"They eat 40 kilograms of fish a day. We have three kilograms between five big rays so you can see it's a snack, like a bowl of peanuts, to them," Malouf tells 70 onlookers who have gathered to watch the show.
Mitchell is at the pointy end, a camera in one hand and a piece of trevally in the other.
Large stingrays have an undeservedly mean reputation after one killed Steve Irwin in Queensland in 2006.
Their barbed tails command respect but it is their size that inspires awe. The larger residents of Queenscliff Harbour weigh about 250 kilograms and can grow to 400.
Malouf catches sharks for the Melbourne Aquarium and this connection gave Mitchell, a certified diver, the opportunity to train in the precarious art of stingray interaction.
The crowd murmurs its admiration for the mighty creatures as they approach Mitchell on a patch of sand between structures at Fisherman's Wharf. One ray accepts a "peanut" in half a metre of water and wheels slowly back to deeper water as another massive glider approaches.
Malouf and his wife Jan have been running a recreational fishing operation, Gamerec Charters, out of Queenscliff for 15 years. The family name is synonymous with restaurants, with Andrew's brothers Greg and Geoff involved in several high-profile epicurean ventures.
Back on the pier, viewers are asked to make a donation for the ray-feeding performance so that guard rails and other facilities can be built.
Andrew and Jan believe ray feeding could be a bigger tourist attraction than the penguins of Phillip Island. It is a potential complement to their business of charter fishing and sunset cruises, which view seals and dolphins.
The Maloufs need a healthy marine ecosystem for their livelihood and say they are monitoring the controversial bay dredging closely.
Dredging concerns are shared by another operator in Queenscliff, Sea All Dolphin Swims.
The skipper of Sea All's Maureen M, Robert Main, says the last time there was dredging around Queenscliff, water visibility was so bad "you couldn't see your hand in front of your face". The dredging volume this time, he says, is far greater than in the past and murky water is disastrous for a business that shows snorkellers the marine life of Port Phillip Bay.
After one spectacular morning of swimming with dolphins and seals, Main brings the Maureen M back to Queenscliff and Karly Chan, one of his dolphin guides, gives a sneak preview of stingray feeding from the back of the boat.
Within a minute Chan has tempted a ray with a salmon scrap and the giant creature makes several gentle passes to assess the offering. Eventually the ray contorts herself sideways and works between boats and the pier, left flap out of the water, gently slapping the concrete.
Chan's hand disappears and the marine giant gobbles a salmon snack with a chortling sound.
It's another close encounter with the giants of Port Phillip Bay.
David Scott was a guest of Gamerec Charters and Sea All Dolphin Swims.
FAST FACTS
* Gamerec Charters feeds stingrays at 1pm, every day, from Fisherman's Wharf, Queenscliff Harbour. Gold coin donation. Gamerec sunset cruises leave at 7pm on most evenings, $35 adults, $25 children. BYO food and drink. See www.gamerec.com.
* Sea All Dolphin Swims takes snorkelling tours twice daily from Queenscliff Harbour. See www.dolphinswims.com.au.
