It isn’t sharks that we are looking for on this sunny day in\u00a0Hanifaru Bay in the Baa Atoll of the northern Maldives, but\u00a0manta rays, who are here to feast on the mass of plankton that washes through this tropical atoll and concentrates around\u00a0the reefs at this time of year.<\/p>\n
Hovering above one of these reefs, nothing can prepare you\u00a0for the moment you first clap eyes on a manta ray. Its\u00a0beauty,\u00a0gracefulness and incredible size (12 feet across) quite literally take your breath away.<\/p>\n
We are here with the Manta Trust, a British- and US-registered charity that has a permanent team in the Maldives observing these incredible creatures. \u201cThere is something particularly engaging about manta rays; they are one of the few animals which will choose to engage with you,\u201d explains the Manta Trust\u2019s CEO and marine biologist Guy\u00a0Stevens. \u201cSharks\u00a0will very rarely want to come and investigate you, socialise with you, approach you. Mantas, however, will\u00a0actively\u00a0seek you out. You\u00a0get\u00a0a\u00a0sense\u00a0that\u00a0when you are looking at them wondering what is going on behind those eyes, they are thinking the same\u00a0thing about you.\u201d<\/div><\/div><\/div>
Until a decade ago, no one had done any research on manta\u00a0rays, through lack of funds and\/or interest, but these majestic fish caught the eye of Stevens who has made it his mission to better understand and protect the manta ray. Fished\u00a0for their gills, which are used in traditional Chinese medicines, caught as incidental bycatch and struggling with an\u00a0increasingly unstable marine environment, the survival of\u00a0the\u00a0manta ray has\u00a0become increasingly worrying.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is much harder to convince people to stop fishing for\u00a0the\u00a0sake of protecting a species in the ocean because the true\u00a0extent of the impact is difficult for people on land to understand. When\u00a0you can count the number of tigers, elephants or rhinos that are left, you can truly say those animals\u00a0are close to extinction, and yet in the ocean, it is much harder to do that. I think in the blink of an eye manta rays\u00a0could be gone and we\u00a0might not be aware of it until it\u00a0has\u00a0already happened,\u201d notes\u00a0Stevens.<\/div><\/div><\/div>
Each August, the manta rays arrive in huge numbers to feed on plankton swept in by seasonal tides. During this time, the Baa Atoll is the world\u2019s top hotspot for\u00a0manta-ray sightings.<\/p>\n
There can be over 200 mantas swimming in Hanifaru Bay at this time of year. I only see seven or eight, but that\u2019s more than enough to observe and appreciate these amazing creatures. They glide past, circle round and come back, loop-the-loop right in front of me, or surprise me by coming from behind, almost touching me as they pass under my\u00a0stomach. I am told that these moves are feeding strategies, but I can\u2019t help but\u00a0feel like they are inviting me to play with them.<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\u201cIt was a long time ago and since then I have had many incidents like this so\u00a0I\u00a0know it isn\u2019t me anthropomorphising, it\u00a0was genuinely seeking out my help. I\u00a0had to literally grab a hold of it, sit on it and cut away at the lines and it just let me do it.\u00a0 About a week later I was diving with a film crew when one manta ray split off from the others and swam over to me and it was the same one. There is no doubt that she was engaging with me and that tells you something about how intelligent these animals are,\u201d says Stevens.<\/div><\/div><\/div>
The mission of the Manta Trust is to promote a world where manta rays can thrive by tackling the increasing threats that face them and their marine world. By\u00a0bringing together manta-ray scientists and experts in fields such as education, advocacy and media, the Manta Trust is\u00a0committed to promoting a globally healthy marine ecosystem for these beautiful creatures.<\/p>\n
To date the trust has identified 4,300 manta rays and has helped put in place guidelines for ecotourism, together with the Maldivian government and UNESCO,\u00a0who declared the Baa Atoll a\u00a0UNESCO Bisophere Reserve in 2011.<\/p>\n
The beauty of the water alone is breathtaking, with the different shades of\u00a0blue that change with the varying depths\u00a0of the ocean. Swimming here is as\u00a0close to paradise as you can get. The\u00a0fact\u00a0that the manta rays have chosen this place as their home surely confirms their higher intelligence?<\/div><\/div><\/div>
Ecotourism is not only of interest to the scientists, the Four Seasons Resort Maldives Landaa Giraavaru has been a partner of the Manta Trust for a number\u00a0of\u00a0years, allowing the Manta Trust team to use the resort as a base for its operations. There is a marine centre on the island that guests can visit to learn more\u00a0about the Maldives, the coral reefs and the manta rays, as well as a turtle rehabilitation centre\u00a0for those unfortunate\u00a0animals who\u00a0get caught up in fishing nets, and\u00a0a\u00a0fish\u00a0reproduction unit.<\/div><\/div><\/div>
Carl F. Bucherer has also been working with the Manta Trust for a number of years now and this summer the Swiss watch manufacturer has gone one step further by\u00a0making a limited-edition timepiece as part\u00a0of its ongoing partnership with the charity. This series of 188 Patravai ScubaTec divers\u2019 watches is dedicated to the\u00a0protection of the manta rays with a portion of the proceeds going to help finance\u00a0a new research expedition.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are proud to be a partner of the Manta Trust. With the new Patravi ScubaTec\u00a0Manta Trust edition, we are paying\u00a0tribute to\u00a0the admirable work of Guy Stevens and his team,\u201d says Sascha Moeri, CEO of Carl\u00a0F. Bucherer. \u201cBy purchasing this\u00a0model,\u00a0watch\u00a0connoisseurs not only become the proud owner of a truly unique timepiece; they also contribute to the conservation of\u00a0manta rays.\u201d<\/div><\/div><\/div>
Like the other models in the Carl F. Bucherer Patravi ScubaTec Collection, the ScubaTec Manta Trust features an automatic helium release valve, making it a true diver\u2019s watch with water-resistance up to 500 metres. Luminescent indices and hands provide excellent readability at depth, as well as adding to the sporty look of the watch.<\/p>\n
Snorkelling with the watch on my wrist, I am surprised by how legible it is under the water. The UNESCO guidelines only allow us 45 minutes in the\u00a0water, so it is important to keep track\u00a0of time. I smile at how well the colouring of the watch matches that of\u00a0the\u00a0mantas as they continue their dance\u00a0around me.<\/div><\/div><\/div>
Thanks to the proceeds gathered from\u00a0the\u00a0sale of these timepieces, Carl\u00a0F. Bucherer is financing an entirely new\u00a0kind of scientific exhibition that we were able to witness directly during our stay in the Maldives. This two-week expedition will\u00a0allow scientists to monitor the manta-ray population in the region,\u00a0analysing the\u00a0habitat and feeding habits, as well as\u00a0the planktonic prey on which the mantas\u00a0feed.<\/p>\n
The recorded data which is being gathered will contribute significantly to what we know about how manta rays live, feed and reproduce. It will also help the expansion of the Manta Trust\u2019s database.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is so typical of humans that we are oblivious to the devastation that we are inflicting on the planet around us. For me, the mantas can become the emblem of what is as stake if we choose not to better protect our oceans. People can engage with manta rays, they can feel for them, they can connect to them and they can care about them. If I could do one thing, it\u00a0would be to bring greater awareness and greater empathy, and if I can affect enough people that it changes something\u00a0and makes a positive difference, then that is\u00a0worthwhile,\u201d concludes Stevens.<\/div><\/div><\/div>
I have never experienced anything quite like swimming with the manta rays and I could have easily stayed in the water far longer than the allotted 45 minutes, but\u00a0it is\u00a0time for the manta rays to leave for another feeding station and for me to\u00a0return to the boat, with a heavy heart\u00a0but with a newfound affection for the\u00a0ocean and these magnificent animals that deserve our\u00a0love,\u00a0attention and respect.<\/div><\/div><\/div> \t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
From the picturesque Swiss city of Lucerne to the pristine seas of the Maldives, Carl F. Bucherer, the Manta Trust and the Four Seasons Resort Landaa Giraavaru are helping to increase our knowledge of one of the least-studied animals of the sea \u2013 the reef manta ray.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","spc_primary_category":0},"categories":[1402,86],"tags":[322,38],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n