A female model has stunned people with her really unique style of diving where she mingles with other creatures underwater.
A Tahitian model who dives n*ked with dangerous marine creatures to create stunning photographs, said she holds the venomous stingray 'dearest to her heart'.
Rava Ray, also known as the 'Stingray Queen,' grew up on the small South Pacific Island Mo'orea and learnt to'share the water' with sharks, whales, turtles and dolphins.
The 27-year-old told Daily Mail Australia she was left completely 'starstruck' after diving with a tiger shark for the first time and urges those who fear marine creatures to get up close themselves.
'If I could help them change their perspective, I'd tell them to go experience the creatures themselves instead of relying on the things they've heard or seen in the movies,' she said.
After she learnt to dive and became familiar with underwater photography, Ms Ray's family moved to Hawaii and she started swimming with turtles, sharks and dolphins.
She said she has never felt anxious being close dangerous marine creatures and does not believe it is an animal's first instinct to attack a person.
'I don't think I've ever posed a threat to an animal or been in a situation where I would have been attacked,' she said.
Ms Ray admitted she has been bitten by a stingray in the past, but said it was a 'total accident'.
'I've never been attacked by their barb,' she said. 'When you're swimming around wild animals sometimes aren't sure how to interact'.
'It's the same as the way we might accidentally scratch them with our fingernail'.
Ms Ray said there are only three photographers she trusts to capture the 'magic' of her swimming naked with the stingrays.
'In my perfect world, I would dive nude every time, but it takes a special type of photographer to capture it in a way I find tasteful,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
She said there is something 'timeless' about being naked in the water and also enjoys shedding a bikini to avoid representing a particular brand.
'Beauty is about being vulnerable,' she said.
While the photos capture the essence of diving with marine animals, she said sometimes the camera struggles to reveal the 'real magic'.
'With whales in particular, there are things the pictures can't capture - like what they sound like and what they move like,' Ms Ray said.
She shares the stunning photos with her 42,000 followers on her Instagram page and she often receives negative comments questioning her safety during the dives.
The model has dived solo in the past, but much prefers it with friends to 'blow bubbles' and 'feel like children'again.
She admits she does not have a safety protocol in place if one of the animals were to suddenly become aggressive, but said there is a hospital on the island.
While she has never timed how long she can stay underwater, Ms Ray believes she can hold her breath and pose for just under two minutes.
Ms Ray has since left Hawaii to study fashion design at Parsons university in New York.
After being inspired by local artists in Tahiti, she started designing 'wearable art' including statement necklaces and gowns made out of shells and feathers.
See more photos below:
