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.
