News

Worldwide Dive and Sail has announced two special itineraries where divers and underwater shooters can get up close with mantas whilst also learning about these awesome rays and how they are being protected. The trips are organized in partnership with the Manta Trust, and the trip leaders are experts in manta conservation.

The 2019 expeditions in Thailand and the Maldives are January 12–20 and October 21–28, respectively. With the Maldives Master, guests will dive the atolls of Baa, Raa and Lhaviyani and look for poorly studied manta ray populations. With The Junk, participants will dive some of Thailand’s most famous dive sites, and focus on tracking and IDing the animals.

For more information, see the press release below.
 

PRESS RELEASE

SPECIAL TRIPS: MANTA RAYS BEHAVIOUR – MANTA TRUST JOINS WORLDWIDE DIVE AND SAIL IN THE MALDIVES AND THAILAND

Are you a manta lover and/or environmentally conscious? Then you will love what Worldwide Dive and Sail and Manta Trust have prepared for you! Two incredible itineraries in Maldives’ North Atolls and in the Andaman Sea of Thailand that especially centre on mantas’ behaviour and how to protect them.

On both itineraries you will come up close and personal with manta rays with the help of Manta Trust experts. While the Maldives itinerary will mainly focus on manta feeding aggregations, the Thailand one will be on identification and tracking them. Both are designed for adventurers looking for something new and rarely offered in the Maldives and Thailand.

Manta Trust

Formed in 2011, the Manta Trust is a UK and US-registered charity whose mission is to conserve mobulid rays, their relatives, and their habitats, through a combination of research, education and collaboration. As part of this mission, the Manta Trust has teamed up with regional eco-minded tourism operators to provide ‘Manta Expeditions’—a series of liveaboard dive and snorkel trips that focus specifically on getting you in close proximity to manta rays, whilst imparting expert knowledge and skills.
 

Maldives Manta Expedition

This expedition on board the Maldives Master has been specifically timed to coincide with the most productive monsoon winds and lunar currents, which strongly influence the movements and feeding habits of reef manta rays. Explore the pristine and rarely visited northern atolls of Baa, Raa and Lhaviyani while looking for manta rays.

The trip Leader: Dr. Guy Stevens, founder of Manta Trust

In 2011, Guy went on to found the Manta Trust, along with a collaboration of scientists, conservationists, photographers, filmmakers and communicators. His work with manta rays now takes him to other corners of the world, but for him the Maldives will always be the best place to see and study these amazing animals.

The boat: Maldives Master

Boasting the largest dhoni in the area, Maldives Master has 13 comfortable cabins including three suites, a Jacuzzi, and seven social areas, including a sky lounge and bar, so guests can be assured they can explore these turquoise atolls in relaxed comfort.

When: 21 – 28 October 2019

More info: https://www.masterliveaboards.com/special-trips/manta-expeditions
 

Thailand Manta Expedition

Join the June Hong Chian Lee on this unique itinerary in Thailand exploring the very best diving that this destination has to offer, taking in the highlights of Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, Koh Haa, Phi Phi, the Similan Islands plus Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock!

The trip leader: Jamie MonManeerat, Project leader of Thailand Manta Project

A marine biologist with distinction at Oxford College, Jamie spent three months in 2014 working with the Manta Trust in the Maldives. After countless hours in the water with hundreds of manta rays, Jamie decided to develop the experience and knowledge she gained in the Maldives into a manta project in her home country. In 2015, the Thailand Manta Project was established with the goal to research the manta population in Thailand and increase local protection to manta and mobula rays in Thai waters. Since then, Jamie has been dedicating her time to educating and raising awareness on manta rays and marine conservation in Thailand and its neighbouring countries.
 

The boat: The Junk

S/Y June Hong Chian Lee, or The Junk, as she is known, is a restored teak wood Chinese merchant sailing vessel that offers a unique liveaboard diving experience in Thailand. With an experienced crew and great food served on board, The Junk is the most charming and distinctive vessel in Thailand—so distinctive in fact that she has been used for several famous movies! The Junk can take up to 18 divers in six air-conditioned cabins, offering a choice of double cabins, triple cabins and quads, all of them with their own private bathrooms with hot showers.

When: 12 – 20 January 2019

More info:  https://thejunk.com/manta-trust

Contact Worldwide Dive and Sail today at bookings@worldwidediveandsail.com to book your space!