As part of its ongoing commitment to green NGOs and spreading the message of ocean conversation, Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru has partnered with world-leading environment charity The Manta Trust to launch the Manta Ray App.
This unique and interactive application explores the underwater “secrets of one of the world’s most incredible marine marvels – manta rays.”
The Manta Story app is developed by Loopcraft, and is now available to download for free on digital devices. The app is also the latest development in a conservation partnership between Four Seasons and The Manta Trust that spans 17 years.
The story began with the Chief Executive and The Manta Trust Guy Stevens experiencing his first life-changing encounter with mantas while working as the marine biologist at the resort.
The fully interactive virtual reality (VR) application takes the viewer on a “mesmerizing adventure into the world of manta rays” and covers their courtship, feeding and cleaning rituals, manta pregnancy and birth.
The app is designed based on the actual manta ray population studied by Stevens and his team in the Baa Atoll UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.
The users can click through to further facts at each stage of their learning journey on the app and test their knowledge with quizzes.
The app also features ways to support the work of The Manta Trust, established by Steven in 2011 as a UK-registered charity “dedicated to the worldwide conservation of mantas and their close relatives.”
Users can either opt to donate, adopt a manta, or join the ‘Cyclone’ which a community of supporters who are investing in the conservation efforts of the ocean’s rays, their relatives and their habitats.
“I’m super pleased and proud that we were able to create this app together with The Manta Trust and our passionate in-house techies, allowing us to spread our message and ocean conservation around the globe,” said the Vice President and General Manager of Four Seasons Regional, Armando Kraenzlin.
“Getting up close with these gentle giants is both humbling and awe-inspiring and our mission has always been to inspire as many people as possible to help conserve them and their ocean home.”
Narrating the app is British actor, environmentalist and host of Trees a Crowd podcast David Oakes. Passionate about championing conservation causes, the star of shows such as Netflix’s Vikings: Valhalla and ITV’s Victoria uses his influence to support charities including The Woodland Trust, Wildlife Trusts and the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.
“I’ve always had an affinity for manta rays so I was honoured when Guy and Armando asked me to narrate the Manta Story app,” Oakes said.
“To see so many of these magnificent and gentle giants, almost every time I’ve dived or snorkelled near Landaa Giraavaru – cycloning, surface feeding, rolling and loop-the-looping – is something impossible to take for granted, but conservation of our planet’s key megafauna shouldn’t just be a concern for those lucky enough to have had first hand encounters. The app is a beautiful and enjoyable way to get across the story of our planet’s mantas.”
The app follows the recent launch of Landaa Giraavaru’s Hologram Room. Other manta ray education experiences at the resort include the Manta-on-Call snorkeling adventures and a Trainee Manta Biologist module that provides conservation-minded teens with the insight into the world of the Manta Trust scientists.
The resort is also home to one of the Maldives’ leading centers of marine research, working in partnership with local and national environmental agencies and employing 10 full-time marine biologists. Their works cover a wide base in terms of marine conservation including sea turtle rehabilitation, coral propagation, anemone mapping and more.
In 2020, the Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru partnered with the NOW Force for Good Alliance and EarthCheck, undertaking ongoing monitoring and annual Benchmarking Assessments in a bid to ensure that its presence in Baa Atoll, home to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, is as beneficial as it can be.