# Devils and Dragons on video, honest! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 27, 2012, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devils-and-dragons-on-video-honest/642276 "2012-11-27T16:53:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devils-and-dragons-on-video-honest/642276/1 "2012-11-27T16:53:22Z")
Here’s something I recorded a few weeks ago at Rinja island, next to the more widely know Komodo. We went diving at a place called Cannibal Rock, in Horseshoe Bay on the southern tip of Rinja, on the way back to the boat we found this show going on: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nerqAeWFKD0](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nerqAeWFKD0) Oceanic Manta Rays (they used to be called Devil Rays) feeding, Komodo Dragons prowling the beach and eagles fishing around us, there was also a group of smaller Mobula Rays racing around, though I didn’t get those in the video, plus of course the landscape and the setting Sun. It was nuts, the only thing missing was David Attenborough narrating the whole thing. I swam with the mantas for a while and then went back to the boat to get my multicopter ready and shoot some video of the action. The next morning (the second half of the video) there was only one large manta ray in sight and the dragons were gone, but I got a very nice shot of one of the eagles. I hope you like it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devils-and-dragons-on-video-honest/642276/2 "2012-11-27T17:05:02Z")
Very nice! What sort of vehicle were you in when you shot that? ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devils-and-dragons-on-video-honest/642276/3 "2012-11-27T17:15:48Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Very nice! > > What sort of vehicle were you in when you shot that? I was on a boat… 😉 The camera, on the other hand, was mounted on a radio controlled tricopter with FPV gear (First Person View), the video from the camera is transmitted live to a pair of goggles, so I see what the camera sees. I’m the one all in blue with the goggles on and the R/C transmitter in my hands just before landing the tricopter on the boat. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devils-and-dragons-on-video-honest/642276/4 "2012-11-27T17:30:33Z")
That is freakin’ awesome! ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devils-and-dragons-on-video-honest/642276/5 "2012-11-27T18:21:17Z")
Holy cow, those mantas are gigantic! Oh, I am so envious of you. At the same time, I’m very glad you shared this. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devils-and-dragons-on-video-honest/642276/6 "2012-11-27T18:38:18Z")
That’s very cool about the RC camera. If you’re going to go someplace amazing, make sure to bring your best toys. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devils-and-dragons-on-video-honest/642276/7 "2012-11-27T18:50:40Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > I hope you like it. 🙂 Like it? Nope. LOVE IT! ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devils-and-dragons-on-video-honest/642276/8 "2012-11-27T19:37:40Z")
Incredible. Good stuff! ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devils-and-dragons-on-video-honest/642276/9 "2012-11-27T20:14:34Z")
Wow! It felt like I was there! Thanks so much for sharing. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devils-and-dragons-on-video-honest/642276/10 "2012-11-27T20:15:51Z")
That’s a really beautiful place. Do manta rays bite? What would keep you from going swimming there? ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devils-and-dragons-on-video-honest/642276/11 "2012-11-27T20:46:46Z")
Beautiful stuff. Thanks for sharing it…but now I have a bad case of toy envy. I’m not even into cameras and RC aircraft, and I still want a rig like yours. (Even though I’d probably only get a short, but highly detailed, video of the ground rushing up and dirt flying around :D) ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devils-and-dragons-on-video-honest/642276/12 "2012-11-28T02:15:28Z")
> [@phouka](#): > > Holy cow, those mantas are gigantic! > > Oh, I am so envious of you. At the same time, I’m very glad you shared this. Thank you. They were the biggest I’ve seen so far, up to five meters “wingspan”. The ones I’ve seen before were reef Manta Rays, closely related but a bit smaller; these were oceanic Manta Rays, the very rarely get so close to the coast, in fact the people from the dive shop had never seen them there so it was a very rare event. > [@tdn](#): > > That’s a really beautiful place. > > Do manta rays bite? What would keep you from going swimming there? No, they don’t bite, they are in fact very gentle and curious, they couldn’t bite even if they wanted to anyway, they have no teeth. In any case I was swimming among them half an hour or so before I shot the video, perhaps I’ll show a video of that later. > [@Balance](#): > > Beautiful stuff. Thanks for sharing it…but now I have a bad case of toy envy. I’m not even into cameras and RC aircraft, and I still want a rig like yours. (Even though I’d probably only get a short, but highly detailed, video of the ground rushing up and dirt flying around :D) Some multicopters literally fly themselves, as in you set way points in Google Earth, press a button and off it goes. They have GPS, geomagnetic, barometric, sonar, accelerometers and gyroscopic sensors, the ultimate gadget. But there’s not fun in that!, I prefer to fly manually with a simple gyroscopic stabilized flight controller. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devils-and-dragons-on-video-honest/642276/13 "2012-11-28T14:46:52Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > No, they don’t bite, they are in fact very gentle and curious I was wondering about that. I’ve only encountered stingrays, who are far friendlier than cats. But they had their stingers removed. I don’t know if I’d ever swim with them in the wild. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devils-and-dragons-on-video-honest/642276/14 "2012-11-28T16:31:20Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I was wondering about that. I’ve only encountered stingrays, who are far friendlier than cats. But they had their stingers removed. I don’t know if I’d ever swim with them in the wild. Sitngrays with their stings removed? Wha’??? 😕 In an aquarium I suppose? Last year I had a wonderful encounter with Manta Rays at Koh Bon, a tiny island in the Andaman Sea, [you can see how close they can get to a diver](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyi9OGABHjQ), as I said they are very gentle and curious. IIRC they have extraordinarily large brains for a fish, close to the body/brain size ratio of mammals. It’s just outrageous that they are killed to sell their fin tips as fake shark fins for soup and their gills to be used in traditional Chinese medicine. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devils-and-dragons-on-video-honest/642276/15 "2012-11-28T16:37:25Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > Sitngrays with their stings removed? Wha’??? 😕 > In an aquarium I suppose? Yep. Almost more of a petting zoo. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devils-and-dragons-on-video-honest/642276/16 "2012-11-28T18:26:55Z")
That was truly amazing! (On a quick note, were the photographers of the dragons being friendly with their waving, trying to warn you away from the dragons, or angry at you for messing up their shot?) ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devils-and-dragons-on-video-honest/642276/17 "2012-11-28T18:37:39Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I was wondering about that. I’ve only encountered stingrays, who are far friendlier than cats. But they had their stingers removed. I don’t know if I’d ever swim with them in the wild. I’ve snorkeled with them in the wild. They were very calm, and fascinating to look at up close. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devils-and-dragons-on-video-honest/642276/18 "2012-11-28T21:24:25Z")
Very cool. And perhaps a vision of what’s coming…aerial photography might become part of everyone’s repertoire some day. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/devils-and-dragons-on-video-honest/642276/19 "2012-12-04T03:12:15Z")
Here’s the video from the airplane camera, as you will see it’s a different kind of flying. [Flying over Komodo National Park](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeVC6te--w0)