One of the most indefatigablecampaigners for manta ray conservation, National Geographic Emerging Explorer and manta ray conservationist Dr. Andrea Marshall has spent years studying mantas from her adopted home in the tiny town of Tofo in Mozambique, where she’s confirmed the existence of a second manta ray species, the giant manta ray, Manta birostris, as well as co-founding the Marine Megafauna Foundation. Research gathered from thousands of manta sightings around the globe logged by divers on forum boards and at the online database mantamatcher.org have helped her identify several key locations worldwide for encounters with giant manta rays. Now she’s discovered one of the world’s major giant manta ray hot spots in remote Myanmar, thanks to data compiled from information submitted by thousands of divers worldwide.

Q: What’s so special about Black Rock in Myanmar?

A: I am absolutely obsessed with Black Rock. I’ve been there three years in a row. The first time I saw it, I knew there was going to be something going on because it’s quite far offshore, in the middle of nowhere. That’s what giant mantas love, because they can clean and rest and socialize but are still close to deepwater drop-offs, so they can easily head back out looking for food. And because it’s the only rock in the whole area, all the giant mantas come to it. We’ve identified at least 50 to 60 individual mantas there already.

Q: Myanmar is only just opening up — does the current lack of tourists help research?

A: Black Rock is one of the only places I’ve found anywhere in the world where it is largely pristine. That doesn’t mean they don’t have fishing impacts or they haven’t bombed it. They do, but there are no tourist activities there. There’s no constant human traffic or footprint that is clouding my perception of what is occurring naturally with these animals.

Q: How can divers continue to help manta rays?

A: Mantamatcher.org is the number-one way divers can help. It is such a cool thing to be a part of because it is literally taking the diving communities of the world, and then employing them like a manta army to deliver valuable information to the scientists who work together to produce global information on the animals. With these tools at our disposal, we can attack these problems with this awesome technology.

Libby Bowles