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Marine Megafauna Foundation, West Palm Beach, FL (2026)

10/16/2026

🦈 OLD FRIENDS, NEW TECH: AI MATCHING FOR GREY NURSE SHARKS

Grey nurse sharks (Carcharias ta**us) have far subtler spot patterns than whale sharks or manta rays, making individual identification genuinely difficult — and AI-assisted matching essential for tracking these Critically Endangered sharks over time.

Spot a Shark (), the grey nurse shark community science programme in Australia, where our own Dr Simon Pierce is Research Manager, has been testing the tools on Sharkbook.ai, and the results are encouraging.

🤖 In September, MiewID (Wild Me’s AI matching model) identified a shark from a photo showing only part of the animal.

📷 The catalogue is also turning up remarkable long-term resightings, including GNS-1660, last seen in 2008, and an adult male first photographed at Flat Rock in 2005 spotted again at Fish Rock this August, 21 years later.

📈 Wild Me’s next MiewID model will be trained on roughly four times as much grey nurse shark data, so it should keep getting better.

🤿 Want to meet some of these sharks? Simon is hosting small-group photo-ID dives with Wolf Rock Dive at Rainbow Beach, Queensland, 10–19 November (advanced divers). Details: https://scene.sonyanz.com/events?c=3757

For inquiries, contact us at
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🌐 marinemegafauna.org

Spot A Shark · Wild Me · Simon Pierce

10/15/2026

🌟 MEET BLACK STAR: 15 YEARS AT NUSA PENIDA, AND NOW ON THE GRID 📡

If you've dived with mantas at Nusa Penida any time in the last decade and a half, you may well have met Black Star! First identified in 2011, this male ninja reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) is one of our longest-known residents, tracked through photo-identification, and our friends at Blue Corner Dive have adopted him since 2016.

🖤 In September, he also became one of the first mantas tagged for the Lesser Sunda Seascape Tracking Network! 😄 So every time Black Star swims past one of our acoustic receivers, his visit is logged. Over time, this shows us how he uses Nusa Penida and whether he travels further across the Lesser Sunda Seascape.

🤿 CALLING ALL DIVE CENTRES!
Want your own manta on the map? We're inviting dive operators across Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa and Komodo to help put a manta on the map! Your support helps keep the tracking network running, and you'll receive updates on your manta's sightings and detections, and an adoption certificate!

For inquiries, contact us at
📧 [email protected]
📧 [email protected]
📧 [email protected]

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🌐 marinemegafauna.org

10/04/2026

🌊 LAUNCHING THE LESSER SUNDA SEASCAPE TRACKING NETWORK! 📡

Several weeks ago, our Indonesia team launched the Lesser Sunda Seascape Tracking Network, a new acoustic telemetry network stretching from Bali to Komodo! 🎉

Our long-term photo-ID research has already shown that manta rays travel along the Lesser Sunda Seascape corridor. Acoustic telemetry will now add stronger evidence of how they use this route and fill in the details needed for seascape-level management.

Why this network matters:
🦈 It will show how individual manta rays move between aggregation sites, adding to our photo-ID records from Nusa Penida and Komodo, where we've identified over 900 and 1,300 individuals, respectively
📍 It will help fill data gaps in West Nusa Tenggara, where we still know very little about manta ray presence
🔍 It could help us find new critical habitats and aggregation sites between Nusa Penida and Komodo
🗺️ It will support management that protects mantas across their whole range, not just at individual sites

We kicked off the project with a workshop hosted by MMF, with materials provided by Elasmobranch Institute Indonesia (EII). Dr Edy Setyawan and Muhammad Izuan from EII shared their expertise on animal movement science and the tracking instruments we'll be using. Our very own Janis gave a Manta Talk introducing attendees to manta rays and the story behind the project. 🎤

We were thrilled to welcome government officials, local NGOs and fellow scientists to the workshop. Thank you to everyone who joined us! 🙏

A big thank you to our supporters:
💙 The Tropical Forest and Coral Reef Conservation Act (TFCCA) grant, which funded the telemetry instruments, the workshop, and our surveys
💙 Mantahari Oceancare, which co-funded our surveys
💙 Blue Corner Dive & Blue Corner Conservation and Aquaman Snorkeling, which provided logistics during the workshop
💙 Ocean Tracking Network, which loaned us 10 acoustic receivers for the network

We're excited to see where this project takes us and the collaborations it will spark along the Lesser Sunda Seascape. Stay tuned for updates as the network grows! 💙

For inquiries, contact us at
📧 [email protected]
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🌐 marinemegafauna.org

📸 E. Batty; M. Izuan; A. Elejalde; J. Argeswara; M. Busi; I. Stapley

09/28/2026

🌊 PLANTING SEEDS OF OCEAN STEWARDSHIP AT SDN 2 LEMBONGAN! 🐢

It's been a while since our last school visit, so earlier this month we headed to SDN 2 Lembongan to reconnect with the next generation of ocean guardians! 🌟

Here's how the day unfolded:
🐢 We introduced the students to the incredible megafauna living right in their own backyard — the manta rays and sea turtles. Together, we explored what makes these species so special, how they survive, what threatens them, and why it matters that we all care for and protect them.

🎮 But the moment everyone had been waiting for? The VR! Watching the students' faces light up as they virtually dove alongside mantas and turtles is honestly one of the most joyful parts of this work. For many of them, it may have been their very first time seeing these animals up close — even if virtually. ✨

🌱 We truly believe these small moments of connection and wonder are the seeds of a generation that will grow up caring deeply for the ocean.

Thank you, SDN 2 Lembongan, for having us — and a very special thank you to Elasmocean for providing the VR and making this experience possible! 🙏💙

For inquiries, contact us at
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🌐 marinemegafauna.org
🤝

09/26/2026

✈️🦈 FIRST AERIAL SURVEYS IN MOZAMBIQUE COMPLETE 🌊

In July, our team took to the skies for the first round of fixed-wing aerial surveys along Mozambique's Inhambane coast, covering the Závora–San Sebastian corridor across two survey days. The results speak for themselves!

Whale sharks were recorded in three clear hotspot clusters around San Sebastian, Pomene and Tofinho. This is the first systematic aerial snapshot of their distribution along this full stretch of coastline in a decade. 🦈

But the skies delivered far more than whale sharks. Over a coastline rated by the IUCN as globally outstanding, acknowledged as a potential UNESCO World Heritage Site and recognised by as a Hope Spot, we documented a breathtaking roll call of ocean giants:

🐋 Humpback whales nursing tiny newborn calves
🦈 Reef and giant manta rays
🦈 Critically Endangered bottlenose wedgefish
🐬 Multiple species of dolphins
🐢 Several species of sea turtles
✨ A rare ornate eagle ray, a very special sighting indeed!

The Inhambane Seascape truly earns its reputation as the marine Serengeti of Africa. 🌍

⚠️ The surveys also mapped extensive gillnet activity. In a finding that underscores the urgency of this work, the areas with the highest net density overlap directly with the megafauna hotspots. One image stands out above all others: a whale shark with netting entangled around its tail, dragging behind it as it swam. Heartbreaking, but powerful documented evidence of exactly the threat this project set out to investigate.

📅 Two more survey rounds are planned for November and March. Watch this space! 🌊

Huge thanks to our whale shark team: ._p, and 💙

For inquiries, contact us at
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🌐 marinemegafauna.org

09/24/2026

🌊 BACK TO SCHOOL WITH THE FLORIDA MANTA PROJECT! 🐙

As Florida welcomes students back for another year, the Florida Manta Project is thrilled to be returning to our school visit program! 📚

Here's what we're up to:

🐠 Our school visits are designed to introduce Florida students to the incredible wildlife living right in their own backyard — and to show them how they can help protect manta rays and other ocean animals.

🔬 Our teachers are so excited that we were even asked to visit a class during the very first week of school! Education Coordinator Isabel Moyer stopped by a middle school research methods class to help students start designing their own research projects, exploring the different ways marine scientists collect data.

We love watching young minds get curious about the ocean — these early sparks of wonder are how the next generation of ocean stewards begins! 💙

For inquiries, contact us at
📧 [email protected]
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🌐 marinemegafauna.org

09/22/2026

🌊 WE'RE BACK IN KOMODO! 🐋

We're thrilled to be back in Komodo National Park! Janis and Beth spent a week based in Labuan Bajo recently, teaming up with local dive centres and continuing our long-term data collection on the manta rays of this extraordinary seascape.

Here's what the week looked like:

🦈 We hosted a deep dive into our current understanding and ongoing research into manta ray ecology at Molas Cafe — and the turnout was fantastic! Dive professionals and citizen scientists alike came up afterwards for more focused 1-to-1 chats. It's always a joy to connect with like-minded ocean people and share what we're learning about these amazing animals.

🦈 We dived alongside Uber Scuba Komodo, NEREN Diving Komodo, Manta Rhei Dive Center, and Azul Komodo. It was wonderful to see how deeply these centres care about the ocean they call home, with a real emphasis on respectful codes of conduct throughout every dive briefing.

🦈 We showed guests how to collect photo IDs to support our long-term population monitoring. We have several key study sites across Indonesia and, sadly, can't be in five places at once—so every data contribution makes a huge difference!

Protecting these beautiful habitats and the animals that depend on them is a team effort. 💙 Thank you, Labuan Bajo, for a week of great diving and even better connection — hope to see you again soon!

For inquiries, contact us at
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🌐 marinemegafauna.org

📍 · · · · .komodo

09/17/2026

🌊 HAPPY WORLD MANTA DAY, FROM AROUND THE GLOBE! 🦈

Today we celebrate the magnificent manta rays that connect our teams across the world's oceans! From the Mozambique Channel to the Coral Triangle, the Florida coast to the Hawaiian Islands, our researchers are diving in, teaching, tracking and tagging to protect these gentle giants. Here's how the MMF family is marking the day 🌍

🇲🇿 MOZAMBIQUE — It's a field day, as usual! Our team is out on the water doing what they do best: surveying and monitoring the mantas of the Inhambane seascape.

🇮🇩 INDONESIA — We're launching the Lesser Sunda Seascape Tracking Network with a dedicated workshop, in collaboration with the Elasmobranch Institute Indonesia — an exciting new chapter for reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) research across the region.

🌺 HAWAI'I — Our team joined the celebration hosted by the Manta Pacific Research Foundation at the Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa, sharing the work of our Hawaii Oceanic Manta Project. Oceanic mantas are a rare sight in Hawaiian waters. Project founder Mark Hackney shared an update: since the project began, oceanic manta sighting reports have doubled, and this year we recorded a third visit from the same individual for the very first time! With MMF scientist Jessica Pate leading the way, we can't wait to launch the project's next steps to protect this endangered species.

🇺🇸 FLORIDA — The Florida Manta Project is teaming up with the Mandel Public Library for a free public World Manta Day event! Join us on 19 September, 2–4 PM, for a short film screening, our talk "The Mysterious Mantas of Florida" with Jessica Pate, and kids' crafts and activities for grades K–6. 📍 West Palm Beach.

However you're marking it, take a moment today to celebrate these extraordinary animals — and the ocean they call home 💙 Swipe through to meet our manta teams around the world!

For inquiries, contact us at
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🌐 marinemegafauna.org

09/09/2026

SEEING MANTAS FROM A WHOLE NEW ANGLE! 🚁🌊

We have a new addition to the MMF Indonesia team — and it flies! 🎉

We recently got our very own drone to support our documentation and potentially our field surveys. Imagine spotting mantas from above the surface before even getting in the water!

Here's how it's been going:
🚁 With zero flying experience between us, we turned to our friend on the island, Agustine, to help us get off the ground and fast-track our way through the basics 🙏
🐟 We didn't waste any time — we already took the drone out during one of our snorkelling surveys, and seeing the mantas from up above is honestly a completely different and breathtaking perspective ✨
😅 We will admit, though, landing it back on the boat was a whole other challenge. It took a solid 5 minutes of very focused concentration, but we got it down safely — and we're calling that a win!

New skills, new perspectives, and some very exciting plans ahead! 🌊

For inquiries, contact us at
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🌐 marinemegafauna.org

09/05/2026

STILL TALKING MOLAS AND WE'RE NOT STOPPING! 🐟

Mola season is still on, and so is our Mola Talk! Following our debut last month, we are continuing to bring the world of ocean sunfish to more divers and ocean lovers across the region.

Last month we took the talk to two new venues:
📍 OCA Divers, Sanur, Bali
📍 Sanctum Dive Center (Eco Hero), Nusa Penida, Bali

🐟 We covered everything from their basic biology and underwater behaviour to the threats they face and the research helping us better understand them.

🤯 And of course, we never miss the chance to share one of our favourite facts: the sunfish you encounter here around Bali isn't Mola mola as many call it, but a distinct species — Mola alexandrini!

The conversations keep getting richer, and the curiosity never gets old. We cannot wait to keep spreading the Mola love! 🙏

Have you spotted a Mola recently? Send your photos by DM, tag, or email and help monitor the local population of these fascinating giants. Every sighting counts! 🌊🐟

For inquiries, contact us at
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🌐 marinemegafauna.org

Marine Megafauna Foundation

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