A 381kg manta ray was transported back to the ocean from its by helicopter.

The footage was released after the operation, which involved a marine scientist and a team of 20 marine aquarists transfered Leyley, who was an 11.4-foot wingspan.

The manta ray was being housed at Atlantis resort in The Bahamas, one of only two aquariums in the Western Hemisphere which currently cares for and studies the manta ray.

It took 105 seconds to transfer Leyley from the resort's 2.7-million gallon marine habitat back into the Atlantic Ocean, as part of their renowned release and research program.