A few months ago I picked up a couple shifts on a boat in my neighborhood taking people out to see the Hahalua, Giant Manta Rays, at night. It’s been one of my greatest joys of living in Hawaii. These animals have been amongst my favorites even before I met one, and in person they are even more awe-inspiring. With wingspans up to 16 feet, they have the largest brain to body ration of any fish. They can live to be 100 years old and they can recognize themselves in a mirror. The girls are bigger and more dominant, so we often see only females at our site #girlpower. Each ray has a name, and those of us out there each night can recognize them by their unique scars, size and/or belly spots. We photograph the rays and upload them to Manta Ray identification sites, effectively tracking them through citizen science. I have loved animals as long as I can remember, I grew up watching Animal Planet and National Geographic and idolizing Steve Irwin. Growing up in the ocean I have been especially fond of marine animals. One of my lifelong dreams is to be more directly involved in animal conservation, and while I’m still finding my footing this definitely feels like a step in that direction. Wildlife tourism-when done responsibly-has proven to be an effective way to protect marine creatures, as an alternative to fishing. In other parts of the world Manta Rays are hunted for their gill rakers, but here in Hawaii they bring in so much money in tourism the government has incentive to protect them. It’s a shame that the value of life has to come down to a dollar amount, but this is the world we live in. I’ve seen the same kind of tourism protecting Whale Sharks in the Philippines, and whole marine ecosystems in Cabo Pulmo, once an overfished fishing village turned into a flourishing, healthy eco-tourism dive site. I am happy to be a steward of these animals. Anyway here’s a little peak into what some of my nights look like these days. At the end of the night I see stars and bioluminescence and fight back tears 50% of the time wondering if this is all a dream I’m going to wake up from. Underwater footy via @oliver_kieran23