In July 2013 at dive site Ras Umm Sid, guides at Camel Dive Club in Sharm el Sheikh encountered Ariel, a 4 metre giant manta ray (manta birostris). This was not a one-time lucky sighting however as our sales consultant Cath (who once ran their Eco Tribe department) had already spotted Ariel at the same dive site in May 2012.

How could they be sure it was the same animal? Fortunately Cath had photos of both sightings and by matching the markings on the belly she was able to positively identify Ariel. Each manta ray has its own individual belly markings that act like a fingerprint but depending on the size of your archive, manually matching manta photos can be very time-consuming. Therefore a Cambridge professor teamed up with Marine Megafauna Foundation to develop a computer algorithm which identifies manta rays by their markings. This algorithm was integrated into the first global online database for manta rays called Manta Matcher. According to scientist Andrea Marshall, the groundbreaking system “will revolutionise global research on these threatened rays and help change the way field researchers approach scientific research on wild animals by means of successful and meaningful public involvement.” At the time Andrea was so excited about Camel Dive’s photo match of Ariel that she described it at the National Geographic Explorer Week in Washington DC!

Manta rays do not just migrate through Egypt however. Many of our partners abroad take great pride in actively encouraging manta ID. The Nautilus liveaboard company have a library of previously identified individuals in the Socorro Islands and give a presentation during the trip about giant Pacific manta rays. Both Manta Point and Manta Alley in the Komodo National Park are world famous for their aggregations of reef mantas feeding and being cleaned. Local liveaboards contribute their encounters to various databases including Manta Matcher as well as logging any injuries or deformities they come across. Also in the Maldives, Emperor Divers help log the mantas local to the Northern Raa Atoll for the Manta Trust database.

So unearth those belly shots of manta rays from your holiday and submit them as an encounter on the Manta Matcher website. Upload the photograph along with the date, time, depth and dive site. You will be helping to conserve the smartest fish in the ocean. This World Earth Day make small impacts matter!

The one awe-inspiring moment that stands out for me was diving a site called ‘Aquarium’ which was located on the outside of one of the islands in the North Male Atoll; famous for its manta cleaning station.

Before we even entered the water, a pod of spinner dolphins were jumping ahead of the boat. The captain turned off the engine and they appeared at the side of the boat.

Wetsuits donned and scrambling into our gear in the quickest time possible, we made the giant stride in on the corner of the reef.

I caught a very brief glimpse of the pod underwater before they clocked us and went into the blue.

As we made our descent, there were hard corals galore, decorated with anthias and surgeonfish swimming in the water column.

We went with the current, getting pushed along at quite a rate, so there was little time to observe the macro, though white-tip reef sharks and stingrays glided by.

As we approached the ‘end’ of the reef, where it makes a sharp turn at 90 degrees, the manta station was there. Our leader made the signal to hook on with our reef hooks, my mask was being pushed off my face and my hair was doing a ‘medusa-like’ dance in the current, but I managed to find a rocky nook to hook on to. As we waited, within minutes two glorious manta rays came into view in the distance.

We watched as they did their graceful dance in the current and then they began coming towards us.

Closer and closer they came until I found myself staring at one face-to-face. It went right over the top of my head, casting a dark shadow beneath and at that moment I was only thinking about how lucky I was.

After the excitement of the mantas, the signal was made to un-hook and as I went to do so, I noticed a sea anemone to my right. Inside this anemone something was moving. It was a tiny porcelain crab.

The crab had its feather-like appendages out; filter-feeding from the water column. It was almost like it was a conductor in the orchestra.

Such a beautiful dive, both big and small made an appearance and it is an experience that has stuck with me.

Take a look at our selection of resorts and liveaboards in the Maldives here, or for more information, speak to the Regaldive team today on 01353 659999. 

(main image by Emily Chappell)