Baros Maldives invites guests to survey Manta Rays

Baros Maldives is inviting guests to join in its survey to identify the many Manta Rays that can be seen at the Manta Ray dive spots close to the boutique island resort. The survey is being conducted by Divers Baros Maldives and has resulted in different Manta Rays being identified and entered into the first scientific database for Manta Rays which is maintained by the international Manta Matcher Organisation.

Little is known about these gracious giants of the sea that fascinate divers; in the Maldives there are thought to be some 5,000 of them. A Manta Ray can be identified by the distinctive markings on its belly, each one being marked differently, in the manner of humans being identified by their fingerprints.

At the resort, diving guests are invited to take photographs underwater of a Manta Ray’s “belly print” and compare it with the photographs already on the Divers Baros database. A diver who photographs a Manta Ray not seen before is offered the opportunity to give the Manta a name. The Baros Dive Centre has introduced an adoption scheme whereby the diver can receive regular reports on the Manta’s whereabouts and habits.

Currently, the dive base has data on 159 Manta Rays recognised over 10 years. Guests who re-visit the resort have a good chance to have a reunion with a Manta Ray they have seen on their dives in previous years. The database, through its link with Manta Matchers, can reveal where the Manta Ray has been over those years. From May to November and from January to April when sightings are frequent, are the best times for guest divers to join the resort’s Manta Ray survey.

Baros Maldives is a private bijou tropical island resort only 25 minutes by resort speedboat from the Maldives International Airport. Every one of its 75 elegant overwater and beachside villas is close to the resort’s Dive and Marine Centres where expert Dive Masters and Marine Biologists are on hand to assist guests in the Manta Ray survey.