Raja Ampat Manta Project

24/02/2026

New paper published!

Most people see manta rays as these effortless, gliding giants on the surface. What we don’t see is what happens beneath.

When we attach satellite archival tags to manta rays, they record depth and temperature every few seconds - generating millions of data points per individual. Hidden in that data are patterns of behaviour: foraging, travelling, deep diving, recovery.

The challenge isn’t collecting data anymore.
It’s making sense of it.

I’ve just published a new methods paper introducing FishDiveR - an analytical tool designed to turn high-resolution dive time-series into quantitative behavioural classifications.

In simple terms:
It helps convert “up and down dive plots” into structured, comparable behavioural information using signal processing and multivariate analysis.

Why that matters:
Better behavioural classification → clearer understanding of habitat use → stronger spatial protection decisions → more effective conservation.

This paper doesn’t come with dramatic headlines. It’s not a “record-breaking dive” story.

If you’d like to read it: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40462-025-00622-w

Thank you to everyone who’s supported the work so far - from divers and expedition guests to collaborators and donors.

The ocean still has many secrets. We’re just getting better at listening to it.

Biologging devices have revolutionised our understanding of aquatic animal movement by enabling the collection of detailed depth and temperature time-serie

19/12/2025

🌊 Big news – Chagos, here we come! 🌊

I’m incredibly excited to be heading to the Chagos Archipelago for an upcoming research expedition focused on devil rays (Mobula spp.) alongside some manta ray spotting in one of the most remote and pristine marine regions on the planet.

Chagos sits in the heart of the Indian Ocean and is often described as one of the last near-pristine tropical marine ecosystems left on Earth. Its reefs have experienced minimal direct human pressure, making it an extraordinary natural laboratory for understanding how large pelagic species behave in relatively intact systems.

A few reasons Chagos is so special:
• It contains the largest fully protected marine reserve in the world.
• Its reefs show some of the highest coral cover and fish biomass recorded globally.
• The surrounding deep ocean drops away rapidly, creating ideal habitat for oceanic rays, sharks, and other wide-ranging megafauna.
• It supports globally important populations of mantas, devil rays, sharks, turtles, and seabirds, many of which remain poorly studied here.

Studying devil rays and mantas in a place like Chagos offers a rare opportunity to explore movement, diving behaviour, and habitat use in a system that is far closer to an ecological baseline than most modern oceans.

Feeling very grateful for the chance to work in such a remarkable place — and excited for what we might learn beneath the surface. More updates soon.

🦋🦈🌍

22/11/2025

Help support research and conservation of these majestic animals in Indonesia. The more we learn the more we can protect these species globally.
Donate to the project here:

Protecting the Gentle Giants of Raja Ampat Raja Ampat, In… Calvin Beale needs your support for support conservation of manta rays in Raja Ampat, Indonesia

22/11/2025

Will be going live on ABC Radio Perth shortly to talk about mantas, research and what we can do to protect these species!
Listen in here:

Listen live, whenever you want, wherever you are with ABC Perth.

30/10/2025

🌊 March 2025 Manta Expedition — Highlights from the Field

What an incredible journey! Here’s a selection of our favourite moments from each day aboard Sea Safari 8 during the March 2025 Manta Expedition in Raja Ampat.

From sunrise briefings and crystal-clear dives to unforgettable encounters with reef and oceanic mantas, dolphins, and even pilot whales, this trip had it all. The energy on board was amazing — passionate guests, dedicated crew, and countless shared moments of awe beneath the waves.

Huge thanks to everyone who joined us and helped support manta research and conservation through the Raja Ampat Manta Project and our partners at Manta Expeditions. Every expedition like this helps us learn more about these gentle giants and the ecosystems they depend on.

📸 Enjoy these highlights — and if you’d like to help us continue this work, please consider supporting our ongoing research and community conservation efforts here: https://gofund.me/6debeeec0

19/10/2025

We made it into IFLS! 😁 Please donate to help support our ongoing research efforts: https://gofund.me/bb30a58bc 🙏

It is thought they use these dives to learn about navigation and the water conditions.

17/10/2025

Check out this article by BBC Wildlife covering our new findings! Extreme diving!

Donate to keep the project going and protect their migratory corridors!
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-conservation-of-manta-rays-in-raja-ampat-indonesia/cl/s?utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link&lang=en_GB

Scientists now think that oceanic manta rays dive hundreds of metres below the surface to get their bearings.

16/10/2025

Excited to announce my research on the extreme deep-diving behaviour of oceanic manta rays has just been published.
📄 Read the full paper here: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1630451/full

This study reveals that oceanic manta rays — usually thought of as surface dwellers — can dive beyond 1,000 metres, into cold, dark depths of the open ocean. These dives are not for feeding, but likely part of long-distance navigation and environmental sensing, offering new insight into how mantas move across the Indo-Pacific.
It’s a milestone moment, already being covered by BBC Wildlife, ABC Radio Sydney & Melbourne, Sky News, and other outlets — and it comes just as Raja Ampat has been officially declared a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.
Through the Raja Ampat Manta Project, we’ve spent over a decade studying and protecting these gentle giants through research, education, and community partnerships in Indonesia. But to keep this work going, we urgently need your support.
I’ve launched a GoFundMe to raise funds for our next field season — covering fuel for expeditions, satellite tags, and local ranger training. Every donation helps keep this vital conservation work alive.
Please donate to keep the project running: https://gofund.me/75ebc19c9

Deep dives are performed by a range of marine megafauna, yet their function remains poorly understood. Proposed functions include foraging, predator avoidanc...

14/10/2025

Tomorrow, a new scientific study led by our project founder Dr Calvin Beale will be published — revealing for the first time the extreme deep-diving behaviour of oceanic manta rays.

This discovery is already making waves, with features due to appear in BBC Wildlife, ABC Radio Sydney, along with articles being proposed to The New York Times, Sky News, and other major outlets!

These findings highlight how little we still know about these gentle giants — and how vital it is to keep researching and protecting them. Through continued monitoring, tagging, and community collaboration, the Raja Ampat Manta Project works to safeguard manta rays and the marine ecosystems they depend on.

But this work depends on funding. We’ve launched a GoFundMe campaign to support upcoming fieldwork, satellite tagging, and community-based conservation in Raja Ampat — the world’s richest reef ecosystem.

👉 You can help.
Every donation, large or small, directly supports manta research and protection here in Indonesia.

💙 https://gofund.me/6274af229

Thank you for helping us keep these magnificent animals safe — for the ocean, and for future generations.

📸: Raja Ampat Manta Project / Calvin Beale / Dr Ray!

Protecting the Gentle Giants of Raja Ampat Raja Ampat, In… Calvin Beale needs your support for support conservation of manta rays in Raja Ampat, Indonesia

13/08/2025

Reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) cruising by on a dive in January. 😁🐠🐟🐬🦈

13/08/2025

January was a great time to be in Raja Ampat, the weather was lovely, the birds of paradise were mating, and we had two species of Mobula on our dives! The long-horned pygmy mobula ray (Mobula eregoodootenkee), and our reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) were around for my birthday!
Along with a tonne of other fish, octopus, stingless jellies, and some beautiful visibility.