Where are manta rays most famously found in large numbers?

Large manta ray aggregations are especially well known in the Maldives, the island state in the Indian Ocean, where reef mantas gather at cleaning stations. Other famous locations include Yap in Micronesia and sites in Indonesia such as Nusa Penida. Manta rays favor warm tropical and subtropical seas, often around coral reefs, seamounts, and plankton-rich currents. Many of these sites have become important ecotourism destinations and conservation priorities because mantas are vulnerable to overfishing and habitat loss.