Divers’ voices play a key role in advocating for the protection of marine wildlife at risk of extinction. This Endangered Species Day, Project AWARE highlights the actions taken by an individual to protect one of the vulnerable creatures of the deep – the awe-inspiring manta rays.

Graceful and majestic, manta rays are at the top of many divers’ must-see list. However, the survival of these slow growing, aggregating creatures hangs in the balance. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies manta rays as vulnerable - likely to become endangered unless the circumstances threatening their survival and reproduction improve. But the demand for their gill rakers – the small feathery structures these filter feeders use to strain plankton – from Asian markets for Chinese medicine leads to overfishing of these rays.

Four years ago, marine biologist and Project AWARE supporter, Andrew Taylor, opened up Blue Corner Dive in Nusa Lembongan after witnessing the beauty and incredible biodiversity of its reefs. The island’s surrounding waters are home to large populations of manta ray species, Manta birostris and M. alfredi. With abundant opportunities for scuba divers and snorkelers to observe these magnificent creatures, the area has been designated as a national marine park and is considered one of the top dive sites in the world.

Knowing that the large influx of dive tourists to the area would inevitably affect the marine environment, Andrew felt a responsibility to develop environmentally-friendly dive center operations to ensure minimal impact on manta rays and other local marine life.  “We see plenty of inappropriate interactions that harass or disturb the natural behaviors of marine animals,” says Andrew. “Rather than point fingers at marine tourism operators with environmentally insensitive practices, we work to educate and develop responsible codes of conduct and encourage the entire tourism community to adopt responsible principles to protect marine wildlife.”

With his background as an interpretive guide for several nature-based tourism companies, Andrew learned the value of educational tours and leading guests toward a greater understanding and appreciation of their environment. At Blue Corner Dive, he began providing environmental briefings to his dive sites, implementing educational components to dive tours, teaching guests about the undersea wildlife and offering marine ecology internships for dive master trainees.

Blue Corner Dive soon earned its PADI 5-Star IDC certification and partnered with Project AWARE to become 100% AWARE, pledging to donate for every dive student it certifies to help fund Project AWARE’s manta ray protection efforts. As a supporter, Andrew also helped Project AWARE secure protections for mantas from the devastating effects of unsustainable international trade and overfishing under critical international conservation agreements including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 2013 and the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS) in 2014.

The next biggest challenge for mantas lies in the implementation and enforcement of these protections while also connecting them to equitable and sustainable manta based tourism. Locally, Andrew has collaborated with tourism and marine environmental organizations including the Lembongan Marine Association, Aquatic Alliance and The Coral Triangle Centre to create codes of conduct for divers to follow. And, Blue Corner Dive staff members participate in annual training programs to learn and reinforce responsible behaviors for guests, guides and boat operators navigating the manta ray viewing areas.  

By offering dive and snorkelling experiences with mantas, Andrew not only provides his guests with a meaningful and responsible dive experience, he also helps support a valuable alternative to manta ray fishing. His efforts at both local and international levels are helping provide much needed awareness and protections for manta rays around the world. Project AWARE thanks Andrew for taking on the challenge of protecting this valuable marine species.

Together in the dive community, we can fight for a brighter future for the ocean and its endangered marine species. Are you up for the challenge? Help raise funds critical to protect ocean wildlife through My Ocean Challenge. 

Photo credit: Steve Woods