Watch: Manta Ray Swims Up To Sarasota Police’s Marine Patrol Unit

SARASOTA, FL — Officers from the Sarasota Police Department’s Marine Patrol Unit made a new friend Saturday when a giant manta ray swam up to their boat.

The officers were patrolling the Gulf waters just north of New Pass when they came across the manta ray, Sarasota police tweeted Monday.

“We sure serve (and) protect paradise,” police tweeted.

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Giant manta rays have an average wingspan of 22 feet long and can weigh as much as 4,000 pounds, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The world’s largest manta ray boasted a wingspan of about 29½ feet long.

They’re not very dangerous to people and are protected in Florida waters, the FWC said.

Check out this video from the officers’ manta ray encounter.