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Leopards and Mantas?

International student Ruhi Vora, her roots in Kenya and the relation to conservation.


Ruhi was part of the Ocean Giants Program appretices, and since one year ago she has been involved with the Manta Caribean Project. As her own initiative, she raised funds through the audition of a photograph she took in Kenya, a place she visits every year to visit her relatives, although she lives in England.



Last week, we arrived at the island and embarked on a tour to explore the wonderful sites and places we will be visiting during our stay. However, our adventure took an unexpected turn on Thursday when a hurricane hit. We prepared by stocking up on food and boarding up the windows. The hurricane passed through the night on Friday, and by Saturday morning, the skies had cleared, although some clouds lingered.



Due to the hurricane, we couldn't go out in the boats on Saturday. Instead, we received a presentation on working with mantas to prepare for our upcooming field trips and spent the day at the beach. Sunday was our day off, and we enjoyed relaxing on the beach (again), exploring the island, trying new restaurants, and indulging in some ice cream!


On Monday, we underwent equipment training in preparation for our boat trips. Each of us was assigned different equipment to take care of, including a CTD, plankton catcher, photogrammetry, and GPS. We made sure we had a checklist to check everything would be ready for the field trip.





Tuesday was dedicated to speaking with fishermen about ghost fishing for a ghost fishing survey. Although they were initially hesitant to talk, they provided valuable insights for the survey.


Wednesday marked our first boat trip. The day started a bit rough with some of us experiencing sea sickness, but it quickly subsided when we spotted a manta ray! Viewing these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat was truly breathtaking. Although taking ID photos while swimming with the mantas was challenging and we made some mistakes, it was excellent practice for our upcoming field trips.






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