The soaring Reef Manta featured on PADI®’s 2020 limited edition certification card provides a glimpse into the peaceful underwater world of this majestic and highly intelligent fish. But as we know, the ocean and all marine life that call it home, are facing tremendous threat. Urgent action is needed to tackle the oceans most prominent dangers including pollution and overfishing. Support Project AWARE’s work with this limited edition certification card. 100% of your donation supports ocean protection.

The stunning image on the card was captured by French photographer Gabriel Barathieu in the lagoon of Mayotte, located in the Indian Ocean, between Mozambique and Madagascar. It has since been pronounced a winner of the renowned "Nature's Best Photography Awards 2018".

Barathieu described the encounter:

In the lagoon at Mayotte, I saw the ray coming toward me shoving the sand like a fighter. It was a moment I could not miss. I went down to sit at the bottom and face the giant without moving. It passed just above me, like a plane taking off. Magnificent!

The new card is available to PADI Pros from October 2019 and will be available to student divers throughout 2020 when it launches in January. Celebrate the soaring Reef Manta and support Project AWARE’s #NextMillion2020 goal for a clean and healthy ocean. Join the adventure!

Photo © Gabriel Barathieu / Nature's Best Photography Awards 2018