BLOG

Diving or snorkelling with manta rays is a bucket list experience and a holiday in the Maldives is the perfect chance to realise the dream of encountering these gentle giants of the ocean, especially if you check when manta season occurs.

Mantas are listed as a globally ‘vulnerable’ species with decreasing populations due to the pressures of over fishing as well as the trade in their gill rakers. Manta Trust, a UK based charity working in the Maldives has marine biologists stationed at resorts, including Hurawalhi, working tirelessly on research, conservation and education in a bid to save the magnificent manta rays we all love to see.

To ensure their survival as well as a continuation of the incredible encounters we currently enjoy, manta interactions need to be sustainable. Mantas are very sensitive to disturbances and if interactions are not controlled, divers and snorkellers could negatively impact local populations by inadvertently driving them away from their established feeding grounds and cleaning stations. Based on their research, the Manta Trust have set out guidelines of how to swim safely with mantas, thus ensuring your interactions are sustainable.