Encounters with marine animals provide tourists with a unique and memorable wildlife experience and can make considerable economic contributions to local communities. The large population of mantas within the Maldives, and the predictability of certain aggregations, has allowed the development of a significant manta ray tourism industry. Previous observations of tourism impacts on mantas in the Maldives, however, have highlighted issues of concern, and there is evidence that tourism pressure on the resident manta ray population is increasing.