The time to protect sharks and rays is now.
For more than 400 million years, sharks and rays have shaped life in the sea. They’ve survived ice ages, shifting continents and mass extinctions, until now. Today, these ancient species face their greatest threat: us.
Industrial overfishing, bycatch, pollution and climate change are pushing many species toward collapse. Even with international protections in place, populations continue to fall. But around the world, a new generation of divers, scientists and storytellers is working to change that story and focus on shark and ray conservation.
Among them are four PADI Professionals — Gador Muntaner, Guy Stevens, Mike Coots and Nakia Cullain — whose lives are dedicated to ensuring sharks and rays can thrive once again. Their work reminds us that protecting the ocean begins with understanding it.
1. Gador Muntaner – The Scientist Bridging Knowledge and Emotion
Marine biologist, storyteller, PADI Instructor and AmbassaDiver Gador Muntaner still remembers her first shark encounter at 15 as a defining moment. Based between Mallorca and Baja California Sur, she studies migration patterns and contaminants in great white sharks, and she is passionate about making science accessible.
“Science is essential,” she says. “I also believe it must go hand in hand with education and awareness.”
Her research helped influence the protection of Mexico’s Revillagigedo Archipelago as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2025, she published La Sonrisa de los Tiburones (The Smile of Sharks) to share the beauty and ecological importance of these misunderstood animals.
Muntaner calls sharks “the grandparents of the ocean,” as ancient beings who have witnessed Earth’s transformations. “Just like we respect our human elders for their wisdom and experience, I believe sharks deserve that same respect,” she explains.
Learn more: If you’re inspired by Gador Muntaner’s work, the PADI AWARE Shark Conservation Specialty (with a new version of the course launching in 2026) introduces divers to the science and advocacy behind shark protection and how they can contribute through their own dives.
2. Guy Stevens – The Visionary Behind Global Manta Protection
A single encounter with a manta ray in the Maldives changed Guy Stevens’ life. Stevens is a conservation ecologist and PADI Divemaster from Nova Scotia, Canada. He is one of the foremost experts on manta and devil rays, which led him to found the Manta Trust, a global charity turning research into real protection. His team’s findings have guided the creation of marine protected areas and helped secure international listings for manta and devil rays under CMS and CITES.
In 2024, they identified the 6,000th reef manta and 1,000th oceanic manta, the largest known populations in the world. Programs like RahVeshi, which trains Maldivian researchers, and Ocean Ambassadors, which mentors young conservationists, are ensuring that the next generation carries the mission forward.
“These are some of the most threatened animals on the planet,” says Stevens, “but we already know what needs to be done. The challenge now is having the political will and public support to do what we already know is needed.”
Dive deeper: Find out more about The Mantas of the Maldives. You can support these threatened species by donating to the PADI AWARE Foundation.
3. Mike Coots – The Photographer Turning Fear Into Advocacy
At 18, a shark attack cost Mike Coots his right leg. Instead of fear, the experience sparked purpose. Now a PADI AmbassaDiver, diver and photographer from Hawai‘i, Coots uses his imagery and advocacy to challenge fear-based narratives.
“Knowing that an image or a story I share might inspire someone to care about these animals is my greatest achievement,” says Coots
He’s lobbied for shark protection laws to policymakers in the US Congress and feels he has a responsibility to use his story to protect these species. For Coots, sharks and rays are “the guardians of the ocean’s balance,” which we all depend on, and he hopes that his art can change people’s opinion and shift “the narrative that Hollywood has sold us about sharks.”
“It might not feel like much,” Coots says, “but when millions of people make small shifts, it adds up.”
How you can help:
- Support responsible shark-diving operators through the PADI Eco Center network.
- Choose sustainable seafood and avoid shark products.
- Share positive shark stories to change public perception.
- Take part in the global Shark & Ray Census that PADI AWARE launches in 2026.
4. Nakia Cullain – Protecting Mozambique’s Manta Rays
Canadian marine biologist Nakia Cullain discovered her calling during a volunteer project with great white sharks in South Africa. Today, she leads manta research with the Marine Megafauna Foundation in Mozambique, studying how reef mantas move and use coastal ecosystems.
Her PhD findings have informed new protection strategies across southern Africa, and she’s hopeful about the recovery she’s witnessed in regions with strong marine protected areas.
Overfishing is the greatest threat to sharks and rays, and according to Cullain, also the “greatest challenge as conservationists.” She urges everyone to make sustainable and ethical choices when it comes to seafood, as well as tour operators and shark and ray organizations.
“They inspire awe in everyone who encounters them,” she describes mantas. “That ability to connect people emotionally to the ocean makes them powerful ambassadors for marine conservation.”
Make it personal: Take the PADI AWARE Specialist course to learn how your daily choices, from travel to seafood, can help protect species like those Nakia studies.
Shark and Ray Conservation Starts With Connection
Whether through research, photography or education, each of these experts proves one thing: connection creates conservation.
“When you look into their big eyes,” says Guy Stevens, “you can’t help but feel they’re wondering as much about us as we are about them.”
Sharks and rays keep our oceans in balance. Protecting them means protecting the ecosystems that sustain all life, including ours.
Join PADI and PADI AWARE, become an Ocean Torchbearer and help turn admiration into action. Because every story shared, every dive logged, every sighting documented and every mindful choice moves us closer to an ocean where sharks and rays can thrive once again.
