Amazing photos of migrating Golden Rays

The image above depicts Golden Rays in the Gulf of Mexico during their migration from Florida to the Yucatan. It's part of a marvelous larger shot taken along with several others by Sandra Critelli, an amateur photog who was on a whale shark expedition. From The Telegraph:

"It was an unreal image, very difficult to describe. The surface of the water was covered by warm and different shades of gold and looked like a bed of autumn leaves gently moved by the wind.

Golden Rays migration photos (The Telegraph, thanks Brad Keech!)

[#1 posted by Dead Robot , July 3, 2008 11:56 AM]

These photos don't help me since I'm stuck in my cube and dreaming of outside.

[#2 posted by upso , July 3, 2008 12:11 PM]

and THAT my friends is why i dont like swimming in the ocean

[#3 posted by Anonymous , July 3, 2008 12:18 PM]

Wow, it's very Fantasia 2000....

--Charlie

[#4 posted by Patrick Dodds , July 3, 2008 12:36 PM]

wow those are some beautiful pictures.

[#5 posted by Bergjylt , July 3, 2008 12:37 PM]

@Upso - oh come on, don't be squamish. They're perfectly harmless unless you grab'em by the arse and call them "Dahling".

[#6 posted by Murderface , July 3, 2008 12:39 PM]

Holy crap that is awesome!

I am gobsmacked right out of the articulation zone.

[#7 posted by Talia , July 3, 2008 12:51 PM]

They kind of look like ravioli, don't they.

[#8 posted by byronba , July 3, 2008 12:54 PM]

The top picture (at the link) plus the other two long shots further down look to me like something M.C. Escher would do.

Nature immitating art???

[#9 posted by Cpt. Tim , July 3, 2008 12:59 PM]

I want a large printout of that and some mushrooms right this second.

[#10 posted by Lobster , July 3, 2008 1:47 PM]

What a sweet break for an amateur photographer. Talk about getting known overnight.

I hope the rays didn't report her to the NSA for taking their picture without asking.

[#11 posted by Avi Solomon , July 3, 2008 2:17 PM]

Desktop background image:
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/06/24/article-0-01B8EF8900000578-909_468x314_popup.jpg

[#12 posted by minamisan , July 3, 2008 5:14 PM]

makes me want to dive right into the middle and experience the rubbery tickling of a million slimy fins. thankfuly Steve Irwin took one for the team and proved that it's not such a good idea.

[#13 posted by Frank_in_Virginia , July 4, 2008 1:35 PM]

Beautiful. I too am gobsmacked right out of the articulation zone.

[#14 posted by MaximusNYC , July 4, 2008 1:51 PM]

This is one amazing planet we live on.

Things like this are going on all the time, and we barely have a clue about most of them.

[#15 posted by insomma , July 6, 2008 4:42 AM]

Rays, ravioli, mushrooms, Mexico, (sigh)...