Dustin Heath was on the 91st Street Fishing Pier around 1 p.m. Monday when he noticed a dark, flat creature gliding near the surface.
“It seemed to be a juvenile, and I’d estimate it at around 6-8 feet,” Heath told Chron. “I thought it was a shark or dolphin eating a stingray at first because of the little fin it has, making it look like a shark.”
The animal appeared to be a manta ray, one of the largest rays in the world. Video shared by Heath shows the creature briefly surfacing, its broad fins moving up and down like wings.
At the time, a pod of dolphins was swimming nearby, and anglers had already caught several sharks. Heath said roughly 50 people were on the pier and many likely saw the animal as it passed through the area.
“It was pretty exciting to see,” Heath said. “It took me a minute to figure out what it was because it was off in the distance for a while.”
Despite making regular trips from Houston to Galveston since childhood, Heath said he had never seen a manta ray there before.
The sighting quickly drew attention online, with some social media users describing it as a “once-in-a-lifetime” encounter.
Last year, Galveston Island shared video of another manta ray gliding near an angler’s boat off the island’s coast. Officials noted at the time that the “gentle giants” are rarely seen so close to Texas beaches.
According to National Geographic, manta rays are the largest rays in the world and can be found in tropical, subtropical and temperate oceans. They are known for their broad, wing-like fins and two horn-shaped cephalic fins that extend from the front of their heads, earning them the nickname “devil fish.”
Chron has reached out to the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries for comment and will update this story with any additional information.