Save Our Seas Blogs

Manta Rays, Mozambique
Andrea Marshall has been studying Manta Rays off the coast of Mozambique for the past five years. The highlight of her research to date has been the discovery of a second species of manta. [Project Page]
  • Manta Rays, Mozambique

    • 16 August 2010

    You Gotta Be Kidding Me – A Third Species of Manta?

    Posted by Andrea Marshall in Manta Rays, Mozambique Tags: , , ,

    Holbox is the manta ray and whale shark capital of the Gulf

    As I write this, I am sitting at the airport in Cancun, Mexico. I have this surreal feeling that something huge just happened to me, but I still cannot overcome the feeling that I am in a dream. Everything just seems a little too bizarre, a little too out of the ordinary.

    A little over a week ago, I touched down in Mexico and was given a warm welcome by a fabulous team of Mexican biologists and conservationists. Considering the rural location, I was impressed at both the size of their strong and dedicated team and what they have been able to accomplish out here with respect to their marine protected areas. My heart swelled with hope as I thought about the future possibilities in Mozambique.

    Almost immediately, I headed out to the tiny island of Holbox, a world-renowned aggregation site for whale sharks, to meet up with Silvia Hinojosa, the manta research team leader. It was early and I was battered, bruised and a little deflated from the Brazilian leg of my journey, not to mention a week behind schedule. While the scenery surrounding me was breathtaking, I have to admit that my fatigue was starting to get the better of me. But then she uttered four little magic words and my determination was instantly restored, “The mantas are here.”

    The next three days passed in a whirlwind. There were mantas, there were tags, there was joy and there was guacamole.  What was this place and why had I never been here before? It seemed like utopia. (more…)

    Comments (11)

    9 August 2010

    Brazilian Ocean Oasis

    Posted by Andrea Marshall in Manta Rays, Mozambique Tags: , , , ,

    Laje de Santos

    As I left Brazil, after spending nearly a month in the field, I was informed of the passing of one of my friends in a diving accident in South Africa. He was a great man and he will be deeply missed, but his passing reminded me what a curiously unforgiving place the ocean can be. I find that the ocean’s wild beauty often belies its fierce nature. In reality our oceans are vast, their waters often relentlessly rough and turbulent.

    Diving at Laje de Santos

    Many parts of these great expanses of water are distinctly inhospitable, however, scattered within this liquid eternity are tiny oases of hope, life and refuge. Laje de Santos is precisely one of those places. This little barren rock juts out from a largely desolate seafloor like a proud sentinel in what I often found to be a stormy and chaotic Brazilian sea. As you approach you cannot shake the uncomfortable feeling that this rock is really out in the middle of nowhere. Once moored and looking down into its surrounding cold, green water, your apt to think, “what am I doing out here?”

    Hairy carangid fish

    But one giant leap into the chilly waters of the Atlantic reveals a very different reality. This rock is actually home to an incredible amount of life. While it is only approximately 300 meters or so long, Laje de Santos is an amazing refuge to at least 196 species of fish including some magically rare animals such as hairy carangid fish (Alectis ciliaris), Halichoeres sazimai, and an endemic species of tube dwelling Cerianthos anenome.

    Sand Tiger Shark at Laje

    Laje is also rich in elasmobranch fauna (particularly rays) and during my short time there I was fortunate enough to dive with a couple of friendly sand tiger sharks as well as many eagle rays, butterfly rays, thorny stingrays and of course the elusive giant manta ray! While all of these animals are relatively frequent visitors or inhabitants to this small island, Laje also provides sanctuary, on occasion, to animals passing through on ocean voyages such as Bryde’s whales, Mola mola, penguins and whale sharks. And yes, I did say penguins and whale sharks in the same sentence! Oddly enough these two animals have actually been seen on the same day at this location before (one of the most unbelievable things I have ever seen by the way!). (more…)

    Comments (7)

    26 July 2010

    Making History in Brazil!

    Posted by Andrea Marshall in Manta Rays, Mozambique Tags: , , , ,

    Diving and Laje de Santos

    They say good things come to those who are patient. I never really gave this saying too much thought until just recently…In the name of manta research I have spent six solid weeks (during the winter of 2009 and winter of 2010) diving a remote offshore rock called Laje de Santos in the south of Brazil looking for the elusive giant manta (Manta birostris). Until today, I have searched in vain. I was the one that actually chose this location for part of the worldwide study on this newly discovered species of ray, as this little spec of a rock is the largest documented aggregation site for this species in the southern Atlantic Ocean. But, to tell you the truth, despite my normal determined outlook when working in the field, I was really beginning to loose hope (and that’s pretty bad, since my current international research campaign is ironically named “Ray of Hope’).

    Andrea in the field at Laje

    But that’s the funny thing about marine field research and, I suppose, diving in general. It doesn’t matter what the ocean throws at you…countless hours of searching, dozens of dives in cold, green water, boat trip after boat trip on rough, windy seas…all of the excruciating effort and disappointment literally seems melt away the second the animal that you have been searching for appears. Your breath catches in your throat, time stands still and everything seems to make sense in the world. And this is why we divers torture ourselves by squeezing into unbearably uncomfortable wetsuits, why we swim around the sea covered in all kinds of tanks and hoses, and why we spend all of our money and time bobbing around in the middle of the ocean. It is precisely for this sensation and these encounters with special marine creatures. For the majority of us, the most precious encounters are with large, elusive megafauna like sharks, whales and dolphins. The object of my affection, of course, is the manta ray.
    (more…)

    Comments (12)

    13 July 2010

    Egyptian Flying Carpets

    Posted by Andrea Marshall in Manta Rays, Mozambique Tags: , ,

    When I closed my eyes I was flying out over the dramatic skyline of Cairo into the Egyptian desert… when I opened my eyes again, I was literally squinting into the blazing sun and I had to blink several times, unable to process what seemed to be an incredible mirage below me. The plane started to descend and I realized that this was not a figment of my imagination, this was Sharm El Sheikh, my destination, and we were fast approaching what could only be described as the Egyptian equivalent of Las Vegas.

    Diving in the Red Sea

    Sharm El Sheikh is the epitome of a scuba diver’s paradise. Its close proximity to many parts of Europe, Asia and Africa makes the prospect of a hassle-free, quick holiday within reach. The crystal clear waters are teeming with fish life.  Reefs drenched in soft coral of every conceivable colour and spectacular wrecks surrounded by clouds of game fish ensure that there is something for everyone.

    Clear water and healthy coral reefs

    The dives are easy, the water is always warm and the sun is forever shining. While some find the artificially created beaches, the all inclusive resorts, and the lack of culture a bit off-putting, surely divers agree that world class reefs like Shark & Yolanda and Jackson are well worth the trip, as are the rare glimpses of elusive marine life like oceanic white tips, hammerheads, and whale sharks.

    But of course this is not what drew me to this destination…I was here for one animal and one animal alone…the elusive giant manta ray, Manta birostris.  Since our team differentiated it from its smaller cousin the reef manta, Manta alfredi, in 2009, we have had our eye on this species. With next to nothing known about this giant ocean wanderer it became clear to us early on that more intensive monitoring would be necessary to learn about its habits and ascertain its conservation status.

    Dramatic fish schools

    Science aside, the giant manta ray has always held a special place in my heart. The first manta that I ever encountered was a giant, barreling down at me across another sandy desert, albeit an underwater one, off Cocos Island (Costa Rica). Almost two decades and one love affair with manta rays later, I am still as mesmerized with this giant animal as the first day that I laid eyes on one. These days, however, my interests in them have evolved.

    (more…)

    Comments (14)

    21 August 2009

    Worldwide manta ray satellite tagging study

    Posted by Andrea Marshall in Manta Rays, Mozambique Tags: , , ,

    tag cutout copyThe Foundation for the Protection of Marine Megafauna has begun a worldwide study on the behaviour and migratory patterns of the newly-described giant manta ray (Manta birostris). Initial observations suggest that this species may be more migratory and oceanic than its smaller relative, the reef manta (Manta alfredi), which is typically resident to coastlines or island groups. To determine if the giants indeed travel great distances across oceans or along coastlines, Dr. Andrea Marshall, Dr. Simon Pierce and colleague Dr. Juerg Brunnschweiler sourced funding from the Save Our Seas Foundation to begin a worldwide study on their movement patterns. They hope to travel to several locations across the globe, teaming up with other local researchers or dive operators along the way.

    (more…)

    Comments (7)
    Older Posts »

    Powered by WordPress

    HOME

    SITEMAP

    ABOUT US

    FUNDING & GRANTS

    CONTACT US

    NEWS ROOM

    PUBLICATIONS

    FOOTAGE ARCHIVE

    INTRANET