Aloha Reader, For the fifth year in a row, we've collected beautiful images of our favorite manta rays for our 2026 calendar. Each month, we feature high-quality pictures and heartfelt stories about our manta friends, who have unique and quirky personalities. For those in or traveling to Hawaii, the calendar also indicates when box jellyfish are likely to reach Hawaii's shores - usually 8-10 days after a full moon. With this calendar to guide you, you can avoid nasty surprises! You can either...
10 days ago • 1 min read
Aloha Reader, Manta rays are still mysterious creatures simply because we still know so little about them. Today, I am happy to share a bunch of reading material we've gathered over time to shine a brighter light on the gentle giants—so buckle up. 😊 Here is the beautiful part: humans have increasingly spent time observing and collecting data on manta appearance and behavior, giving us a chance to learn more about them. As recent as July 2025, the discovery (or rather, recognition) of a third...
27 days ago • 1 min read
Aloha Reader, One question we regularly receive is whether you can swim with mantas in Hawaii all year, whether they migrate, or do not show up during certain seasons. The short answer seems simple: reef mantas aren't migratory animals, so you can technically come to Hawaii and swim with them year-round... but there's also a longer answer. Manta ray sightings are lower during winter—not because the gentle giants aren't there, but because ocean conditions often turn adverse, making the swim...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Aloha Reader, Have you ever had the feeling that everything you thought you knew about the world just went out the window? The first time that happened to manta ray enthusiasts around the world, was around 2009, when scientists confirmed there was not just one, but two species of manta rays. There were enough differences between reef mantas (Mobula alfredi) and pelagic or oceanic manta rays (Mobula birostris) to identify them as two different species. Reef mantas are the ones we see almost...
3 months ago • 1 min read
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...
4 months 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...
4 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...
5 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...
6 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...
7 months ago • 1 min read