Mantas are one of the reasons so many divers and snorkelers flock to the Maldives and here at Komandoo Maldives, the excitement in the air during manta season is wonderful.

As we approach manta season, World Manta Day provides the perfect opportunity to celebrate these magnificent creatures and raise awareness of the threats that these beautiful, mysterious, ocean giants face. The theme for World Manta Day 2024 is ‘The Power of Storytelling’ and we know that every encounter with a huge manta provides the perfect tale which others will love to hear and this creates a powerful wave of awareness. A picture tells a thousand words so share on social media your photos of encounters with mantas you’ve enjoyed whilst at Komandoo, tag #komandoomaldives and #WorldMantaDay – lets celebrate mantas together!

Manta facts

– Despite their huge size, mantas feed on microscopic animals called zooplankton.
– Manta rays are close relatives of all sharks and rays, meaning they have a skeleton made of cartilage rather than bone.
– Every manta ray has a unique spot pattern on its belly that can be used to identify it, just as we are identified by our fingerprints!
– Some individuals reach seven metres from wingtip to wingtip and weigh up to two tonnes!
– Mantas give birth to a single pup after 12.5 months gestation.
– Mantas have one of the largest brains in the fish world. Their curiosity and complex social interactions certainly support that!
– Mantas are completely harmless and are therefore popular with divers and snorkellers.

Threats faced by mantas

Sadly, manta populations around the world are under threat and their numbers are falling in many regions. Their gill plates are consumed as a psuedo-remedy in some regions of the world and this is the main driving force behind their capture. Mantas can get easily entangled in fishing nets and die as bycatch. Even when released alive, their survival rates are not very good. Unsustainable and unregulated tourism can drive mantas away from important cleaning and feeding sites through overcrowding and poor in-water behaviour. Here at Komandoo, we follow the guidelines from Manta Trust and ensure our encounters are respectful and sustainable. Climate breakdown threatens to change the distribution and abundance of zooplankton which mantas feed on. Coral bleaching may also cause habitat destruction around cleaning stations.

Dig out those photos, relive your memories and lets flood social with mantas!