Could it be that the world’s brainiest fish is able to remember a good deed and show gratitude? An experience by SOSF project leader Guy Stevens certainly seems to point that way. On a recent dive, he found and freed a giant manta caught in some fishing line. Incredibly the manta allowed Guy to swim over to it and cut the line off without struggling or trying to swim away. Guy counts this as one of his most memorable experiences underwater. Guy identified the manta and then finished the dive hoping one day to see the manta again.
And a few days later he did. Diving with a group of other divers Guy saw and recognised the manta he had freed only a few days earlier. Read Guy’s full version of the encounter.
Guy is featured in the BBC series Natural World on Wednesday 11 November 2009 (on BBC2 at 8pm, and afterwards online via BBC I-Player). The film Andrea: Queen of Mantas is about the revelatory manta research by SOSF-funded scientist Andrea Marshall.
Manta Rays and whale sharks have been somewhat scarce at Hanifaru for the last 10 days, with a combination of rough seas, low plankton concentrations and neap tides the likely culprits for their absence. After a few weeks of thick clouds and torrential rain, the sun is now finally beginning to grace the skies again and has kick started the famed productivity for which these seas are known. Across much of the atoll the visibility has dropped to less than 7 m and the water’s greenish tinge indicates it is already dense with phytoplankton. Zooplankton armies are already on the march to feast on the phytoplankton and form the foundations of the manta ray and whale shark food web. In a few days time around the full moon another bout of spectacular mass feeding should be upon us.
In the meantime I took advantage of these manta-less days and visited Dhonfanu, a Small Island situated less then 1 km from Hanifaru Bay. Dhonfanu is one of the only two communities in Baa Atoll that has a long history of hunting whale sharks and manta rays. Whale sharks were always the preferred prize with the up to 200 liters of oil in their livers used by the islands boat builders to seal the hulls of fishing boats (dhonies) from the elements. Manta Rays were only targeted when whale sharks were scarce as their livers held far less oil. There is also talk that the leathery skin of manta rays was used to cover Bodu Beru drums, an important centerpiece in many Maldivian celebrations and rituals. The hides of stingrays were definitely used, but my hunt for an actual manta ray skin drum or definitive oral history still continuous.
The tools of ex-whale shark and manta ray hunters on Dhonfanu Island, Baa Atoll, Maldives.
The 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.
Have you ever wondered how a manta ray spends it days? Scientists and divers only get a glimpse into these elusive animal’s lives when they encounter them at cleaning stations on shallow reefs. Despite increased research efforts in the last decade, scientists still know very little about the habits or daily routine of the world’s largest ray. In an effort to change all of this, researchers are now using cutting edge technology to uncover where these gentle giant’s go when they leave shallow coastal areas.
My seaplane touched down at last light on August 14th 2009 settling on the choppy waters of Baa Atoll during a welcome lull in successive monsoon squalls. I can’t really think of a better birthday gift then returning to one of my favorite places on earth. Just over a year had passed since I last visited this northern corner of the Maldives to photograph a story on manta rays for the July 2009 issue of National Geographic Magazine. Hanifaru Island, situated at the atoll’s eastern edge is the home of the world’s largest manta ray feeding aggregation and became my most productive photo location of that expedition. Back then Hanifaru enjoyed no protection from fishing and was in danger of being overrun by well meaning tourists.
On World Oceans Day 2009 however all that changed for the better when the waters surrounding the island were proclaimed a marine protected area. The foresightedness and environmental ethos of the newly elected Maldives government, the hard work of Save our Seas Foundation marine biologist Guy Stevens and National Geographic magazine’s ability to reach more than 50 million people around the globe has given Hanifaru’s manta rays and whale sharks a fighting chance to survive into perpetuity.
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The 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 
On World Oceans Day 2009 however all that changed for the better when the waters surrounding the island were proclaimed a marine protected area. The foresightedness and environmental ethos of the newly elected Maldives government, the hard work of Save our Seas Foundation marine biologist Guy Stevens and National Geographic magazine’s ability to reach more than 50 million people around the globe has given Hanifaru’s manta rays and whale sharks a fighting chance to survive into perpetuity.
