MALDIVES - Manta Trust

OFFICIAL MANTA TRUST
AMBASSADOR
MALDIVES
27th February - 7th March 2016 (9 nights) | From USD $328/pppn*
DIVE THE MALDIVES! EXPERIENCE THE MARINE WORLD LIKE NEVER BEFORE
AND TAKE PART IN KEY CONSERVATION RESEARCH.
Constellation Fleet Maldives has teamed up with the Manta Trust to bring guests the
chance to dive with, and learn from, it’s manta ray and marine biology experts. Not
only will guests dive with the best guides, they will experience and take part in cuttingedge conservation research undertaken by the Manta Trust in order to protect the
most majestic of the Maldives’ marine animals.
SOUTHERN & CENTRAL ATOLLS SHARKS & MANTAS: GAAFU, LAAMU, THAA,
MEEMU, AND SOUTH ARI ATOLLS
Join Constellation Fleet’s MV Orion and the Manta Trust’s Founder and Chief Executive,
Guy Stevens. Dedicated to diving with reef sharks, night feeding whale sharks, and
seeking interactions with manta rays, this trip focusing on the southern & central atolls
of the Maldives.
Manta Trust scientists will be collecting photographic
identification images of all mantas encountered
throughout the expedition, a task that guests are
welcomed and encouraged to take part in. Sightings
of all thell manta rays encountered will be added to
our Maldives manta ray ID database and guests will
be invited to name any new individuals. Every manta
sighting, whether it’s a new manta or a re-sighting of
an individual which is already known to the team, is
an important piece of a huge jigsaw puzzle, allowing
the manta team to better understand the population
size, composition, migratory routes, reproductive
output, native ranges and areas of critical habitats; all
of which is crucial information in developing effective
management and conservation strategies for these
increasingly vulnerable animals.
THE MANTA TRUST
Predicted route around
southern & central atolls
Manta rays are among the most charismatic creatures that inhabit our oceans. With
the largest brain of all fish their intelligence and curiosity make encounters with these
creatures a truly amazing experience. However, despite their popularity with divers
and snorkelers many aspects of these creatures’ lives remain a mystery, with only
snippets of their life history understood. More worryingly, in recent years, a fishery for
these animals has developed with devastating effects on populations of these animals
globally.
The Manta Trust was formed in 2011 to co-ordinate global research and conservation
efforts for these animals, their close relatives and their habitat. As charismatic
megafauna, manta rays act as flagship species helping to promote and engage the
expeditions@mantatrust.org | www.mantatrust.org
MALDIVES
THE TRIP LEADER - Guy Stevens
general public in the wider message of marine ecosystem conservation. Through this
In 2005 Guy founded the
Maldivian Manta Ray Project
(MMRP) with the aim of
helping to conserve the
Maldives’ manta population
through active research and
education. In 2011, Guy formed 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 the Maldives for him will always be the best
place to see and study these amazing animals.
top down approach to conservation the manta ray becomes the catalyst for change,
The research that Guy has conducted on
the manta rays of the Maldives, especially in
the famous Hanifaru Bay, has been featured
in dozens of articles including a National
Geographic Magazine feature and numerous
television documentaries (BBC, ITV, National
Geographic, Animal Planet, ABC, etc). Guy’s
research at Hanifaru and his work with The
Manta Trust contributed to the declaration
of the Maldives’ Baa Atoll as a UNESCO World
Biosphere Reserve in 2011. In March 2013
Guy and the rest of the Manta Trust team
were key players in a coalition of NGOs which
were instrumental in the successful campaign
resulting in manta rays being listed on Appendix
II of the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES), greatly improving
the global protection for these vulnerable
species.
MV Orion is the culmination of many years experience diving in the Maldives and has
Guy is now working towards the completion of
his PhD focusing on manta rays at the University
of York in the United Kingdom. Throughout
the expedition, Guy will be providing lectures
and informal talks on manta ray and whale
shark research and conservation, general
marine biology and highlighting the diverse and
productive marine ecosystems of the Maldives.
BOOKING
9 DAYS PACKAGE INCLUDES:
• dive guides service
• 3
• all transfers
meals per day,
afternoon snacks
• unlimited
tea, coffee
drinking
plus
water,
• 17 dives per week in total
(2-3 dives per day but no
diving on the first day of
the trip, night dive weather
permitting, extra 3 dives
per extra day if the cruise is
longer than 7 nights)
• C 80 tanks, weights, Nitrox
engaging and motivating the general public, governments and local communities
alike. As a UK Registered Charity, the Trust brings together a number of projects from
around the globe, both new and long-standing, including the Republic of Maldives,
Sri Lanka, Mexico and Indonesia. By conducting long-term, robust studies into
manta populations in these locations the Trust aims to build solid foundations upon
which Governments, NGOs and conservationists can make informed and effective
decisions to ensure the long term survival of these animals and their habitat.
THE BOAT | MV ORION
been designed with the diver in mind. The guides and crews are experts in diving
the Maldives with literally thousands of dives between them. At 39m in length, Orion
boasts twelve cabins, with a mixture of twin and double-bed cabins available, as well
as an executive suite. All cabins are individually air conditioned and have their own
en suite bathrooms.
All diving takes place from the large dhoni (tender) that follows Orion, leaving the
main vessel purely as a living space. Orion is fitted out with a vast dining room with
bar and TV - ideal for mealtimes and briefings. On the upper deck you will find a
jacuzzi, a massage room and the main bar. Pull up a chair at the end of the day and
chat over the day’s diving delights with fellow divers. And of course, if you want to
work on your tan during the day, there is a large fly deck where you can soak up the
rays and sail through the beautiful coral atolls of the Maldives.
For more information on how to reserve your place on this Maldives Manta Trust
Expedition, please send an email to us at: expeditions@mantatrust.org.
Payment and booking for this Manta Expedition will be handled by our trip partners,
Scuba Travel.
• Dive Insurance (mandatory
in the Maldives)
• GST 12% government tax on
• alcohol, soft drinks, espresso
• 1
• SPA treatments if therapist is
accommodation
BBQ night on an
uninhabited island (weather
and route permitting)
• Male city tour with local
guide (if requested)
PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
• Flights (international & local)
• Dive gear
coffee
available onboard
• GST 12% on extras
• other services that are not
listed here or above and
might be requested by the
guest.
RATES FOR
PUBLIC*:
FEBRUARY-MARCH
TRIP,
Standard Room
328 per person per night
Upper Deck
Mini Suite:
361 per person per night
Jnr Suite:
394 per person per night
Exec Suite:
426 per person per night
* all rates are USD
expeditions@mantatrust.org | www.mantatrust.org
GENERAL