Manta Research Assistants Needed!

[Dylan]

Hello guys,

I'm embarking of Phase II of my Flying Manta Project in Bali, Indonesia for 2007 and I'm seeking help from the diving community to assist in this project.

Background
Initiated in August 2006, Phase I completed with a result of 95% manta sightings over a period of 15 days (17 dives). Dives sponsored by Bali Scuba, results have been tabulated and presented in talks in Singapore.
Mantas are listed as Threatened species under the IUCN Red List in 2005.
No cataloguing on Mantas have been done in Bali to-date.
Mantas are listed as data deficient under the RED LIST.

Aims
The aim is to catalogue by photographing the underside of mantas in the selected site in Bali.
Building up a database that is shared through research stations worldwide.
Educate divers/public about these graceful giants of the seas.
Secondary objectives will also be listed during the Phases.

Goals
For Phase II, we aim to double the number of sightings and Mantas on catalogue with the help of volunteers.

Duration
There will be 3 sub-phases this year.
Phase II(a) 24th August - 31st August (6 Diving Days)
Phase II(b) 31th August - 07th September (6 Diving Days)
Phase II(c) 07th September - 14th September (6 Diving Days)

Volunteers
Volunteers needed on each Phase is a maximum of 7 pax.
Volunteers may stay on for subsequent Phases if their time permits.

Minimum Requirements
Advanced Diver with minimum of 50 logged leisure dives
Comfortable with diving in cold waters (22-26 degrees water)
Posses own dive equipment
Posses own digital camera with strobe(s)
Assist in cataloguing Mantas at the end of the day

Training
Training will be provided on-site, prior to starting of Phases in Bali.

Costs
Volunteers will need to cover all diving / accommodations / meals for the duration and anything else not mentioned.

Endorsements
The following NGO(s) have given endorsement for this project.
The Nature Society of Singapore
Singapore Underwater Federation
Reef Check Indonesia

Pending Endorsements
The following NGO(s) are pending endorsements for this project.
Project AWARE

Supporting Partners
Bali Scuba (Primary)
Aquamarine (Secondary)

How To Get Involved
If your keen to help out during this Phase, please feel free to contact me @
project[at]flyingmantaproject.org to find out more.

If your unable to make it for the trip, there are photos available for purchase to support this cause. All proceeds will go back to supporting / subsidizing participants during this Phase.

Thank you for your time.
Ivan Choong.

[kthan]

hi ivan, u mentioned dives sponsored by bali scuba and yet , participants have to pay for their own diving, accom and meals...care to elaborate on this pl?

[Dylan]

Originally Posted by kthan hi ivan, u mentioned dives sponsored by bali scuba and yet , participants have to pay for their own diving, accom and meals...care to elaborate on this pl?

Background..in 2006, the first Phase I was sponsored. Not for this year sadly. Note that Bali Scuba only sponored the diving portion and not the accommodations / food..etc...

Your welcome to sponor us this year if you like.. :-) *Grinz*

[kthan]

you are on a good project so i shall not say anything funny

personally, i have not reached the level of self actualisation needs to sponsor both time and money for the greater good

i hope they give u a good rate for diving, since u will have quite a number of divers on the boat

btw the above was asked becos the norm is to contribute money and time for such projects by the volunteers. just think your statement of dives sponsored the first time round may confuse some people.

[Dylan]

Yeah I figured so too..but while I try to be as accurate as possible writing out the help, I was up till 6am sending the necessary information out.

So, thanks for asking the question, I do hope that those that are following this thread is clear that it was in 2006 that Bali Scuba sponsored.

2007's Phase II has no sponsors to-date and volunteers have to sponsor themselves to assist the project.

Cheers
Ivan.

[thinkvision]

This service need money support, better to solve the money first, or it may ruin this good project.

[lovells19]

Would love to help..
but Financially Im quite screwed

[Dylan]

Originally Posted by thinkvision This service need money support, better to solve the money first, or it may ruin this good project.

It's a trade off. Even if there is no one willing to assist (as in to fund their own expenses), I'll stop my own business for this period to do it. Like everyone else that wishes to volunteer, I'm paying my way up there for 22 days. Even individually, data is better than no data. The reason why I'm doing it this year is for continuity and also to reference data collect from 2006.

Even small donations/purchase of pictures counts in helping the participants and myself in offsetting the cost incurred for this project. If building up money for the project was the goal not only will it delay the start of the Phase, if taken too long, the effects of human interact might make Mantas a rare sight.

As it is, it is listed as Threatened Species... with so much information lacking in understanding Mantas and their behaviour (Refer to IUCN Red List) I do not think that the lack of fundings should stop the project. In anyway possible, it has to continue.

[Dylan]

Originally Posted by lovells19 Would love to help.. but Financially Im quite screwed

Thanks...
I see the D200 has made a deep hole in your pocket too.

[lestertrinstan]

I want i want! I help, and I can loan underwater camera setup complete with strobes and wide angles!

[lovells19]

Originally Posted by Dylan Thanks... I see the D200 has made a deep hole in your pocket too.

very deep!!

[Dylan]

Originally Posted by lovells19 very deep!!

Okay last OT..
'I can't see the bottom!'

[Dylan]

Extracted this from a website which I just found out about it.
Original link : National Geographic Indonesia - Indonesia Reef 2007

oleh Naneng Setiasih
Binatang lucu ini emang ngegemesin, dan dengan kamera digital, kayaknya nggak bakalan abis-abis kita foto.
Tapi tau nggak, foto selain bisa bercerita banyak tentang pengalaman kita, dan keindahan serta keanggunan manta, juga bisa menolong saintis untuk mengenali dan memantau Manta.
Manta raksasa ada di daftar merah IUCN species yang terancam. Populasinya dikhawatirkan menurun terus menerus secara drastis.
Ikan Manta banyak dicari orang karena menurut sahibul hikayat, insang dan "sayapnya" bisa menyembuhkan seribu satu macam penyakit, termasuk kanker (walaupun sampai sekarang belum terbukti secara ilmiah). Jadi kalau dulu Manta diburu penduduk setempat untuk kebutuhan perut, sekarang mereka diburu karena merupakan komoditas bisnis yang menjanjikan.
Padahal Manta hanya me"lahir"kan 1-2 anak setiap 1-3 tahun (Manta hewan Ovovivipar, artinya, telur mereka ditetaskan di dalam perut, dibesarkan sebentar di situ, dan di"keluar"kan pada saat mereka sudah berbentuk mini manta yang lucu). Penangkapan besar-besaran sulit untuk membuat populasi mereka bertahan
Langkah awal untuk tahu seberapa terancamnya mereka adalah dengan memantau jumlah dan pertumbuhan Manta.
Dengan demikian, para saintis bisa membantu para pengelola untuk mencari langkah-langkah pengelolaan yang "pas" untuk mereka.
Bagaimana foto-foto kita bisa membantu? Sempatkan untuk mengambil foto MAnta dari bawah mereka. Foto di bagian "perut" ini, menurut Ivan Choong, peneliti flying MAnta Proyek dari Singapur, yang juga Direktur I-NSC Asia Pasifik, berfungsi sebagai sidik jari.
tidak ada 2 manta yang mempunyai pola spot-spot warna yang sama. Foto dari bagian bawah ini juga membantu kita untuk tahu jenis kelamin dari si Manta.
Foto-foto Manta yang rekan-rekan ambil nanti, bisa disubmit ke Yayasan Reef Check Indonesia, untuk diteruskan kepada para peneliti manta seperti Ivan Choong.
Selamat memotret!!!

Translation by Jessica Tjung.
This animal is really cute and with the use of digital cameras,it is not possible for us to finish taking photos of it.
But do you know, not only can photos tell us many stories about our own experiences, how beautiful Mantas are, they can also help scientists further understand Mantas.
Giant Mantas are considered to be under the list of endangered IUCN species. Their declining population is worrying.
The reason why many people are searching for Mantas is because it is said that their fins can cure many kinds of illnesses including cancer (even though it is not verified yet). If Mantas were caught by people in the past for food, they are now captured for business purposes.
Mantas only reproduce about 1-2 offspring in every 1-3 years (Their eggs hatch in the stomach, grows there for awhile, and then delivered after they form mini cute Mantas). With more and more people trying to capture them, it is difficult for them to maintain their population.
The first step to understanding how endangered they are is to observe the number and the growth of Mantas.
With this, scientists are then able to help researchers find the various suitable ways for them.
How can our photos help? It is possible to capture the photos of Mantas underneath. This photo of its "stomach", by Ivan Choong, Singapore's Flying Manta Project's peneliti, also Director of I-NSC Asia Pacific, functions as fingerprints. No two Mantas have the same colour spots. This photo also helps us in knowing the Manta's gender.
These photos of Mantas that many have captured, can be submitted to Yayasan Reef Check Indonesia, to be continued by para peneliti manta like Ivan Choong.
Happy taking photos!!!

[slaam]

Originally Posted by Dylan It's a trade off. Even if there is no one willing to assist (as in to fund their own expenses), I'll stop my own business for this period to do it. Like everyone else that wishes to volunteer, I'm paying my way up there for 22 days. Even individually, data is better than no data. The reason why I'm doing it this year is for continuity and also to reference data collect from 2006. Even small donations/purchase of pictures counts in helping the participants and myself in offsetting the cost incurred for this project. If building up money for the project was the goal not only will it delay the start of the Phase, if taken too long, the effects of human interact might make Mantas a rare sight. As it is, it is listed as Threatened Species... with so much information lacking in understanding Mantas and their behaviour (Refer to IUCN Red List) I do not think that the lack of fundings should stop the project. In anyway possible, it has to continue.

for a worthy project. Its always not easy to find funding for conservation projects. Will help you spread the news bro!
wld love to help but have no U/W cam, no advanced. coincidentally am forking out money to go bali this july tho..

[Stress]

I'll be in Bali doing my annual Bali diving with Scuba Bali this July. Will try to take as many "Tummys" as possible.......will get "Mann Yun" to go Manta point n other sites if possible.....

[cityofangels]

Kudos to all involved in this much-needed project! As much as I would love to help, unfortunately, I do not have a minimum of 50 dives under my cap.

But it is really great to see that this threatened species will be getting some help with this project underway.

[Trevor Teo]

Can we send you past pics of Mantas that was taken in Bali? Im sure alot of us had some whilst waiting for the mola. Would that help? What info would you need?

[beivied]

Ivan, if your project is officially registered as a non profit organisation, i might have an avenue that you can try your luck with getting funding

[Dylan]

Originally Posted by beivied Ivan, if your project is officially registered as a non profit organisation, i might have an avenue that you can try your luck with getting funding

FMP is not an NPO in Singapore, however, it is affiliated and adopted in Singapore by Nature Society of Singapore, Singapore Underwater Federation and in the United States, The Manta Network. So perhaps for finding, I'll have to go through the two local organisations for the funding.

[Dylan]

Originally Posted by Trevor Teo Can we send you past pics of Mantas that was taken in Bali? Im sure alot of us had some whilst waiting for the mola. Would that help? What info would you need?

Yes you can.
send it to project[at]flyingmantaproject.org
I'll need your full name to credit the photo to you. The rest of the information can be extracted from the photo as long as it is not modified by PS.