“A shaavees madi!” our captain, Allah, shouts from the bow, pointing at the horizon. In Dhivehi, the local language of the Maldives, it means ‘twenty eight manta rays’. Beneath the water, indistinguishable black shapes ripple gently; to the untrained eye, they are mere shadows. Occasionally, a fin breaches the surface, hinting at the mysterious activity below. On the boat, there’s a mix of excitement and anticipation that hums in the air for the challenge ahead: we’re here to photograph each manta ray before the feeding frenzy ends and collect data from a population scarcely studied and largely invisible to science.

In 2021, during an exploratory expedition, Manta Trust and Maldives Manta Conservation Programme (MMCP) researchers visited the far northern atoll of Makunudhoo. Here, fishers shared stories of seasonal manta aggregations and rare cyclone feeding observations, a phenomenon recorded in only a few Maldivian locations. These Dhivehi tales, shared over cups of coffee in the embrace of ‘Joalis’, simple Maldivian chairs made of pipe frames and fishing nets that host many a social gathering, provided the foundation for the RahVeshi Programme. By March 2022, the programme was ready to translate these accounts into scientific data while building the first grassroots network of community-led conservationists across northern and southern atolls.

Twenty minutes later, after a series of freedives photographing each manta’s unique belly pattern, Fauz Fath-hee, the RahVeshi Programme Manager, climbed aboard laughing: “You’ll never guess what…there were exactly twenty-eight. How is that even possible?” Exhausted and elated, we shared a moment of admiration and respect for our captain, a figure whose years of humble experience at sea were now guiding critical scientific discovery.

The insight of local fishers proved invaluable. Their knowledge inspired the creation of RahVeshi, a locally led initiative under MMCP. Unlike ‘parachute science,’ where external researchers collect data and depart without building local capacity, RahVeshi centres Maldivians, equipping them with skills, knowledge, and authority to play a role in the management of their local resources and surrounding reefs. In a nation where foreign investment often overshadows local voices, this approach is vital.