Marking the end of Manta Month in Komodo 2012, MantaWatch hosted an awards ceremony in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia on October 19 to thank the operators, dive guides and divers who had spent the month diving with manta rays and helping to protect this majestic species.

During Manta Month over 1,200 manta photos were examined, 100 manta encounters were submitted via Manta Trax, and 80 individual mantas were identified.

Manta Month Awards were presented to the outstanding individuals and organisations who helped to make Manta Month in Komodo a success, including:

• Most mantas identified in a day: Fabi Nompas, senior dive guide, Dive Komodo
• Top manta guide: Hila Jansen, senior dive guide, Divine Diving
• Most manta encounters during Manta Month: Stu Beckingham, divemaster, Dive Komodo.

The following dive operators and Manta Champions received a special award for their considerable support and participation in Manta Month: Dive Komodo, Divine Diving, Kanawa Island Diving.

Juvens Nampung accepts Divine Diving’s Manta Champion award

The ceremony also marked the end of this year’s Guy’s Trust MantaWatch Internship Program. Dita Rustandi and Muhammad Ichsan successfully completed a four-week internship in manta ray research and conservation. They were presented with certificates that mark them as the first manta scientists in Indonesia and as founding members of the MantaWatch Alumni.

Dita and Ichsan presented some of their highlights, challenges and achievements after a month of diving with manta rays. The crowd of assembled divers, tourists, Dive Operator Association and Dive Guide Association members all agreed that the climax of the evening was the premier screening of MantaWatch Interns’ Video Diary produced by Dita.

As well as celebrating the month’s achievements, the Manta Month Awards were an opportunity for people to gather and discuss what comes next. There is no doubt that there is a strong affection and real passion for conserving mantas in Komodo; it is, after all, one of the best places in the world for diving with mantas. We hope that local dive operators and divers will continue to report their MantaWatch surveys, and look forward to being invited back next year to continue supporting conservation efforts.

To discover the best locations for diving with mantas in Komodo or to submit your own manta reports from anywhere in the world, head over to Manta Trax, our online manta tracking tool.