighter than a plain old flashlight.
我开始对吸引了所有的蝠魟感到有点不好意思，因为我的视频灯比普通的旧手电筒要亮得多。
I have a huge amount of plankton swarming around my head, and the mantas can't get enough.
我头上有大量的浮游生物，蝠魟不停地吃。
Divers are asked not to touch the mantas because being petted and touched night after night is bad for their skin and the thin layer of mucous that protects it.
潜水员被要求不要触摸蝠魟，因为被不停地抚摸对它们的皮肤和起保护作用的那层薄薄的粘液有害。
Yet, many of the mantas have pink, irritated skin on their cephalic lobes and chins caused by rubbing against dive lights every night as they attempt to scoop as much plankton as possible.
然而，许多蝠魟的头叶和下巴上都有粉红色的敏感性皮肤，这是因为它们每晚在试图尽可能多地捕捉浮游生物时，碰到潜水灯造成的。
There isn't much I can do about the mantas bumping my lights and camera except to try to pull it back a bit as they swim over.
对于蝠魟撞到我的灯和相机，我无能为力，只能在它们游过来时把灯和相机往后拉一点。
Most of the time it works.
大多数情况下，这样做有效。
But not always.
但并不总是这样。
As the night goes on and the other divers slowly start to leave, more and more mantas come to my video lights.
随着夜幕降临，其他潜水者开始慢慢离开，越来越多的蝠魟游到我的视频灯前。
Soon, Cameraman Todd and I have them all to ourselves.
很快，我和摄影师托德招来了所有的蝠魟。
It seems like the mantas would probably stay here all night if we did.
如果我们这么做的话，蝠魟可能会在这里呆一整夜。
Unfortunately, just like the other divers, we soon get low on air and need to think about heading back to the boat.
不幸的是，和其他潜水员一样，我们很快就没有氧气了，要考虑回船了。
Reluctantly, I leave the bottom, keeping my video lights on so the mantas can see where I am.
我不情愿地离开海底，还开着视频灯，这样蝠魟能看到我的位置。
I don't want a dozen mantas crashing into me as I ascend!
我不想在上升到水面的过程中，撞上一群蝠魟！
By swimming slowly, the clouds of plankton are able to follow my lights, and so do the mantas, trailing behind me like hungry puppies.
我缓慢游动，一群群的浮游生物能跟随我的灯光，蝠魟则像饥饿的小狗一样也追在我的身后。
Up in the water column near the surface, the mantas start taking turns doing barrel rolls in my lights, which keeps their mouths right in the highest concentration of plankton.
在水面附近的水柱上，蝠魟开始轮流在我的灯光下做滚桶动作，这样它们的嘴就能捕食最多的浮游生物。
All to soon however, I reach the stern of the boat and need to get out of the water, leaving my hungry new friends in the darkness.
但不久，我就到了船尾，要上船了，得把饥饿的新朋友留在黑暗中了。
Soon the plankton will dissipate and the mantas will have to go back to their normal nighttime routine.
很快浮游生物就会消散，蝠魟将恢复正常的夜间活动。
Honestly, there is really no better way to describe that dive other than pretty much the most amazing thing I've ever seen in my entire life.
老实说，除了我这辈子见过的最神奇的东西，这次潜水体验棒极了。
We're talking about dozens of manta rays feeding within inches of my head...it's just incredible to see, something I will never forget.
我们说的是几十条蝠鲼在我头顶几英寸的范围内觅食，真是难以置信，我永远不会忘记。
As we head back to the dock in darkness, and I think about the spectacular dive I just did, I realize one thing for certain: I know what I'm doing tomorrow night!
我们在黑暗中回到码头时，我想起了刚才经历的绝妙的潜水，我意识到有一件事我很肯定：我知道明晚要做什么了！
