Aloha Reader, If you've been following me for a while, you know this about me: I'm not afraid to speak my truth. And with recent global and local developments, I've been looking for other avenues to share wonderful and inspiring stories of hope and engagement. One of those "other avenues" is the Ocean Wings podcast, where I invite guests to explore how nature can reconnect us to what really matters in life. The tagline, "From Manta Ray Magic to Meaningful Change," hopefully resonates with...
29 days ago • 1 min read
Aloha Reader, After 25+ years of taking people to swim with manta rays, we've heard some pretty interesting questions. Most of our guests are amazing - they come prepared, respect the ocean, and understand that we're entering the mantas' home as visitors. But sometimes, we get questions that make us stop and wonder if we live in the same reality, so today's email will be a bit punchy... Like the parents who asked to leave their young kids alone on a dark, isolated beach while they joined the...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Aloha Reader, One of the most amazing things about manta rays is their effortless gliding through the water. This goes beyond just swimming: they've developed elaborate techniques to feed (alone or in groups), they've been seen jumping out of the water (called breaching, and it's pretty spectacular!), and they're known to cross vast distances at high speeds. A long time ago, I sold a VHS tape (remember those?) to aerospace engineers, and they bought it for the sole purpose of simulating the...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Aloha Reader, When ancient mariners saw mantas (reef or pelagic), they did not know they were harmless creatures. On the contrary, the rolled-up cephalic fins gave rise to the myth that terrifying devilfish would drag boats into the ocean depths! The Manta Ray Advocates team and I became curious about how different cultures worldwide have viewed mantas throughout history, and what we discovered was fascinating! Some cultures saw them as omens of good fortune, others as mystical beings that...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Aloha Reader, While we don't take young children on our nightly manta ray moonlight swim (for several reasons, which you can read more about here), I genuinely believe including them in our love for the ocean and its inhabitants is essential. One of the things I enjoy doing is meeting with schools and classes to discuss manta rays and ocean conservation. 7th-grade students from Pleasant Hill Adventist Academy (CA), who are members of an all-girl Lego tech club, contacted us recently, so we...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Aloha Reader, I don't know about you, but it's been a tumultuous couple of months for us here at Manta Ray Advocates. To be honest, it seems an insurmountable hill to climb to be involved in ocean advocacy or any nature conservation. Things have been changing rapidly, and it's hard to keep track of or understand how things will work in the near future. In all that turmoil, I turn inward and look at how many good things are in our lives. It's the art of feeling gratitude first, and then...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Aloha Reader, If you love the ocean and all its living creatures, you may have heard of Andrew Levin. He hosts the "How to Protect the Ocean" podcast, part of the Speak Up for Blue network. While I have been on other podcasts before, this one was special because we dove deep into something truly close to my heart: protecting manta rays from the growing threats of unregulated ocean tourism. Click for the podcast episode. You can also watch the recorded video on YouTube here. Behind the scenes:...
6 months ago • 1 min read
Aloha Reader, The ocean has been very rough for the last two months. Powerful storms generate swells, and during the winter, the West Coast of the Big Island is exposed to large waves hitting our shores. This year, swells have been relentless, and we've been unable to offer our manta swims. Check out this summer and winter surf forecast comparison (summer 2024 vs this month). Source: www.surfline.com Our rule of thumb to determine if we can safely operate is 0-1 feet surf height = doable2-3...
7 months ago • 2 min read
Aloha Reader, The following fact continues to surprise people when I tell them that manta rays are far more valuable alive than dead. In 2019, I reported on the value of a manta ray when captured and killed for its parts compared to its value for local eco-tourism. You’ll be glad to know this is not only my personal experience: several studies have analyzed coastal communities in different parts of the world and found that sustainable tourism is better for the local economy than fishing could...
7 months ago • 1 min read