Written by Jasmine Corbett, the Manta Trust’s media and communications manager, an award-winning underwater photographer, scuba instructor, and marine scientist.
We gather in the garden of the RahVeshi Programme staff house, a traditional Maldivian home nestled on Makunudhoo Island in the far north of the Maldives. The midday tropical heat is intense, so we retreat to the shade of a water apple tree. Sitting on ‘Joalis’—simple yet functional Maldivian seats made of pipe frames and fishing nets— we settle into their familiar embrace. These seats, often a place of relaxation for fishers after early morning trips to sea or during midday siestas, now host our lively discussion.
Today, we are here to reflect on the experiences of the women and girls who participated in the RahVeshi Programme’s ‘Research Experience Day’— a journey that took them beyond the shore and into the realm of the manta rays.
An initiative by the Manta Trust, the RahVeshi Programme was established to create long-term, locally-driven research and outreach programmes aimed at protecting the Maldives’ rich natural resources. One cornerstone of this initiative is the marine education programmes and experience days held in research locations such as Makunudhoo, Fuvahmulah, and Addu Atolls. These events provide community members the chance to actively engage with the research and witness the manta rays thriving in their own backyard.
Still salty and windswept from their ocean adventures, the women and girls are brimming with excitement and adrenaline after swimming with manta rays for the first time. “It was kind of frightening when I first saw them, but then I felt comfortable. It’s just a very unusual feeling; it’s an experience I’ve never had before,” says Ainee Mohamed Jinan, a nine-year-old student from the local school, shyly lighting up as she relives the moment.
Maree, a Makunudhoo shop worker, shares her thoughts eagerly, “I want to keep going as much as I can. I hope I will get many more chances like this in the future.”
Remarkably, this was not only Maree’s first-time swimming with manta rays but also her first snorkelling experience—a poignant reminder of the barriers many face in accessing the ocean, even in a nation as water-rich as the Maldives.
This reality underscores a significant issue: despite the Maldives being 99% water and its inhabitants living just meters from the ocean, many people, especially women and girls, lack swimming and snorkelling skills.
“Globally, two-thirds of women cannot swim, with the statistics even more pronounced in South Asia, where 78% of women lack this essential life-saving skill”, explains Aminath Zoona (Zuna), founder of Salted Ventures Swimmers, a swimming school in the Maldives, and co-leader of the Ocean Women Maldives project.
The Ocean Women project was founded by Flossy Barraud and is supported by the Manta Trust. The project aims to make the transformative benefits of the ocean accessible to women and girls worldwide, fostering confidence, joy, and a meaningful connection to the sea. “When women’s access to the ocean is restricted, they are cut off from essential livelihood opportunities that can provide an income—key not only to their economic independence but also to the financial stability and well-being of their families,” explains Zuna.
Research conducted by the project in the Maldives revealed that some women and girls are five times more likely to be unable to swim, and ten times as likely to have never snorkelled compared to men and boys.
“Reported reasons for this include fear, societal stigmas, aesthetic ideals, lack of role models, limited access to equipment, absence of safe spaces, and entrenched gender norms,” explains Flossy Barraud, founder of the Ocean Women project.
Flossy, who is pursuing a PhD at the University of Plymouth in the UK, studies women’s access to the ocean. Her research is informing the development of an ‘Ocean Connection Strategy’—a guide to improving recreational ocean access for women in diverse cultural and social contexts. This guide, designed for global adaptability, aims to be a valuable resource for communities and organisations seeking to replicate such programmes.
In collaboration with Zuna, Flossy has gathered insights from 268 participants across 20 countries. These findings not only established a baseline understanding of participants' access to recreational ocean activities but also captured their key needs and challenges. Using this information, Zuna trained seven SSI-certified swimming and snorkelling instructors in the Maldives. These instructors have, in turn, taught 111 women and children to swim through fourteen one-month programmes in Rashoo and Fuvahmulah atolls. The impact has been profound.
Hafsa, an instructor trainee, reflected on her transformative journey:
“When we overcome that fear, we feel like we have been reborn again. It’s a feeling I have experienced…confident and empowered. You can feel the happiness. I don’t know, the feeling is magical…like it gives goosebumps still.”
The impact of the programme extends beyond the instructors. One swimming student shared her own triumph: “It’s a fear I have overcome. From a very young age, I was very scared of the sea. So, this is a very big achievement for me personally.”
During an interview with the Ocean Women team, Zoona Naseem, the first female PADI Course Director in the Maldives and a patron of the Manta Trust, highlighted the wider benefits of ocean engagement:
“The ocean is a very peaceful place. When you work in a healthy environment, it makes a lot of difference to your health as well. Nowadays, you hear about so many people getting depressed; even young children. One good thing about being in the ocean is that you are not attached to your phone screen all day. Being in an active environment like this makes a lot of difference for your mind and also for your physical fitness. And you are happy; that’s the most important thing.”
Although the majority of dive centres in the Maldives cater to international tourists, at Zoona’s dive centre, Moodhu Bulhaa, her focus is on engaging young Maldivians with the ocean. She recalls a snorkelling programme with high school students:
“I asked them: how many of you have been to the ocean before? Only one boy put up his hand and said he had been just once. I was so sad that day. We have children here, living in a country with 1% land, and they have never been to the ocean.”
Determined to change this, Zoona has contributed to Farukoe, a government-led initiative aimed at getting every student snorkelling within a year. Many of the children involved went on to earn diving licences and gain knowledge about corals, reefs, and marine ecosystems.
Through initiatives like the RahVeshi Programme and the Ocean Women project, the Manta Trust and its partners are not only working to safeguard marine ecosystems but also inspire a new generation of ocean advocates. Dhuaa Abdulla, a RahVeshi Programme research assistant who began her journey as an intern with the Manta Trust, spoke about her role as an ocean mentor. “Seeing the ocean firsthand with women like me working in the programme has helped young girls realise there was nothing to fear or be judged for when it comes to working in an ocean-related field,” Dhuaa explains.
“The experience empowered some of these girls and gave them the confidence to change their parents' perspectives, making it easier for them to access the ocean and pursue their interests.”
As the RahVeshi Programme continues to dismantle barriers and build confidence, its ripple effects are clear.
“Inspiring a lot of Maldivian young girls makes me want to never stop what I’m doing right now,” says Dhuaa. “That one time a little girl told me she wants to be me when she grows up will forever be a core memory of mine.”
By enabling women and girls to reconnect with the ocean, the programme ensures the wonders of the sea are accessible to all. In doing so, it cultivates not only a deeper appreciation for marine ecosystems but also a sense of agency, resilience, and hope for future generations.
Aishath Sian Ali, a Year 9 marine science student involved in the RahVeshi Programme in Fuvahmulah Atoll, shared her transformative experience:
“I was scared at first, but then when I got in the water, my fears turned into excitement. It opened up a whole new world for me.”
For Maldivian women and girls like Sian, stepping into the water isn’t just about swimming—it’s about breaking barriers, finding confidence, and reclaiming their place in the ocean.
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