Forget Miami Beach and Mexico — if you want to swim with massive, magnificent, mysterious mobulids (the fish family that includes both manta and devil rays) make for the Maldives.
Don’t be frightened by their two horn-shaped fins, or their whip-like tails. Neither of these angelic fish are anything like their deadly cousin, the sting ray (responsible for killing Steve Irwin).
In fact, these endangered, SUV-sized creatures (the wingspan of the largest female manta rays can reach 23 feet) and their smaller “devil” friends need our help.
“I think the biggest misconception people have about manta rays is that they can be dangerous or aggressive towards humans,” said Meral Hafeez, who points out that their tails do not have venom-filled barbs. She’s a project manager for the Manta Trust, a UK charity with a satellite office just a shell’s throw from the overwater bungalows of the InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort, which hosts an annual, $375 per day Manta Retreat — typically held in March.
“The InterContinental is surrounded by Maamunagau lagoon, the first recorded nursery site that we know of in the Maldives,” she said. “This means we’ve got mantas literally on our doorstep.”
But no matter where you stay, the Maldives is the best place in the world to see these gentle giants in the wild — with a population of 6,000 ocean and reef manta rays. In fact, manta tourism alone contributes $8.1 million annually to the country’s economy.
On our first morning snorkeling in the aquamarine lagoon, I came mask-to-manta with Zoomie — a tailless 2-year-old ray. The Manta Trust doesn’t know what happened to her tail, or if she’s even a “her.” Manta rays, which can live to be up to 60 years old, don’t reach puberty and reveal their gender until around age 15.
“A guest recently adopted a manta through our adopt-a-manta program and named her Carlita,” Hafeez said. “Well, it turns out Carlita is actually Carlito.”
I know these 1,500-pound filter feeders eat plankton, not people — still, it’s disconcerting when they swim straight toward me, mouths open wide. I’m a grown adult, but I can easily fit inside. It’s not until later that afternoon, in our first workshop, that I learn a manta ray’s throat is only the size of a closed fist. Plus, a manta ray’s teeth are used for mating, not munching.
The next day, we took the boat to a swim-thru cleaning station — basically a patch of coral in deep water where schools of “cleaner fish” feast on parasites the mantas may be harboring. The drone we deployed showed us a lone ray was approaching, clearly on its way to get de-wormed. That night, sitting down to teppanyaki, the snorkel mask indentations on my forehead were still visible, but witnessing that symbiotic relationship was worth it.
While manta gill meat fetches up to $300 per pound in parts of Asia — where it’s believed to cure everything from acne to cancer — it’s not on the menu here. Manta rays have been protected in the Maldives since 2010. If they were to go extinct, it could have a huge impact on the oceanic food chain.
Hafeez encourages all visitors to the Maldives to participate in the Manta Trust’s citizen science program.
Her team of four is tasked with monitoring the movements and behavior of the Maamunagau lagoon’s 300 manta rays, all identified by the spots on their bellies. It’s a huge help when snorkelers and divers upload photos they’ve taken and report the location.
“Swimming with manta rays in the Maldives is a chance for tourists to see the benefits of marine conservation efforts first hand,” said Hafeez.
