11/9/2023 0 Comments Manta ray divingIn addition, it includes recommendations for tourism operators on how best to approach and depart manta aggregation sites, and how to help their crew manage a manta excursion. These guidelines outline how divers and snorkelers should behave in-water, to both enhance their experience and to ensure their presence does not disturb the mantas they encounter. The Manta Trust want to address that.Īfter several years of research conducted in the Maldives, the Manta Team have developed a Best Practice Code of Conduct for Manta Ray Tourism. Whilst many dive operators around the world have taken it upon themselves to develop guidelines for manta encounters, none have been validated by scientific studies. There have been occasions where uncontrolled human interactions have negatively impacted local manta populations, driving them away from important areas where they clean, feed or breed. Mantas are very sensitive to disturbance, and if left without proper measures, tourism has the potential to do more harm than good. By going out to swim with a manta, you are helping conserve one of the ocean's greatest treasures!īut manta tourism needs to be sustainable. As a result, tourism can form part of the solution to combating the issue of global manta fisheries, providing many countries and governments with a strong economic incentive to protect these animals. Every year tourists spend an estimated US$140 million to see manta rays in the wild. If you’re scheduled for the Manta Dive and conditions turn out not to be good, you’ll dive an alternative dive site and be refunded the difference between this dive and the Mala Plus.Few experiences can top diving or snorkeling with a manta ray. However, it never hurts to ask if it is possible to go do these dives. ![]() The particular dive site where we are often able to find the Mantas may not be diveable due to conditions during the winter months due to extreme surf conditions. It is speculated that he may have had an encounter with a shark, and we named him “Laki” which means “Lucky” in Hawaiian. They have a catalogue of Mantas that been named by those who submitted photos of their Manta, and we found one that had not yet been identified! You can see there is a good chunk of his right wing that is missing just by his rear end. ![]() In the picture below, you can see the Manta that we got to name through the Manta Pacific Research Foundation. Mantas have very specific patterns on their underside which allows us to identify them, like a finger print! It is at these cleaning stations that we will often find these magnificent creatures hanging out on the reef being cleaned. Mantas can grow to a size of up to 12 ft and will spend time visiting certain reef areas for feeding and for cleaning. If you have health concerns or issues carrying dive gear, perhaps stick with a different dive site choice (like Mala Pier Plus) for the best chance at enjoying your dive day with us. It is a flat walk through the lush forest path but you will be required to carry your gear in and out of the forest. ![]() ![]() This dive requires a 7 to 10-minute walk through a lush jungle path to enter the dive site. Maui Diving’s Seasonal Manta Expedition dive is such a magical opportunity to observe mantas in their natural habitat.
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