This is the moment a huge manta ray swims directly towards a stunned scuba diver before elegantly gliding over his head at the last second.

The incredible scene was filmed off the coast of Fuvahmulah Island in the Republic of Maldives, and the footage was shared on Instagram by Swedish diving instructor Johan Kinch, 20.

In the footage, Johan is seen scuba diving in the ocean as a large figure suddenly appears in the distance.

The large manta ray apparently swims directly towards the scuba instructor before gliding over his head at the last second.

Johan called it “the most surreal moment of my life”.

Johan, who currently works in the Maldives as a diving instructor, told Newsflash: “The video was recorded at the beginning of April when I took a couple of days off from work to go on vacation to an island in the south of Maldives called Fuvahmulah.

“Fuvahmulah is actually the only coral atoll in Maldives that only consists of a single island. So basically it’s one island in the middle of the open ocean, which makes the diving there very unique and challenging with strong ocean currents. Then of course, it has the highest concentration of tiger sharks in the world. It is a local island that puts huge effort into protecting sharks!”

Johan was accompanied by diving instructor Jazmin A. Silva Diniz, 26, from Argentina.

Jazmin told Newsflash: “I studied marine biology at university and I’m also a lifeguard. I’ve worked in the diving industry for the last five years as an instructor.

“I am fully in love with the ocean. I support shark conservation and I like to show people the truth about sharks and other marine animals.”