Today was a busy day after yesterday’s day off. And today is our first day conducting manta surveys from a day boat. Day boats are one-day trips with dive operators and their guests. Not all of us joined the manta survey, just two interns today.
Ranny and Vidlia joined with Wicked Diving to visit Karang Makasar and Tatawa Besar. Dita also joined, to mentor this year’s interns. Just like on the Manta Safari, Ranny and Vidlia conducted manta surveys at these location. But this time there was a difference, as they also gave a presentation and explanation about manta rays to the guests onboard. Today, the MantaWatch team recorded three manta rays.
The Wicked Diving crew
Riza and I spent the day in the class room with Andy and Ichsan. We reviewed the data collected from the Manta Safari, and uploaded our data to MantaTrax. We also had a chance to learn more about Ichsan’s research on the manta rays of Komodo National Park for his university thesis. I think this research is very important for the sustainable management of manta rays. Today we also began preparing this week’s video diary, and reviewed our progress towards our personal and professional goals.
Is that a manta?
